Author: Jason Karnosky

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Beyond the Bradley Center: Reeling Ads Look for Playoff Motivation in Abbotsford

2012-2013 Milwaukee Admirals: 37 G.P., 17-14-3-3–40 pts., 97 goals scored, 107 goals allowed, T-10th place in the Western Conference (2nd Midwest Division). Leading scorer: Taylor Beck (6 goals, 20 assists, 26 points). Best Recent Win: Jan. 6, 3-2 (shootout) over Grand Rapids. Worst Recent Loss: Jan. 11, 5-2 at Peoria. Key Upcoming Matchup: Jan. 19 at Abbotsford.

Other than the scenery, there is absolutely nothing fun about an AHL team’s road trip to Abbotsford. The AHL’s most isolated city can prove to be a logistical nightmare to visit. Plus it doesn’t help that the Flames are generally one of the AHL’s better home clubs, taking full advantage of the brutal travel teams require to get there.

For Milwaukee that pain is a reality this week as the Admirals make the trek to the Pacific Northwest. Milwaukee is coming off a deflating 0-1-1-1 weekend against teams in their own division, losing out on a chance to build on positive recent momentum. Meanwhile, Abbotsford enters the weekend as the AHL’s coldest club, slipping back to eighth place in the West with just two wins in their last 10 games. Both teams should be plenty motivated based on their recent records alone.

But in case that doesn’t help, the Admirals should be able to jog their memories back to 2011-2012. During the regular season, Milwaukee played extremely well against the Heat, prompting many a predictions like my own that the Admirals would handle Abbotsford in their first round playoff series. Instead red-hot Milwaukee ran into a buzz saw, losing their opening round series to the Heat in three rather convincing games (6-2, 4-2 & 4-2).

Many of the names have changed for both teams, but the motivation for Milwaukee should be real. These are the first two games against the Heat since last spring. Hopefully the Admirals can find that the extra edge they were missing this past weekend.

So Roundtable . . . Do you think Milwaukee will be motivated to face Abbotsford? Are there any painful, lingering memories coming back? How do you see Milwaukee adjusting to life after the lockout?

Game Recaps

Admirals End the Lockout in Style, Steal a 3-2 Comeback Shootout win over Grand Rapids

Flipping the script on their previous night’s loss to Oklahoma City, Milwaukee rallied from a 2-0 deficit against Grand Rapids on home ice with a pair of second period goals before taking an extra point in the shootout. Freshly called up Josh Shalla was the hero, putting the Griffins away with his ninth round shootout game winner for a 3-2 final.

January 6 was a whirlwind day for Shalla, who got a promotion call early Sunday morning from Admirals coach Dean Evason to make the voyage up to Milwaukee after news that NHL and NHLPA reached a tentative new 10-year CBA agreement in the wee hours of Saturday night.

The newly minted ECHL All Star’s goal came at the end of a bizarre shootout which saw only one combined goal in the first seven shooters followed by a run of seven straight tallies. Three consecutive times Milwaukee staved off a loss on goals past Griffins netminder Petr Mrazek.

After Admirals defenseman Ryan Ellis failed to win it in perhaps his final game as an Admiral (on an inglorious miss to boot), Shalla ran to the dressing room as the hero after a beautiful move on Mrazek.

Trailing 2-0 early in the second period, Milwaukee got on the board on the power play when Admirals forward Chris Mueller found defenseman Victor Bartley driving into the slot. Similar to his opener the previous night, Bartley beat Mrazek high over the stick side.

With just five minutes left in the period Admirals defenseman Jonathon Blum made a nice play cutting to the net out from the right corner, which Mrazek fumbled, allowing a doorstep camping Kevin Henderson to cash in another big goal for the Admirals.

The former temp forward now owns nine goals (including a pair of big ones on the weekend), good for third overall on Milwaukee behind Mueller and Austin Watson.

For the second straight night, Milwaukee’s opponent controlled play in the third period (the Admirals registered just two shots) and in overtime, but Admirals goaltender Jeremy Smith stood tall to send the game into a shootout. Smith continued his recent hot stretch with 29 saves on 31 shots.

The Admirals fell into a 2-0 rut after a couple of flukish Grand Rapids goals that came early in the first and second periods respectively. In the game’s first minute Griffins forward Gustav Nyquist benefited from an errant tip rebound from Smith, who then over committed diving to cover the right side of the net as Nyquist shoveled home a backhanded shot. The goal came on just Grand Rapids’ second shot of the game.

The Griffins made it 2-0 in the second period when forward Landon Ferraro pin-balled a centering pass off of Admirals forward Patrick Cehlin’s stick behind Smith.

Milwaukee finished the home weekend with five out of a possible six points to start life after the NHL lockout, improving to 17-13-2-2 while remaining in second place in the Midwest Division at 38 points (just one point behind Lake Erie for the final playoff spot). Grand Rapids grabs a point for a 20-10-1-2 record, and still sit in the division’s top slot despite their lead being shrunk to five points over Milwaukee.

One side note, former Wisconsin Badgers defenseman Brenden Smith (20 points) was held out of the lineup by Grand Rapids/Detroit.

So Roundtable . . . 1) Another solid outing at home for Milwaukee. Are you pleased with the Admirals recent efforts at the Brad?
2) Did any Admirals stand out on this big game in front of Nashville scouts?
3) Which Admirals do you have starting the season in Nashville? Ellis and Blum seem pretty likely, anyone else?

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Beyond the Bradley Center: Home Cooking for the Holidays, Lots of Rockford & Peoria on Tap

2012-2013 Milwaukee Admirals: 26 G.P., 12-11-2-1–27 pts., 73 goals scored, 79 goals allowed, T-11th place in the Western Conference. Leading scorer: Taylor Beck (4 goals, 14 assists, 18 points). Best Recent Win: Dec. 16, 4-3 over Hamilton. Worst Recent Loss: Dec. 15, 3-1 at Peoria. Key Upcoming Matchup: Dec. 19 vs. Rockford.

Talk about a kick in the teeth. With the NHL is locked out, the AHL schedule-makers gave Milwaukee a league-high run of road games to start the season, leaving many area hockey fans like myself suffering from hardcore hockey withdrawal.

But the balance payoff comes here in December as Milwaukee curls up by the warm fire at the Bradley Center with nine of their next 11 games on home ice, (11 of 14 if you include last weekend). The only roadies in that stretch are a pair of short jaunts to Rockford and Peoria.

Milwaukee will get extremely familiar with those two division foes in the next few weeks with four more games against the Rivermen on tap by Jan. 13, and another four against the IceHogs by Jan. 12.

With most of these games at home, the opportunity is certainly there for coach Dean Evason’s young squad to turn the corner on the season and go for on a run to get into a playoff spot. Its been so far so good for Milwaukee this season, as an above .500 record in Milwaukee’s brutal schedule to date is borderline great (as I stated in my feature on theAHL.com this week).

What cannot happen is a repeat of last year’s January swan dive. Milwaukee stands in fifth place (last) in the Midwest Division. However, the Admirals are just a point out of the top spot currently occupied by Grand Rapids. Strange stuff indeed.

Last year Milwaukee actually held the top spot in the west ever so briefly before fading in January and February. That early cushion allowed the Admirals the chance to pull off their remarkable standings comeback to finish the season and earn the fifth seed.

Peoria and Rockford are currently a point ahead of the Admirals, while Milwaukee has a game in hand on both teams. Now is as good a time as any to climb over their rivals and become a legitimate contender.

So Roundtable . . . Are you looking forward to all of these holiday home games? Is second place or better in the Midwest Division by Jan. 13 a reasonable expectation? How much pressure is on Milwaukee to play well at home, considering their current position of 12th place in the Western Conference?

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Beyond the Bradley Center: Admirals Right the Ship as the Holiday Home Stretch Approaches

2012-2013 Milwaukee Admirals: 20 G.P., 9-8-2-1–21 pts., 55 goals scored, 60 goals allowed, 10th place in the Western Conference. Leading scorer: Austin Watson (8 goals, 7 assists, 15 points).

Best Recent Win: Nov. 30 3-2 over Chicago. Worst Recent Loss: Nov. 20, 5-3 to the Wolves. Key Upcoming Matchup: Dec. 9 at Charlotte.

Has Milwaukee turned a corner in this young season? Three wins in a row, and stretch of points recorded in five consecutive games has to mean something.

Perhaps more importantly, the Admirals appear to be improving defensively, playing three close to the vest contests in a row. Certainly if Milwaukee is going to make any noise this season, the Admirals need to be one of the AHL’s best defensive teams.

Considering all the road games on the schedule to date (continuing through Dec. 11 at Charlotte), it is hard not to be pleased with a 9-8-2-1 start, even if it leaves Milwaukee on the outside looking in at the Western Conference playoff race. Home cooking awaits over the holidays, with nine of the next 11 games at the Bradley Center after the trip to North Carolina (to face the South Division leading Checkers), including five in a row at home.

Meanwhile, my vote for Mr. Movember has to be Austin Watson. The AHL rookie scored six goals and five assists in the month, recorded his first multi-goal game, and is looking like a solid NHL prospect. Exactly what David Poile and Paul Fenton were looking for when they drafted the Ann Arbor, Michigan native in the first round of the 2010 entry draft. He really does like a Predator in waiting, even if that opportunity is one he will have to continue to wait for.

So Roundtable . . . Are you ready for a batch of home games? Is time for Milwaukee to start ‘making some hay,’ and win in bunches. Is the recent streak a positive sign? What are your impressions of Austin Watson, am I too high on him?

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Beyond the Bradley Center: Meet Me Tonight in Oklahoma City

2012-2013 Milwaukee Admirals: 12 G.P., 6-6-0-0–12 pts., 34 goals scored, 34 goals allowed, 10th place in the Western Conference. Leading scorer: Taylor Beck (3 goals, 9 assists, 12 points).

Best Recent Win: Nov. 10, 4-2 over Rockford. Worst Recent Loss: No. 7, 4-2 to Grand Rapids. Key Upcoming Matchup: Nov. 16-17 vs. Oklahoma City.

As Al Michaels said for the Miracle on Ice game, “For people who don’t know the difference between a blue line and clothesline, its irrelevant.”

This weekend is about as close as the AHL gets. If you don’t really follow the AHL, and only the NHL, Oklahoma City carries a roster full of NHL-worthy talent, with huge prospects like Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and Justin Schultz.

Do we all wish these games were in Milwaukee? I know I would. Milwaukee only sees the Barons four times this season, and not until January 5 at the Bradley Center. Most hockey fans like myself think the lockout will be over by then, but then again after this past weekend…

Still Milwaukee comes into these games on a huge high after creaming Chicago and getting the one of the world’s heaviest monkeys off their back against Rockford. Still the Wednesday morning game at Grand Rapids was a little bit disheartening. I think we all are looking for a little consistency out of the Admirals, considering this is the team’s first winning streak.

Last year I thought these games were a little bit of a turning point for the club. Mired in a funk in January and February, Milwaukee played very well against the top team in the Western Conference, splitting two games in what easily could have been a sweep. We will see if Milwaukee can keep the winning streak alive tonight in Oklahoma City.

So Roundtable . . . How do you see Milwaukee faring in Oklahoma City? Is three points to much to ask for? Can the Admirals’ blueline stack up against the Barons?

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Beyond the Bradley Center: Admirals Look to Overcome Slow Start, Score More

2012-2013 Milwaukee Admirals: 9 G.P., 4-5-0-0–8 pts., 21 goals scored, 24 goals allowed, 12th place in the Western Conference. Leading scorer: Taylor Beck (1 goal, 6 assists, 7 points).

Best Recent Win: Oct. 31 5-4 over Charlotte. Worst Recent Loss: Oct 20 1-0 at San Antonio. Key Upcoming Matchup: Nov. 10 at Rockford.

On a historic political night in the state of Wisconsin, I thought I would take time to chime in on the Milwaukee Admirals season for the first time this season. Its great to be back. Hopefully we will be hearing the same rhetoric soon from the NHL.

Obviously, 4-5-0-0 was not the start Milwaukee was looking for coming off the fast finish of the 2011-2012 campaign. However, considering how few goals the Admirals scored so far (just 21, 7th worst in the AHL), things could be much worse. After Milwaukee suffered through a disastrous Texas road trip, the Admirals responded with two big wins in a three game stretch.

But I felt growing pains were to be expected in Milwaukee this season, especially early. Other than a few key veterans in familiar roles (Chris Mueller, Jonathon Blum, Jeremy Smith), the Admirals again sport a young roster full of fresh faces. Milwaukee is also being guided by its fourth head coach in a little over two years, and it can argued that its third philosophical change. Lastly, in a league rich with top NHL prospects due to the lockout, two of the Admirals’ key potential Predators, Ryan Ellis and Gabriel Bourque, have only made a limited impact due to injuries.

The biggest issue so far for Milwaukee has been a lack of consistent goal scoring. Too many nights sustained offensive pressure hasn’t been there leaving Jeremy Smith left to bail the team out (a job he’s quite capable of).  There have been a couple of major bright spots, notably the offensive efforts of rookies Patrick Cehlin and Mattias Ekholm, plus timely goals from Mark Van Guilder.

Honestly, I can’t help but be excited about the Admirals despite the slow start. Though lacking the major weapons of a team like Oklahoma City, the Admirals are deep with quality players. Defensively, Milwaukee has displayed a nice balance between offensive/transition blue liners and solid stay at home defenders.

This weekend Milwaukee plays Rockford for the first time this season. After last year’s terrible showing versus the IceHogs, Milwaukee will looking to take an early leg up on the season series.

So Roundtable . . . What did you think of Milwaukee’s start? Were you hoping for more? Are you seeing the positive signs I am seeing? Is Game 1 against Rockford a measuring stick game?

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Van Guilder Returns, Bouvet-Morrissette Added and Preds Sign Pair

A key to the Milwaukee puzzle, Mark Van Guilder, is back with the Admirals for the 2012-2013 season after a signing an AHL contract today.

This will be the fourth full season for the popular forward, who posted career highs last season in goals (12), assists (15), points (27) and games played (70). The two-way specialist chipped in three game winners in 2011-2012 and posted a +8 rating. A couple of features I wrote over the last two seasons spelled out Van Guilder’s positive impact on Milwaukee. First a story on Van Guilder’s leadership on and off the ice. Second a story on MVG’s 2011 playoff heroics and his Kelly Cup run with Cincinnati.

This will be the first professional season for Andre Bouvet-Morrissette, who went undrafted by NHL teams. The 6-3 winger posted 39 goals and 33 assists for the Drummondville Voltigeurs last season, combined with 75 PIMs in 63 games. The Becancour, Quebec native added two more tallies in four playoff games. The AHL contract comes on the heals of news back in May that Bouvet-Morrissette had signed with Nashville, in what was thought at the time to be a preemptive move by the Predators to keep the prospect away from Montreal.

In addition Nashville recently announced the resigning of forward Mike Fisher (yesterday) and the signing of free agent defenseman Scott Hannan (last Friday). Fisher is back in the fold for two more years at $4.2 million per season. The 33-year-old Hannan will earn a $1 million, one-year/one-way deal to serve as another veteran on the Predators blueline.

So Roundtable . . . How would you like to welcome back Mark Van Guilder and what are your favorite MVG moments?

What do you think of the addition of Bouvet-Morrissette and what role do you see him playing in Milwaukee? Power forward, checker, fighter, scorer, or some sort of combination?

What do you think about Nashville’s addition of Scott Hannan? Does his addition shore up the Predators’ defensive depth chart?

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Catching Up with Nashville’s Chaotic Summer; Two More Added to Milwaukee

In the world of professional hockey, August tends to be the slowest month. During a Summer Olympics year it can seem even slower. This has been the case for the Nashville Predators, who made several key moves during July, and done nothing but stand pat since July 24th, the fateful day that the team match Shea Weber’s 14-year RFA contract.

However, one day prior to holding onto to Weber, the Predators did agree to deals with forwards Sergei Kostitsyn and Jack MacLellan, on one-way and two-way contracts respectively. Kostitsyn, who has been successful with Nashville is locked up for two years, MacLellan one.

On the same day Weber signed former Milwaukee fan favorite Colin Wilson re-upped with the Predators for three years. These are small potatoes deals in the scope of an entire summer as Nashville wades its fishing pole into the water for the last major free agent prize available, forward Shane Doan. However, competition and the asking price seem super high, and Doan, who wouldn’t mind returning to Phoenix, holds all the cards.

While we all wait with baited breath on Doan’s future whereabouts, the Predators’ AHL affiliate made a pair of notable roster moves today. Admirals defenseman Jeff Foss is back in the fold after signing an American Hockey League contract. The RPI product skated in 28 games with Milwaukee last season, contributing one point and 32 penalty minutes. Foss didn’t make much of an impact in 2011-2012, but he has the opportunity to increase his role significantly this season.

The other addition for the Admirals is Zoltan Hetenyi, a 24-year-old goaltender who is a native of Budapest, Hungary. Hetenyi had impressive numbers last season with Jokerit of SM-ligga, posting a 1.75 goals against average and a .936 saves percentage. This will be Hetenyi’s first North American professional season, but he already has a tidy Wikipedia page.

So Roundtable . . . Now that is August, what are your impressions on Nashville’s summer to date? Anyone still out there that you wish the Predators would sign, who have the potential to play with Admirals? What do think of the resign of Foss and the addition of Hetenyi?

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The Shea Weber Offer Sheet

First Ryan Suter leaves, now maybe Shea Weber one year early?

Today big news flooded the hockey world as current Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber signed a MEGA contract offer sheet to join the Philadelphia Flyers.

The total compensation looks to be north of $100 million dollars, likely more than the matching contracts Zach Parise and Ryan Suter just signed with Minnesota on July 4th. Speculation was out in various news outlets that after Suter left Nashville, Weber was not terribly pleased. But I am not sure anyone within the Predators organization could have been prepared for this abrupt decision.

Prior to this contract offer the off season had not exactly gone to plan for Philadelphia, which lost defenseman Matt Carle to Tampa Bay, and may see future Hall of Famer Chris Pronger retire. Another team, Detroit, which heavily pursued Suter, was likely interested in Weber to via a trade. Some movement speculation had been surfacing in recent days, but Nashville had yet to pull the trigger.

Now Nashville is left with a pair of choices. They can match the contract and lock up their franchise cornerstone for the next 14 years, keeping Weber’s services until he reaches 40-years-old. Or let Weber sign in Philadelphia and receive a draft pick compensation package worth the neighborhood of four first-round draft picks.

Certainly a tough call for an organization that has yet to get Weber interested on any kind of lengthy contract. The captain played last season on a one-year, $7.5 million deal awarded via arbitration.

So why did I write this post? Much like losing Suter, the loss of Weber would have a rippling effect on the entire Nashville organization. Losing Weber without receiving a single NHL player in return takes that even further. First round draft picks are great, but considering they would be coming from Philadelphia, a team likely to finish in the NHL’s top echelon for the foreseeable future, they would be almost-second rounders with no guarantees of panning out.

Will Nashville match? I can honestly say I have no idea, and have yet to read anything official tipping G.M. David Poile’s hand, other than the team’s broad statement that they will match any offer sheet. Travis Hughes at Broad Street Hockey sums it up pretty good though. But this isn’t entirely Poile’s choice. Obviously, Predators ownership must sign off on it, and that means signing off on a LOT of money.

One of the contract years could pay Weber $26 million in a single season according to Darren Draeger of TSN via Twitter (DarrenDreger):  Its going to be fascinating to see financial terms of Weber’s offer sheet. Hearing in one calendar year, he could make $26 mil.

On the total compensation package according to Dreger:  Weber will receive $14 mil in each of 1st 4 years. $12 mil in next 2 yrs. $6mil in following 4 yrs…then $3mil and $1mil, $1mil,$1mil,$1mil.

That is a huge front-loaded contract. As far as some of the other restricted free agency deals from the past and how they’ve worked out? I bet Anaheim is glad they passed on matching the offer sheet Dustin Penner signed with Edmonton. The jury is still out on whether Buffalo matching Thomas Vanek’s offer sheet was a good idea.

Certainly, this is just the beginning of this story. There will be plenty more to come in the coming days as Nashville has exactly seven of them to decide on whether to match or let Weber go.

Update as of 11 A.M. of this morning:

The Nashville Predators and G.M. David Poile have issued a statement in regards to Weber’s offer sheet. Here is the quote from Poile in the press release:

“We are in receipt of the offer sheet signed between the Philadelphia Flyers and Shea Weber. Under the rules pertaining to an offer sheet, the Predators have one week to decide whether to match or accept the compensation.  We have stated previously that, should a team enter into an offer sheet with Shea, our intention would be to match and retain Shea. Our ownership has provided us with the necessary resources to build a Stanley Cup-winning team. Due to the complexity of the offer sheet, we will take the appropriate time to review and evaluate it and all of its ramifications in order to make the best decision for the Predators in both the short and long-term.

“We do not anticipate any further comments on this situation until we make our decision within the next seven days.”

So Roundtable . . . What do think of today’s developments? Must Nashville match it in order to save the franchise? Does that outrageous contract make it impossible? If you were David Poile, how would you proceed? What is the residual effect from this decision on the rest of the Predators organization, namely Jon Blum and Ryan Ellis?

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The Ryan Suter Aftermath

If you are like me, then your 4th of July took a strange turn of events this year.

Here I was sitting in the car on way back from visiting our family’s cabin, when hot off the presses, I get a buzz in my email account with the headline Predators G.M. David Poile is going to have media availability. Like anyone in my line of work, seeing something like that means stopping to find out what was going on.

Turns out one of the most bizarre moments in NHL free agency history had just occurred. Fellow American Olympians, Ryan Suter and Zach Parise each signed matching monster contracts to play for the Minnesota Wild. Simply put I was left just about speechless, which it seems Poile just about was. Despite the ownership mess in New Jersey, I thought Parise would resign for the short term and try for one more run. Meanwhile, I was just about sure that Suter was either going to Detroit or staying in Nashville.

So what does this mean for the Nashville Predators as an organization going forward? Losing Suter means a lot of things as it does to a lesser extent losing Francis Bouillon. Every defender within the organization moves up a level or two. Currently I read the depth chart as: Shea Weber, Hal Gill, Kevin Klein, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Jonathon Blum. Not a bad group mind you, but its a much thinner corps than in previous years.

That’s a pretty significant career boost for Ellis and Blum, who each played in Milwaukee for part of last season. Notably, Blum is going to have every chance to make Nashville out of training camp this September, when it looked like his career was headed in the wrong direction.

Going forward I would expect Poile and assistant G.M. Paul Fenton to continue shopping for some depth defensemen, because all of sudden Nashville really needs some blue liners who are NHL capable and that’s even if Weber resigns with the Predators.

Interesting days are ahead for sure.

So Roundtable . . . What was your reaction to Suter signing in Minnesota and Bouillon in Montreal? Is Blum ready to hack it in the NHL full time? Are there any depth defensemen available that you would like to see join the organization?