Author: Jason Karnosky

News

Chris Mueller Officially Signs with the Predators, Likely to See NHL Debut Tuesday

Looks like Chris Mueller got a slightly post-dated Christmas present from the Nashville Predators.  Mueller signed a two-way contract, making him an NHL option for the Predators, who are ravaged by injuries at the current moment.

This appears to be a sign-and-play immediately deal for Mueller, as the forward is expected to make his NHL debut on Tuesday night as the Predators face the Dallas Stars.

Mueller has been nothing short of awesome for Milwaukee in 2010-2011, scoring 12 goals and 20 points.  This is a well-deserved promotion for the West Seneca, New York native who was NHL free agent playing on a contract with the Admirals.

Despite the injuries to the Predators you have to wonder what exactly triggered this decision?  With Mueller really stepping up his game at the AHL level, interest had to be growing among other NHL clubs.

Did Nashville sign Mueller to prevent him from signing with another NHL club, wanting to keep him within the organization?  Or did the Predators sign him, so they could trade him away in the near future?  Or did Nashville finally realize what they had in Mueller as a player, and now the organization is ready to mold him into exactly what Barry Trotz wants?

So Roundtable, what do you think?

Game Recaps

Admirals Face a Quick Turnaround Back to Chicago

After a tough 5-1 loss to Chicago Saturday night, the Admirals don’t have to wait long for a rematch.

Milwaukee returns to the Windy City Tuesday night for a return engagement with the Wolves at Allstate Arena.

It will be sixth of ten meetings between the two geographic rivals, who share an unpleasant taste for one another.

“It’s one thing to be close to (Chicago)and to play them so many times, but we see each other so much that you kind of get sick of playing them,” Mark Van Guilder said.

Van Guilder points to the seven game series the two foes battled through last spring as a big factor.

“The other (thing) was playing them in the playoffs last year,” Van Guilder said. “Whenever you go through a seven game playoff series like we did with those guys, you definitely get up when you play them.”

The final aspect of the rivalry on the ice is the culture clash between organizations.  Nashville runs the Admirals as its primary developmental organization, stock piling the team with top prospects that are generally younger players.

Meanwhile, Atlanta keeps the Wolves as less of a dependent club by stocking Chicago with numerous AHL/NHL veterans, players like Jason Krog and Darren Haydar, who can pile up the points in the AHL, but have a more limited value to the parent NHL club.  The result is a style clash that plays out in intense ways on the ice.

“It’s always a good battle against two good teams that do things differently,” Van Guilder said.

News

Steve Begin Recalled to Nashville; Dylan Hunter joins Milwaukee; Mark Van Guilder Update

News out of Nashville is that Steve Begin has been recalled.  I fully expected Begin to get the call up to the Music City at some point this season, but what surprised me is that it took this long.

During his time in Milwaukee, Begin got 21 games of AHL seasoning and retooling, chipping in three goals and one assist.  Begin started showing signs of shaking off the non-training camp rust before suffering an injury setback.

But this is a well-deserved promotion for a guy who plays hard every night.

In his place the Admirals called up Dylan Hunter from the Cincinnati Cyclones.  Hunter bears a striking resemblance to former NHL-er Dale Hunter, one of the toughest guys ever to play the game.  Of course Dylan is Dale’s son.  Considering the Admirals are losing Begin, there doesn’t seem to be a more perfect player to take his place.

Mark Van Guilder is also close to returning the Admirals.  He may be back in the lineup as soon as Tuesday night in Chicago.

So, Roundtable, what are your expectations for Begin in the NHL?  Will he fit right in with Nashville, or will this not work out?  Do you like the addition of Hunter, who played nine games in Milwaukee last season?

News

Taking a Look at Milwaukee Alums who are playing/have played with the Nashville Predators in 2010-2011

With Nick Spaling finally getting over the hump and scoring his first NHL goal, I thought it would be worth taking a look at the progress of some of the Admirals who have played with Nashville so far this season, but also who have spent time in Milwaukee.

Spaling hasn’t had much puck luck in the NHL, as it took 50 games to get over the hump against the New York Islanders.  On a 5-on-3 power play Spaling setup on the right side of the net.  A couple of nice passes later and Spaling had himself a gaping net.

“It was a pretty nice play and they set me up pretty good there,” Spaling said.  “It was a wide open and I just had to put it in.  I was pretty lucky to get that one.”

(Check out the rest of his post game conversation here)

It is now going on two weeks and Mark Dekanich has yet to get a start with Nashville during his second stint with the club in 2010-2011.  The problem has been the unbelievable play of goaltender Anders Lindback.   Lindback has two shut outs in a row, and those starts weren’t even his best so far.  Last Wednesday Lindback shut down Detroit for a 3-2 Nashville win, making 15 saves in a third period dominated by the Red Wings.

Dekanich looks likely to get in goal for his first NHL game sometime this week as Nashville faces three games in four nights starting tonight at home against San Jose.

Fellow Scandinavians, Teemu Laakso and Linus Klasen, have each played in one game a piece with the Predators and both have yet to record a goal.

Of the other players who skated with Milwaukee in 2009-2010 and are currently with Nashville, Cal O’Reilly has six goals and 18 points, Colin Wilson has six goals and 12 points, Cody Franson is off to a great start with 4 goals so far and Alexander Sulzer has yet to score in 12 games of NHL action.

Stay tuned later this week for my feature on the relationship between Nashville and Milwaukee in the Predators organization, and in January for my piece on the success of Milwaukee developing NHL talent.

News

Comparing College Hockey to the Pros

The first few years that college hockey players play professionally have a tendency to be either feast or famine.  Some players like Jonathan Toews, Joe Pavelski, Zach Parise, Blake Wheeler and Dany Heatley adjust their games quickly to pro level, while others like Kyle Turris, Kevin Porter, Ryan Duncan and T. J. Hensick struggle adapting their games to the faster professional pace.

Current Nashville Predators goaltender Mark Dekanich is a player that has had lot of success in his young professional career.  Dekanich’s success came after he excelled playing four years of Division 1 college hockey at Colgate University.  The 2005-2006 season was the Raiders’ best of the past decade, as Dekanich, then a sophomore, backstopped Colgate to ECAC regular season championship.

Recently Dekanich chatted with me about the differences between playing college hockey and professional hockey:

Which is more difficult, playing college hockey or professional hockey?

Dekanich: “In college we had a lot more to do.  We practiced everyday just like we do now, but after practiced we had to go home and read for class, write papers, prepare for tests and do other things like that.  It is actually less work as a professional.  When were done at the rink, we’re done for the day, so after that I have to go home and try find something for myself to do to pass the rest of the day away.”

What are some some of things you learned from your college experience that paid off during your time as a professional?

Dekanich: “There were a lot of things I had to learn like living on my own.  That helped prepare me for things like cooking for myself now that I play pro.”

To read more from my interview with Dekanich, check out my feature on the netminder on MilwaukeeAdmirals.com.

So Roundtable, this year’s Admirals feature several ex-college players, such as Blake Geoffrion, Ryan Flynn, Chris Mueller, Scott Ford, Grant Lewis, Mike Barlett, Mark Van Guilder and Ryan Thang.
Which players have adjusted their games the best to the professional level, which are still a work in progress, and which are too early to tell?

News

How Do the Virtual Milwaukee Admirals Stack Up?

A few years ago video game manufacturer EA Sports added the AHL to its options of teams you can use for their NHL video game.  I am not a frequent “gamer,” but I like to dabble from time to time, and I’ve found the addition of the AHL teams to be a pretty neat thing.  Imagine matching your hometown club against the best in the NHL in an exhibition match, or playing a showdown between an NHL team and its top AHL affiliate.

Having recently purchased “NHL ’11” as a early Christmas gift for a friend, I figured it would be a lot of fun taking the virtual Admirals for a spin.  Now my friend is a far better “gamer” than I am (my glory days on the Sega Genesis have long since passed me by), but I managed to go 1-2-0 against him, using Milwaukee vs. Lake Erie twice and Wilkes-Barre Scranton once.

Here are some of my observations about the virtual Admirals:

1) Mark Santorelli is amazing.  It was really fun using both Santorellis on the same line last year on “NHL ’10,” but virtual Mark continues to be a dynamite player on the game for the Admirals.  My best play was a 2-on-1 one-timer which Santorelli usually finished for a goal.

2) Linus Klasen is an unknown.  I never could quite get a handle on how best to utilize Klasen on the offensive attack, even on the power play.  Most likely that’s because I don’t know how to use all the special player moves, but virtual Klasen proved a touch maddening.  Zero points in three games.

3) Brett Palin, Teemu Laakso, Jonathon Blum and Scott Ford were all dependable.  Despite my poor record, every game was low scoring.  My virtual Admirals defense blocked an amazing amount of shots.   I was especially impressed with virtual Palin, who hit everything that moved.

4) Chet Pickard played like Chet Pickard has so far.  The rosters we used for the game must have had Mark Dekanich called up with Nashville, because my only options were Jeremy Smith and Chet Pickard in net.  I couldn’t manage a big save from virtual Pickard when I needed it, and I couple of goals I wanted back big time.

So Roundtable, when/if you play video game hockey, do you choose to play with the Milwaukee Admirals?  If you do, then what are some of your observations?  Do some of the virtual Admirals surprise or disappoint you?  Who is your favorite virtual Admirals player?

News

Admirals Road Trip Lessons

During the life of a hockey season, there tend to be a few turning points, positive and negative that have an effect on the course of a whole campaign.  During the Admirals 10-game November road swing, a couple of major momentum shifts occurred.

Milwaukee started off the trip hot, then went ice cold in the middle, but finished the trip strong.   In the process, the Admirals became a better team now than they were prior to leaving Milwaukee for an extended period of time.

So what do the players and coaches think were the lessons from the trip?

Coach Lane Lambert:

“I think the biggest quality we took from the trip was our ability to learn from adversity, and for us to overcome and come together as a group.  During the middle the trip we went through a bit of a tough patch, but I thought our leadership really showed through.  It was a learning experience for us to go through that adversity, but adversity can make you stronger if you go about it in the right way.  I think we did a good job of (dealing) with it.”

(Now Nashville) goaltender Mark Dekanich:

“Anytime your on the road for such a long period of time like that it brings guys together.  I think it’s a good experience especially for the younger guys, who are playing in their first year as a professional, to get to see how the veterans handle themselves on the road and to see what we need to do to be successful.  There was a lot of ups and downs during the trip, but I think we did a fairly good job of managing that.  We were 5-3-2 on that than 10 game swing, which is not too bad.”

Defenseman Scott Ford:

“I think anytime you go on the road for such a long period of time, it gives your team a chance to jell together and kind of learn a little bit about each other.  You spend a lot of time together, eat meals together and get to know each other more on a personal level, so that can help you jell as a team.  I think we saw that with this trip.”

News

Grading the Admirals Through the First Quarter of the Season

Offense (B-): Clearly, coach Lane Lambert has some work to do with Milwaukee in making the Admirals a more dangerous offensive hockey team.  Other than Linus Klasen and a few other players, Milwaukee isn’t blessed with an abundance of firepower.  Therefore the offense has to come by way of committee effort–a Nashville trademark.  Prior to the road trip, the Admirals got goals from players on their top three lines, but that dried up some in Texas and Oklahoma.  Milwaukee averages 2.55 goals per game, which is not going to cut it long term.

Defense (B+): This might have been the hardest grade for me to judge. 90% of time Milwaukee has really impressed me in their own end, preventing their opponent from getting quality scoring chances against.  Allowing just 2.36 goals against per game is a testament to the Admirals efforts in the defensive zone.  However, lapses at bad times have proved punishing for Milwaukee.

Goaltending (A-): If this only had to do with the performance of Mark Dekanich, I would state it as an A or A+, but No. 2 slot has hardly been reliable so far for Milwaukee.  It’s nice to see Jeremy Smith picking up some much needed wins for the Admirals, but Milwaukee really needs Chet Pickard to elevate his game to the higher level he seems more than capable of reaching, but for some reason hasn’t found yet.

Special Teams (C-): Carrying a power play ranked 20th in the AHL at 15.8% and penalty kill ranked 18th working at an 82.1% efficiency just isn’t going to cut it long term.  The power play in particular went cold as the Admirals headed south on the road.  For a team that struggles at times to score goals, special teams could prove to be a decisive weapon for Milwaukee competing against more offensively gifted clubs.

Final Grade (A-): Milwaukee has far exceeded my expectations through the first quarter of the season, which is a credit to Lambert efforts and the efforts of the team as a whole.  The Admirals were a young and unproven club to start the year, but prior the extended road trip the club was starting to form solid identity as a tough team to play against.  But don’t mistake young and unproven for a lack of talent.  There is plenty of talent in Milwaukee to build a winning hockey club, and so far Lambert has the Admirals heading in the right direction toward to a berth in the AHL playoffs.

So Roundtable, What are your grades for the Admirals so far?

News

Five Things I’m Thankful For

1) The Admirals Team Speed.  During my preseason chats, a one word description from defenseman Scott Ford on his early impressions of Milwaukee really stood out.  The 2010-2011 Admirals would be–Dynamic.  It was a surprising thought, but watching Milwaukee play that is exactly the description I have for team so far.  The youthful Admirals play an up tempo, high speed game that is a joy to watch when it is all on the same page.  Sure Milwaukee suffered through plenty of growing pains in the early going, but when everything is clicking, the Admirals pack a high octane punch.

2) Mark Dekanich’s Goaltending.  There has something in Mark Dekanich’s eye this season, a look of determination that says the puck just isn’t getting by him.  At 24-years old the maturing goaltender is off to a fantastic start, allowing just 21 goals against in his first 13 games of action.  Even more impressive is the work load Dekanich has taken on.  Playing nearly every night in Milwaukee, Dekanich has been between the pipes in all but one of his team’s wins.  If Dekanich continues at numbers in the ballpark of his current pace, expect interested calls from NHL teams to start raining in Milwaukee’s ears.

3) The Wow Factor of Linus Klasen. On opening night it didn’t take long for me take notice of Linus Klasen on the ice—about one shift.  From that point, Klasen has been joy to watch and follow.  Every time the puck is on his stick, it seems like some electric is about to happen.  Perhaps Klasen in Swedish means instant offense, because that is exactly what the 24-year old has provided for Milwaukee this season.

4) The Candor and Color of Coach Lane Lambert.  If there is one person qualified to be annoyed with me this season, it would have to be Lane Lambert.  But credit to the Admirals coach, he has put up with my questions no matter what mood he is in, including the days where Milwaukee’s practices were driving him crazy.  All kidding aside, I really appreciate how generous Lambert and all of the Admirals players have been with their time and their comments.

5) Admirals Fans. Through the first quarter of the season, Milwaukee’s faithful supporters have been a pleasure to interact with.  I love seeing your comments, your thoughts and your critical assessments.  It makes churning out my weekly posts that much easier.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Round Table faithful.

So Roundtable, Regarding the Milwaukee Admirals, what are you most thankful for?

Game Recaps

An Oklahoma Oil Slick Washes Away Milwaukee 5-2

The Admirals first ever game against the Oklahoma City  Barons was one they would prefer to forget.  Milwaukee fell 5-2 to the Barons.  It was the Admirals  worst loss of the season, giving up five goals for the first time.  It was also Milwaukee’s largest deficit in a loss so far.

Jeremy Smith suffered his first loss with the Admirals, picking up 24 saves on 29 shots. Milwaukee remains with just one win with a goaltender not named Mark Dekanich in net.

Three of the goals came on deflections, but the back breaker was a short handed goal by Jeff Petry early in the third.  It was a tally I’m sure Smith wishes he could have back.  Worse it was the goal that put the game out of reach at 4-1.

The Barons also picked up a pair of goals on the power play as Milwaukee’s struggling special teams again played a factor.

Linus Klasen buried his first goal in six games for the Admirals only tally of the first period.  Klasen’s team leading ninth goal of the season got Milwaukee back into the game after a horrid start.  The Admirals surrendered three goals on their first nine shots.

Milwaukee’s other goal came in the final minute, credited to Aaron Johnson.  Within the next few seconds two fights broke out, including a classic confrontation between Jake Taylor of the Barons and Kelsey Wilson.  Shortly after Ryan Flynn got in his first professional fight in the under card, matching up with Jordan Bendfeld.

The tussles were a final message sent by the Milwaukee that they will be ready for the rematch on Tuesday.

Final Notes:

-Blake Geoffrion remains out of the lineup.

-Klasen suffered an injury in the third period.  It’s unclear at this point if he will miss any games or if the injury was significant.

-Milwaukee drops to 9-5-1-3 on the season and has yet to win on southern swing of the franchise tying 10-game road trip.

-After enjoying a five game winning streak the Admirals have now lost three games in a row.

-Click here for the AHL’s score sheet.  Here is Milwaukee’s recap.  And Oklahoma City’s version.