Some curious news out of the American Hockey League today involving one of the league’s most successful franchises. It is appears that the Winnipeg Jets are planning to pick up their American Hockey League affiliate from St. John’s, Newfoundland and relocate them to Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Though only in its second year of existence, St. John’s routinely sells out games and ranks sixth in the AHL in average attendence with 6,287 fans per home date. However, the team is also remotely located, and a far-cry from its parent club in Winnipeg.

Why this concerns Milwaukee is the divisional breakdown of the AHL. Currently, Milwaukee fits comfortably in the Midwest Division, with fellow logical local foes Grand Rapids, Chicago, Rockford and Iowa. With St. John’s moving potentially moving west to Thunder Bay, it would only make sense to move that franchise into the Western Conference, replacing it in the east with a whole host of potential options like Rochester, Charlotte, Utica or another franchise.

Then again, despite its remoteness, I would think that St. John’s would look pretty attractive to another struggling AHL franchise, especially after hosting the likely-to-be highly successful 2014 AHL All Star Classic. AHL franchise moving season is far from over, but it seems at least one big shake up will again occur. At the very worst, Milwaukee will likely be gaining a new foe a long bus ride or short flight away.

So Roundtable… Do you know the way to Thunder Bay?

Marek Mazanec’s coming out party was made official today.

Mazanec, who posted a 5-4-1 record with a 2.00 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and two shutouts in 11 November appearances, was named NHL Rookie of the Month.

Mazanec got his first NHL win on Nov. 16, holding the fort during a 7-2 drubbing of Chicago. The win was his first in a stretch of five in six starts. However, Mazanec started out the month in Milwaukee, winning his two starts there while allowing just two goals in each contest. Overall the 22-year-old Czech, who could barely grow out his Movember mustash, was 5-0-0 with the Admirals, with a sparkling 1.97 GAA. and .933 SP.

Mazanec beat out the likes of stellar rookies Chris Kreider, Tomas Hertl, Tyler Toffoli, Nathan MacKinnon and Torey Krug for the honor. Plenty of NHL scribes around the league are starting to take notice of the rookie netminder’s fine play. Overall its been a quite a start to a North American professional life for the 6’4″ sixth-round draft pick, who has become the next in line of Nashville’s talented, and tall, European goaltenders.

But perhaps Mazanec’s efforts shouldn’t be much of a suprise. Before the season Admirals defenseman Scott Ford and coach Dean Evason each saw the impressive talents of Mazanec firsthand out of training camp and expected great things:

“(Mazanec) is going to push Magnus (Hellberg) right to the limit,” Ford said. “I think it’s going to be a great tandem. Kind of doubleheaded monster where we have confidence in both guys. They’re going to push each other to be the best.”

“With Mazanec, the young Czech, we feel that we have two number one goalies as opposed to a one and a two,” Evason said. “In both of them we have very young, but talented prospects.”

So Roundtable . . . What do you think of Marek Mazanec’s impressive start? Do you think his AHL days are numbered? How will Nashville handle their goaltending situation when Pekka Rinne returns? Can Hellberg again move above him in the pecking order?

Whenever a NHL General Manager position becomes available, Paul Fenton seems to always be the short list of candidates. Of course, considering his track record of drafting and development work under the watchful eye of Predators G.M. David Poile, there is good reason for it to be.

Considering the fan support, young player potential, and having an owner with deep pockets, Buffalo seems like a great fit for an up-and-coming future G.M. looking to build a reputation and winner. Fenton is now in his eighth season as Poile’s right hand man, and believes he is ready. The 53-year-old has reached out to new Sabres president of hockey operations Pat LaFontaine.

Poile’s previous assistant G.M., Ray Shero, is now considered one of the NHL’s best in Pittsburgh, and was rewarded for his efforts when he was named NHL General Manager of the Year for the 2012-2013 season.

Some of the other possibilities include Boston Bruins assistant G.M. Jim Benning and Jason Botterill, who holds the same position with the Penguins. With all of his ties to Buffalo, Canadiens assistant G.M. Rick Dudley would also be pretty logical.

Read more about this story in Pro Hockey Talk here.

Or read Josh Cooper’s take in the Tennessean here.

So Roundtable … What do you think of Paul Fenton’s track record with Nashville/Milwaukee? Is he ready to be an NHL General Manager? Would you be sad to see him go?

This morning Simon Moser, a Swiss free agent, officially became a member of the Nashville Predators organization. Moser signed a one-year entry-level contract worth $550,000 at the NHL level and $70,000 at the AHL level, after attending Predators training camp under a tryout agreement.

However, Moser’s first professional days will start in the AHL as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals as the 24-year-old was sent down today.

For those Predators/Admirals fans looking for some instant offense, aka another Damien Brunner (see below video), Moser isn’t quite that player:

Moser’s highest production came during the 2011-2012 Swiss-A League season when he scored 18 goals (tied for 12th overall) and 34 points. However, Moser did help Switzerland to a silver medal in the 2013 World Championships, posting three goals and five points. He’s was also a captain with Langnau, the team the Bern native resided with for the past five seasons.

Here’s a nice little set of Simon Moser highlights via swissnlafan on YouTube:

Moser did produce a couple of goals during the preseason with Nashville. Moser’s preseason stat line: 5 GP, 2 goals, 0 assists, roughly 15 minutes of ice per game.

Individual games:
Sept. 16 vs. Florida: 16:45 TOT, 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 SOG.
Sept. 19 vs. Tampa Bay: 14:07 TOT, 0 goals, 0 assists, 1 SOG.
Sept. 24 vs. Tampa Bay: 13:50 TOT, 1 goal, 0 assists, 1 SOG. Moser scored a second period goal assisted by Richard Clune.
Sept. 25 vs. Washington: 15:29 TOT, 0 goal, 0 assists, 3 SOG.
Sept. 27 vs. New York Islanders: 15:02 TOT, 1 goal, 0 assists, 2 SOG. Moser scored Nashville’s second goal in the third period, assisted by Ryan Ellis and Nick Spaling. He was also a +1 in the 6-4 loss.

So Roundtable . . . How do you think Moser will fit in  on the Admirals’ depth chart? How long do think he will stay? Are you excited about Moser’s potential offensive punch added to Milwaukee’s lineup?

On a day where hockey is officially back in Milwaukee with the start of the 2013 training camp, a former Admiral is making some noise overseas.

With the recent success of goaltenders Magnus “Hells Bells” Hellberg and Jeremy Smith with the Admirals, its easy to forget about a recent Milwaukee goaltender who not only was amazing in the Brew City, but one who just missed out a solid NHL career.

In case you don’t know who I am referring to, its none other than Mark Dekanich. From 2008 through 2011, Dekanich saw action in 122 AHL games with Milwaukee and boasted an impressive 65-39-9 record. The Dex Show never posted a goals against average higher than 2.33 or a save percentage lower than .914.

Dekanich now resides in the KHL with Zagreb Medvescak. Though he’s just 1-3-0 so far in six games, he does have this amazing stick save as a claim to fame: 

For more on this amazing play from Yahoo’s Puck Daddy blog, click here. To read my classic December 9, 2010 feature on Mark Dekanich, click here.

So Roundtable . . . What do think of Milwaukee’s initial training camp roster? Any faces you expected to still be in Nashville? Any favorite Mark Dekanich memories?

This might or might not be overly shocking news, but it looks like one battle at Nashville Predators training camp has already been decided–Carter Hutton, not Magnus Hellberg, will be the backup goaltender to Pekka Rinne with the Nashville Predators. For the development of Hells Bells, it does make sense, but it would be curious to think about who would get the Nashville net in a long term situation if Rinne ever went down for a significant amount of time.

As per usual this situation could change even further if Nashville G.M. David Poile decides to abandon his un-proven backup situation and sign a veteran backstop. This was Poile’s preference last season, and there are certainly plenty of options still available, like there is at just about every position. Damien Brunner, anyone?

That means for the Admirals there is decent chance that Milwaukee will start one of the best, if not the top goaltender in the AHL on most nights. If your squad is trying to make the playoffs for the 12th straight year, having Hellberg is not a bad way to go.

The Admirals certainly would have been quite the one-two punch again had Jeremy Smith stayed, got healthy and returned to his elite form. But alas Smith followed Mark Dekanich to Columbus on a two-way deal. Personally, I hope things work out better for Jeremy there than they did there for Mark. Speaking of Dekanich, he’s currently in the KHL with Medveščak Zagreb.

So Roundtable . . . Do you think Barry Trotz is acting too hastily with his backup goaltending situation? For his development, it makes sense to have Hellberg down for another season in Milwaukee, but what do you think the Predators would do if Rinne went down to injury? Are Poile/Fenton still looking for another netminder?

With Peoria, Illinois now without a franchise, another inevitable shakeup was coming as far as AHL realignment for the Milwaukee Admirals.

Enter the Iowa Wild (formerly the Houston Aeros) who replace the Rivermen, one of my favorite old school minor league franchises. Des Moines is returning to the AHL stage for the first time since 2009, when the infamous Iowa Chops played in the league. Certainly moving a team from Houston to Des Moines gets Minnesota’s prospects a lot closer to the Twin Cities, but its hard to believe that the city of Houston will no longer have either an NHL or AHL franchise. However, it will be fun for Milwaukee fans to see Minnesota’s prospects on a much more frequent basis. I’m curious to see if the playoff battles from previous years with the Aeros will carry over into the new divisional matchups.

As you all might already know, Chicago (AHL) once again changed affiliations for the 2013-14 season, taking on an affiliation with the St. Louis Blues, which formerly had its top prospects in Peoria. Vancouver moved on to Utica (now in the North Division of the Western Conference), after its two-year affiliation with the Wolves.

Abbotsford is now in the West Division, where it will have a division rival in Charlotte a mear 2,900 miles away (or eight large states and a border crossing). Grand Rapids stays put in the Midwest Division, where they geographically belong.

For a grid of the new divisions, click here.

For a list of NHL affilations for 2013-14, click here.

So Roundtable, are you ready for some new rivalries?

2012-2013 Milwaukee Admirals: 76 G.P., 41-28-4-3–52 pts., 197 goals scored, 200 goals allowed, 8th place in the Western Conference (2nd Midwest Division). Leading playoff scorer: Zach Hamill (1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points.

Heading into Friday night’s Game 4, the Milwaukee Admirals will go to the Cedar Park Center just outside of Austin, Texas with their season in the balance. One loss in the next two games and the franchise’s second straight amazing end of season comeback bid will end in the first round of the playoffs.

Perhaps you might think its an unenviable position, having to win two straight games on the road to advance, but this series is much, much closer than just Texas leading two games to one. One overtime goal in Game 1 and the Admirals are leading 2-1 in the series. Perhaps one Milwaukee goal in the decisive third period on Wednesday might have lead to a similar fate and a 2-1 series lead for the Admirals.

Two years ago when these teams met Milwaukee was actually down two games to one to the Stars, before winning the next two games in a row in Texas. The Admirals would eventually win a third-straight in double overtime to take the series. That might not mean much this time around (especially considering that was a seven-game series, this a five-game series), but that experience is something to draw on.

But one area of concern in this series that is being overlooked, a little bit for both teams is the lack of goals scored. Maybe this was to be expected in this extremely competitive, tight series, but the two teams have combined for just nine goals in three games (and just four in the last two games). More staggering, Milwaukee has just three non-empty net goals against Christopher Nilstorp so far.

To move on to a second round battle with Toronto, the Admirals must find some more offense. There is no time like the present.

One unlikely solution: Less traffic in front of the net. Just ask John Tortorella of the New York Rangers (approximately :25 seconds into this clip).

So Roundtable . . . How does Milwaukee beat Nilstorp tonight? Do the special teams have to produce even more? Are you expecting more from Chris Mueller, Austin Watson, Taylor Beck, Daniel Bang and Kevin Henderson, all forwards with recent NHL experience? Who will step up and be the difference maker tonight?

Around the second time Milwaukee got kicked in the teeth by Grand Rapids on home ice, doubts started creeping in about the Admirals’ chances of an 11th straight playoff berth, much as they did at a similar time last year.

However, when the Admirals/Predators made several key transactions down the stretch, and goaltender Magnus Hellberg got hot, my expectations for this constantly overachieving club rose. Little did I know that Milwaukee would need a final run of 15-4-1-0 in order claim the eighth and final playoff spot in the AHL’s Western Conference, needing to sweep its last four contests to overcome hard-charging, nemesis Rockford.

The Admirals managed to do just that, winning their final two games in shutouts to boot, to claim a playoff spot on the final night of the regular season for the second straight year. Make it 11 straight berths and ten straight 40 or more win seasons, as my feature on MilwaukeeAdmirals.com states.

Now Milwaukee gets Texas, about as favorable an opponent as a team can find in a top seed in the conference. The Admirals have just two fewer wins than the Stars this season, and are playing better hockey as of late compared to Texas. But how will the matchup breakdown?

1. Texas Stars (43-22-5-6) vs. 8. Milwaukee (41-28-4-3)

Offense: Without a doubt, Texas is is a deeper, more dangerous team offensively than Milwaukee. Currently up with Dallas, Matt Fraser has 33 goals (on just goals he has 11 fewer points than Milwaukee’s top scorer). Texas scored 235 goals this season, while Milwaukee put up less than 200, and veterans Colton Sceviour (team leading 52 points) and Travis Morin remain dangerous threats.

The Admirals counter at some point (likely by Game 3) with a full compliment of talent, and will have all five of its top scorers during the season in the lineup (Zach Hamill, Taylor Beck, Austin Watson and Chris Mueller). Brad Winchester also re-discovered his offensive prowess (27 points in 37 games). Slight Advantage Texas.

Defense: Surprisingly, Milwaukee gave up one fewer goal than the usually stout defensively Stars, (200 to 201), and much of the Admirals damages came during the January/February funk and four miserable blowout losses. Milwaukee shored up that aspect of their game with the additions of Scott Ford and Joe Piskula. Add soon-to-be NHL full timers Victor Bartley and Ryan Ellis to the mix (Bartley later in the series) and the Admirals are stout on the blueline.

However, don’t count out the Stars’ blueline quite so fast. NHL veteran Cam Barker, and future/current NHL talents Brenden Dillon and Jordie Benn (back likely for Game 3) are solid, while Jamie Oleksiak had a phenomenal season. Slight Advantage Milwaukee.

Goaltending: If there is one place where either team has an obvious edge, its here. Simply put, Admirals goaltender Magnus Hellberg has been the best goaltender in the AHL since the calender turned to February. The rookie has lost just seven times since Feb. 1 in 27 appearances, posting an 18-7-6 record in that span, and the Uppsala, Sweden native racked up three shutouts in April when the Admirals needed them most.

For Texas, there is no clear cut No. 1 in net between Christopher Nilstorp or rookie Jack Campbell. Bachman’s been up with Dallas, making 12 appearances, but hasn’t played since April 15. He may get a start against Milwaukee in Texas. Advantage Milwaukee.

Coaching: Its been an impressive first season for Willie Desjardins in Texas. All the rookie head coach did in his first campaign was guide the Stars to a Western Conference regular season title after a last place finish a season ago.

Milwaukee’s Dean Evason earned his stripes coaching as an assistant with the Washington Capitals. Considering the lockout, it was a tough first season for any coach, but both did a great job. But because of their full season of success and an incredible 30-point turnaround, I give an edge to Texas.

Intangibles: Tough call here, but because of the Admirals end of season momentum, I will give Milwaukee a minor edge, but last year it didn’t mean much.

Who wins the series: The only two matchups during the regular season were won by Texas, but that should mean little on the outcome, considering how early they were on the schedule. Goaltender Jeremy Smith was a star of the Admirals six-game series victory against the Stars in 2011, but Smith is unlikely to even play this time around.

This series may get decided in the first two games in Milwaukee. Texas was the best team in the AHL on the road this season, going an incredible 25-9-3-1, while the Admirals impressed at home: 21-12-3-2. If the series splits heading to Austin, either team has a chance to grab momentum in three games in Texas. I will take Milwaukee in five games.

So Roundtable . . . How do you see the series shaking out? Any places where Milwaukee/Texas has an edge? Who will win the coaching battle? Am I crazy to pick the Admirals over the West’s top seed?