Relentless is a word I often prefer to reserve for players who have earned it. Miikka Salomäki and Viktor Arvidsson are the first that come to mind. Players that are flying one-thousand miles per hour shift after shift, pressuring puck carriers, attacking the net, and scrapping around the dirty areas of the ice regardless if they’re the biggest dogs in the fight for a loose puck. Relentless is as perfect of a word to describe both of those two. And it has been the perfect word to describe the past two months of Milwaukee Admirals hockey.
The past two months have been relentless. Whether it be injuries up top for the Nashville Predators meaning bodies going up, coming back, or guys coming down on conditioning assignment. Whether it be the sheer volume of road games that saw the Admirals at the halfway point in their regular season schedule leading the AHL in most road games and fewest home games played. Whether it be injuries in house with guys like Cody Bass or Adam Pardy going down and causing more moves to be made. Whether it be trades that have taken away two of the Admirals top forwards from a season ago – both of whom were truly well thought of locker room guys. Whether it was any of that chaos – it simply can be summed up as relentless.
I’m not sure when the little world of the Admirals will be afforded to stop spinning. If there ever were a time best to do it you’d assume right here and right now. The 5-1 loss on Sunday to the Chicago Wolves felt like a black eye on what was more of a return to form in a a three game winning streak. That loss just seemed to trickle into the 5-2 loss last night against the Cleveland Monsters. It wasn’t so much what the opponent was doing as much as what the Admirals were flat out giving away. Last night may have been one of the roughest defensive outings I can remember actually watching for sheer volume of goals that were a direct result of completely avoidable plays. It was self-manufactured disaster.
During last night’s game recap I had brought up how the Admirals have tumbled ever since their explosive 9-1 win on the road over the Texas Stars which came on 12/17/16. 6-9-0-1 since that offensive explosion in Texas and have managed to produce 2.06 goals per game. They have been held to a single goal or been shutout entirely in 7 games out of that 16 game spell.
Admirals play-by-play broadcaster Aaron Sims also brought up a fantastic note following last night’s loss. The Admirals have allowed 5 goals or more seven times this season. They had allowed 5 goals or more last season just five times while managing to win a game in the process.
To put you into the headspace of just why this has all been the case I did speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason and forward Mike Liambas last night to hear what they think is going on at the moment and if being at home can remedy it. In short, I’ve never spoken with a more flustered or angry Evason since I’ve been doing this.
I’ll be at practice this morning. Without question. I’m there. I remember not too long ago the talk of “rock bottom” being brought up repeatedly at a practice at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and hoping that it is where they currently were and that there is only one way to go from that place. I’d say these last two games take the cake. This is rock bottom. The group can be so much more than these last two nights and I say that in the prototypical Evason style Admirals thought process in that: it doesn’t matter who is here, who is up, who is down, who is injured- just show up to play. I feel as if you could count on one hand the number of players the last two games that you could say are exempt from fault – and I’m willing to bet those players would disagree that they are.
The entire team right now is rattled a bit. I get that sense. But I by far prefer doing this short of insanity test now than before it is too late to have learned anything from it. There is quality there. This team can be great. That’s what makes moments as the past few weeks such a drag to watch knowing some of these results were avoidable. Yet, it is a learning process and one that demands learning today. Tomorrow can wait and tomorrow will be a heck of a lot of what today brings but the learning starts now. There is no reset button. Things need to be corrected for a good number of players and as a group.
What acts as the great equalizer here in this annoying stretch of games is that the Admirals are at home. It is a place they’ve been away from so much this season and with that comes hectic and erratic practice schedules. That changes now. And the emphasis of getting back to the basics -to me- could be as simple of a starting block as the Admirals need.
Comments on the comments? What did you think of both Evason and Liambas’ post-game interviews and do you think these next few days are enough time to correct the glaring mistakes made last night?
I do this every so often but I waited many hours before jumping to Chatterbox just to really process how the Milwaukee Admirals had just played. Some moments call for it being written in the moment. Others can be neither here nor there and get right to the post-game interviews. Last night’s game, given the layers it really has, called for it. And I’m glad I did give this one time.
The Admirals were shutout 3-0 last night against the Grand Rapids Griffins in front of a solid and vocal crowd at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. They have now lost four straight games in regulation for the first time since the 2011-12 season. They have been shutout in two of their last four games and have scored two goals in their last 249:43 of ice time while their power-play is on a drought of nineteen consecutive chances without a power-play goal.
That sounds really bad. It does. There is no going against what the results state. But these last two games for the Admirals haven’t actually been that bad. In fact, they have actually been doing an impressive job in the face of some serious adversity.
When the Admirals lost a 2-1 decision to the Chicago Wolves on the road on Wednesday night they displayed tremendous effort. The defense and group performance of the Admirals took the AHL’s most lethal offenses and reduced it to seven shots on goal for the final forty-minutes of play. That is an incredible team achievement. All that it lacked? The offense getting the breakthroughs that they were working for.
Last night the Admirals played the equivalent to their arch nemesis of recent years, the Griffins. That is the best team in the Western Conference and is floating around for the title of best team in the entire league right now. The Admirals didn’t allow a single goal against during five-on-five play last night. They held them tight and really played a heavy, physical, and tough performance. All that it lacked? Seeing some of those chances on offense find the back of the net.
It would be so easy to finger point and say that the way the Admirals are playing lately is simply down to a roster that keeps changing on a nightly basis or that, in last night’s case, Félix Girard being traded away earlier in the day broke the group’s spirit before a puck was ever even dropped on the night. But those are excuses.
The Admirals have always -always- been a team that puts an emphasis to “if you’re here, you play” and the team’s attention to detail and effort is all that mattered. These last few games they’ve had some dips in that regard. The last two games I’m not sure it is right to say that was the case given how the Admirals actually played against the opposition they were playing. They’ve been competing like mad. They have been generating scoring chances. They just aren’t burying goals when it comes to that crucial final touch.
Things like this happen. It’s more of a shock value thing to see that the Admirals haven’t lost four straight games in regulation since the 2011-12 season but that was a team that still made the playoffs. And the current Admirals are a long way better than the group that had played that season.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
What I see of this current bad run of results for the Admirals is something that can serve as a real benefit down the line for the entire group. It often takes losing games to really expose key weaknesses in teams as well as the individuals playing in the lineup. Knowing areas that stick out that can be adjusted or sharpened – that creates a strength out of a trying time. The Admirals are going through this process now and doing it with bodies here and there but also against stiff competition. They aren’t being throttled by the Griffins or Wolves. They’re a chance or two from being buried that could see momentum in these games change. It hasn’t been anywhere close to as rough as the 5-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers on home ice. And don’t think for a second the Admirals don’t know that and who they have ahead of him next week on the road.
This team has a solid foundation of leaders on the room. It is firmly started with team captain Trevor Smith but the entire locker room has voices as well as role players that can lead simply by example. Losing Girard, as you’ll hear his former teammates state in last night’s post-game interviews, it hurts. It does. That’s simply reality of having a guy as hard working on the ice and as likable off of it leave your team. But with a loss comes opportunity. Vladislav Kamenev can really open up and expand even more to the penalty kill and be more versatile in his development process. Justin Kirkland, who is always such a solid guy when you watch a team practice, can be afforded more chance at the center position to become what Girard was – if not more because of his offensive skill set.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
It wasn’t that long ago when the term “rock bottom” was used to describe where the Admirals hoped they were so they could vault back up. That wasn’t the case. This current phase of the season feels an awful lot like rock bottom and it is simply time to learn, as a team – as individuals, what it takes to be better than these last few games. The chances to score are right there. Whether it be another body crashing for second or third chance opportunities or odd-man rushes, several of which went begging last night, actually getting converted. The team is the right team. The way in which they play has been real good the last two outings. They just need to stay within themselves, play their game, focus on what they’re doing, and they can get back to the level of hockey that was rolling and rolling all throughout November.
These past few weeks have rough. They have. But it is a long season and it has been a test. The Calder Cup isn’t being crowned in the next few games. The ideology on how to achieve it can be crafted in the next few games.The Admirals have not been anywhere close to at full-strength for what feels like weeks on end now. They are still the seventh ranked team in the Western Conference. All teams go through stretches such as this. The Admirals are going through it now and the process of correcting it began yesterday – actually, more than likely all the way back on Wednesday morning. They’re getting there. Through all the various finger pointy problems – they’re getting there. It might just take getting out on the road for a moment to mentally check out a touch and then go and earn that first goal in Charlotte Tuesday night. The shoulders can drop a bit. And then the Admirals can start being the Admirals, again.
And, as added perspective to fans that were grinding their teeth last night, I offer you this story. While I was waiting to conduct player interviews last night in the Admirals locker room their happened to be a family with lots of kids in the locker room getting a small tour and getting to see the players. It’s a hard game. It has been a hard recent run. For some, as you heard above, it hasn’t been an easy last twenty-four hours. But that all goes out the window when you see the players disappear into the people that they really are. The Admirals are a giant family filled with better people than they are players. That is something that cannot be taught. It is also something that can lift teams through rough spells such as this current losing streak. Chin up. Eyes to the future. And learn along with the team. If the process were easy – we wouldn’t enjoy this game near as much.
Comments on the comments? Do you feel as though the Nashville Predators trade yesterday is a precursor to further activity in the trade market in the next few weeks prior to the deadline? Who are the players that you see really stepping up in Girard’s absence?
This man had a busy, busy night last night. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The current state of the organization right now is being tested very hard. Injuries to the Nashville Predators for the past month or so has shown some of the strengths of the depth that exist with the Milwaukee Admirals but it has come and gone at different areas lately. In December, it seemed as though the defense was the area hardest hit. In January, the forward group is being put on a shelf and restocked with the prospects and hard workers available in Milwaukee.
There really is a give and a take aspect to this. On one hand, it is a fantastic sight to see players be rewarded and get their opportunity to play at the next level. That goes for the NHL as well as the NHL. Players such as Rick Pinkston, Derek Army, Shawn O’Donnell, and Garrett Meurs are all being afforded an opportunity to stake their claim to an AHL opportunity through the Admirals right now. The issue and the takeaway to all of this is that when top guys go down for the Predators and they get replayed by Admirals and they get replaced by PTO Contracted talent from the ECHL – things aren’t staying at a level to where they were and they really shouldn’t be expected to.
Last night, the Admirals had their defensive outfit that did so well for them back in November when they didn’t lose a single game in regulation. The problem is that the forward group was so dismantled that a spot was open at forward and, unlike recent games, the Admirals lacked a forward that could rotate that role as the team played seven defensemen. Vladislav Kamenev had been reassigned prior to the start of the game but wasn’t there in time to play. Something that baffles me considering Pontus Åberg was recalled earlier in the day. As far as organizational botches go, recalling someone up just to maybe think about sending someone down later but not getting him there in time to play, that’s a bad one. And it made Trevor Murphy, a left-side defenseman, play forward just to fill a gap in the lineup.
The Admirals then were not exactly playing with their proper full strength defense and were playing with a forward group that lacked serious two-way talent. The result was there on the wall before the game had started. And the opening few minutes of the game signaled as much. The Checkers saw a team that was depleted and skated them to pieces. They were checking hard and winning puck battles. They did everything that the Admirals when they are on their game – do.
What hurts so much about last night isn’t just that the Admirals lost 5-1 at home. It is that they lost 5-1 at home to the Charlotte Checkers. That team is atrocious. Even in the way they played last night – they were awful. And they still won by the scoreline that they did.
The Checkers entered with the second worst record in the entire league and the worst record in the Western Conference. They had the worst road power-play in the AHL and had only gone 8/91 (8.8%). After last night alone their power-play has increased to 10.4% and are now tied with the San Diego Gulls. It was the third time from 36 games this season that the Checkers scored 5 goals or more in a game and perhaps more profoundly just the sixth time this season they have held a team to a goal or less in a game.
If there is anything that I know about a Dean Evason coaches Admirals team it is that it does not matter who is in the lineup, who is called up, who is sent down, who is injured, or who is in net – you show up to play. The Admirals did not do that last night.
It would be easy to sit back and point at how the second period ended. Was it an elbowing call against Petter Granberg? Evason doesn’t think so. A lot of fans sitting around the South endzone said about as much, as well. Should Keegan Lowe have received a fighting instigator for racing down to start or fight or did Jimmy Oligny engage him first to prevent him getting to Granberg for the big hit? I don’t really know. What I do know is that all of that didn’t or shouldn’t have had an impact still forty-three seconds into the third period nor two minutes and thirty-eight seconds after that when the Admirals went from down 3-1 to 5-1.
Throughout the course of a regular season in hockey you are bound to get rough games such as last night. In a lot of ways it can be a positive as a learning device for the harder roads ahead. You hope that last night is simply a harsh reality check brought on by a group that has been stretched more than Silly Putty the last month and a half. If it isn’t, and it is the start of a rough trend due up, the opposition ahead for the Admirals down the line isn’t on the level of a Checkers – it is far better. A performance such as last night against the Chicago Wolves or Grand Rapids Griffins? And I would say losing 5-1 is a small victory. The Admirals, no matter who is in or out of the lineup, can’t afford to play like that ever again.
Comments on the comments? Will last night’s result be a catalyst to an Admirals group looking to run through walls tonight in Chicago? Why is it that Gunnarsson always seems to be in net in games where the Admirals lay an egg in front of him?
Vladislav Kamenev clearly said something naughty about the Minnesota Vikings. That or this Jack Dougherty fella knows how to keep things light ahead of a game. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
As the Nashville Predators go – so does that ever expansive depth coming at defenseman. While this current season was setting up to be so much more than it currently is I fear how most other organizations could have handled stretches that the Predators have had to go through this season without the depth that they already possess. It’s scenarios like this season as well as long-term planning as to why stockpiling and creating new talent at defense is a terrific asset to have.
One of those long-term plans came with the Predators third draft selection in the 2014 NHL Draft, Jack Dougherty. The 20-year old from St. Paul, Minnesota was drafted in the second round, fifty-first overall, as a product of the U.S. National Development Team. He had split time ahead of his draft year between the Juniors and Under-18 squads where he had a combined 2013-14 season total of: 34 points (10 goals, 24 assists) in 78 games. He also participated and won Gold for Team USA in the 2014 IIHF World Juniors U-18 Championship – scoring the opening goal in the Gold Medal Game against the Czech Republic.
(Photo Credit: Richard T Gagnon)
As a small aside. That 2014 NHL Draft Class for the Predators right now features their first five selections of the class all playing in the AHL or NHL: Kevin Fiala, Vladislav Kamenev, Justin Kirkland, and Viktor Arvidsson. The latter of the class, Joonas Lyytinen and Aaron Irving, turned up to Milwaukee around the end of the 2015-16 season and Irving managed to make his pro debut with the Admirals. Fiala and Arvidsson are both in the NHL right now. Kamenev is knocking on the door for his first NHL call up. And both Dougherty and Kirkland are roommates in Milwaukee playing in the AHL. Irving remains in juniors while Lyytinen is back playing for his lifelong club KalPa in his native Finland. As it stands today, that was quite an impressive haul for Nashville.
At the time Dougherty was drafted I’m not sure he could have imagined the path he was about to travel en route to turning pro. After being drafted by the Predators his sights veered towards the college direction where he would join the University of Wisconsin. That 2014-15 season for the Badgers was an absolute disaster. The program went from having a 24-11-2 record and a first round elimination in the NCAA Tournament to a mortifying 4-26-5 record that saw only a pair of wins against conference opponents. His time as a collegiate athlete would end after just one season with the Badgers and he would move out to the Western Hockey League (WHL) for junior hockey.
(Photo Credit: Marissa Baecker)
If there was anything that Dougherty needed after that lone season with the Badgers it was a change of scenery. He was able to find that and success as a member of the Portland Winterhawks. He was named an alternate captain for the 2015-16 season and produced 52 points (11 goals, 41 assists) in 68 games. He was in the top fifteen in scoring amongst WHL defensemen last season and was the second highest scoring rookie defenseman only to teammate Caleb Jones. His season with Portland ended early following a first round sweep by the Everett Silvertips from the 2015 WHL Playoffs.
(Photo Credit: Todd Reicher)
While no one at any level wants an early playoff exit there was an upside to Portland being eliminated so quickly. Dougherty was able to join the Milwaukee Admirals in the closing stages of their 2015-16 season. Usually, this example plays out a great deal by the end of an AHL season. It serves real well to give young prospects the chance to see the professional hockey lifestyle up close and get a taste of what’s ahead of them. For Dougherty he was able to do one better than that. He made his pro debut. And he also managed to record his first career pro point, a primary assist, ten-minutes into that pro debut. Plus, that weekend he played in both games on the road against the Charlotte Checkers which would see the Admirals clinch their first divisional title since the 2010-11 season. Dougherty would play once more following that in another road game against the Rockford IceHogs in the regular season finale before playing observer from there on out.
What makes this season so special for Dougherty isn’t just that it is his first career professional playing season. It’s that he is effectively sticking with the same team that he was with for the first time since playing for St. Thomas Academy when he was 16-years old. He can finally settle in and continue to grow with the same coaching staff and a group of players that he is familiar with. That’s usually not viewed as a luxury – but it is for Dougherty given these last three-years.
(Photo Credit: Mark Newman)
It’s been an up-down-and-around beginning to Dougherty’s 2016-17 season. With all the fluctuations that have taken place within the organization at defense this season it feels like Dougherty has gone through the motions that come with that. “Is he paired with Jimmy Oligny or Trevor Murphy tonight,” is a question that comes to mind nearly every game now. That can be tricky to handle early in the year. Fortunately, with enough in-game experience and all the practices that a pro team delivers, the “who am I playing with” aspect all becomes a much easier process to handle. Dougherty does appear to be adjusting better and better. And, while he might not look it for his size, it’s important to remember that he is the fourth youngest player on the Admirals. There is still far more to come from the Minnesota kid.
Without further ado. Let’s learn even more about Mr. Minnesota, as I call him, from the man himself. Fifteen questions. And I think on his part he’s glad we conducted this interview prior to the end of the NFL season… because Vikings.
A big thank you to Jack Dougherty for taking the time to conduct this interview. As for what is next for Fifteen – that is where you come in. Please leave your suggestion for who should be featured next in the comment section below.
The Milwaukee Admirals ended 2016 by losing four of their last five games. It had been a grinding time for the entire group. Last night’s effort saw an injection of life with new additions making solid contributions and giving some nice stability on the defensive side of the puck. It helped see 2017 start on the right foot with a 5-2 win over the Rockford IceHogs and set a nice bar for the team to push upwards come this weekend in California.
Something that really stood out to me last night for the Admirals was the team’s shot blocking. It felt like the high quality scoring chances the IceHogs did have last night came mainly from turnovers or mistakes. Most of those went away on their own part with poor shooting. But, also, there just weren’t that many high quality chances to be had. The Admirals forced the IceHogs into deep shots all night and with that came numerous shot blocks by the group that made Marek Mazanec‘s night in net that little bit more relaxing.
What also makes Mazanec’s life that much better in net is when the team can pop home five-goals. It feels like a rare sight this season when the Admirals get an early lead, pad it, and play from ahead rather than chase from behind. The Admirals are now 15-2-1-1 this season when scoring the first goal in the game. They opened with two power-play goals, did allow a goal to the IceHogs after that, but proceeded to slam the door by the end of the second period with two goals scored forty-five seconds apart.
The goaltending was sharp. The defense played well. The offense looked good. And I think when the Admirals are at their best it functions in precisely that order. Adam Pardy returning to pair up with Alex Carrier was a very welcome sight. He was most likely one-and-done on conditioning assignment but the play of Anthony Bitetto seemed to get so sharp by the end of the game after a tough first few shifts. His work on the evening with Trevor Murphy was really good. And that all gets said while one of the Admirals best defenseman, Jimmy Oligny, also had a strong night with Jack Dougherty.
For the Admirals to get out of the funk that they were in late-December they need the simple approach that was provided last night. Those deep pucks that the IceHogs had didn’t stay around for long. There really wasn’t a single sustained attacking stretch for the IceHogs in that entire game. That comes with quick and precise puck movement up and out of the defensive zone for the Admirals. No nonsense stuff. Nothing flashy. No need to try and air-mail a home run stretch pass. Just get it out.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Mazanec faced 30 shots on goal last night. The lone goals he allowed came on a double screen just as a power-play for the IceHogs had expired – fantastic shot by Carl Dahlström. Then there was a slight defensive lapse as Chris DeSousa snuck behind the defense and was all alone to get the mid-air swat on a rebound off of a Martin Lundberg shot that hopped up on Mazanec’s chest. There wasn’t much he could do on the goals against but the 28 saves he made surrounding them were outstanding. I’ve been hearing many fan criticisms of Mazanec this season from both levels. While I understand the NHL situation for Mazanec’s play, I do, I feel some of Mazanec’s best work that I’ve seen has come since this latest trip down from the Nashville Predators. His movement in and around his net has been really good. He has played so calm and composed. He isn’t getting jumpy or overaggressive on shooters. He has played “big” in net by standing his ground and squaring up shots. While recent numbers since his reassignment on 12/14/16 might not reflect that, cheers to two games in which the Chicago Wolves erupted against the Admirals, he has been very steady. If the rest of the Admirals season features Mazanec playing at this sort of work rate with Jonas Gunnarsson, who looked great in his last two starts, I feel things are just fine moving forward as far as goaltending goes at the AHL level – with or without Juuse Saros.
Someone else who had a really nice night last night was Pontus Åberg. While Mazanec has shot back to life since reassignment by the Predators I haven’t been able to say much the same with Åberg – until last night. He was working his butt off and skating with a ton of pace. It seemed he was accounting for Harry Zolnierczyk‘s speed while he is up on recall. When Åberg plays with that high of an energy output you always feel the team has a scoring chance or two in them when he’s on the ice. It’s that caliber of play that brought him up to the Predators this season and it is that same level of hustle and skill that can get him back.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
And, rather than gloss over him up top, let’s discuss Bitetto’s return to game action. Those first few shifts for him were a tad off. He said it himself that his decision making was slow. Frankly, that’s the reason why he arrived on conditioning assignment rather be thrown right back into the fire at the NHL level. The rust did seem to get more and more knocked off as he played. The mental aspects are more where he seemed to get sharper as the game grew – getting timing down. The slight good news, if you could call it that, was this last injury was a broken hand. That means being able to stay in great shape as the bones heal up. When he returns, which sounds like this could have been a one and done, he should be back to his old self for the Predators. He has had some rotten luck this season. Let’s all hope that bad luck stays in 2016 and this 2017 portion of the calendar treats our honorary Sconnie with a healthy run.
After last night’s game I chatted with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also did catch up with Bitetto, Mazanec, and Åberg. These were their comments following Tuesday night’s win at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
Comments on the comments? Would you be as comfortable as me with a Mazanec-Gunnarsson goaltending tandem from here on out? How do you feel the Milwaukee Admirals will handle these Pacific Division teams out in California given how little they see each other?
This morning I went to get a heads up on how the Milwaukee Admirals are doing ahead of their first game of 2017. It’s still rather crazy to think that tomorrow night will mark the first appearance of the Rockford IceHogs to Milwaukee this season. Given how often it feels the Admirals have been playing the Chicago Wolves lately expect to feel a lot of that going forward with the IceHogs in the second half.
There were some notes to be made for today:
Reid Boucher was claimed on waivers by the New Jersey Devils. That’s the organization that Boucher had been part of before the Nashville Predators plucked him off of waivers in early-December.
Harry Zolnierczyk has been recalled by the Predators from the Admirals. It’s likely that he will be more of an option than someone who is getting swiftly injected to the Predators lineup immediately. With that in mind, it kind of makes you wonder why Boucher was put on waivers in the first place if an extra body was needed topside.
Cody Bass won’t be available to the Admirals for “any time soon” is the update on his lower-body injury from head coach Dean Evason. He had an MRI recently. It isn’t clear as of yet the extent of his injury and just how long he will in fact be gone due to that injury. It’s possible that tomorrow night, with no Bass or Zolnierczyk, that the team rolls with seven-defensemen and rotates a forward for the time being.
After practice I spoke with Evason as well as Adam Pardy and Max Görtz to get their thoughts on the past month of work and tomorrow night’s game against the IceHogs. This is what they had to say:
Thoughts on today’s news? Are you as confused by the Boucher/Zolnierczyk situation as me? What should the Admirals do for tomorrow night’s game given the forward group right now?
The first North American pro season for Jonas Gunnarsson has very much been a tale of the waiting game. While the Nashville Predators have flipped between Marek Mazanec and Juuse Saros as the choice for backing up Pekka Rinne it has been Gunnarsson quietly waiting for his chance to show what he can do in Milwaukee. The instability topside might only just be starting to solidify itself. And, to end the 2016 calendar year, Gunnarsson has shown a taste of what he’s capable of and just why the Predators elected to sign him from his native Sweden this past off-season.
Gunnarsson is a 24-year old goaltender from Eksjö, Sweden that has continually made strides in his home country. He progressed through the youth academies of Nässjö HC and HV71 before officially being unleashed on a more frequent senior team basis as a member of the Malmö Redhawks. His efforts in the 2014-15 season saw him help Malmö elevate out of the second tier Allsvenskan league in Sweden back into the top flight of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) the following season.
(Photo Credit: Anders Bjurö)
It was last year, playing in the spotlight of the SHL, where Gunnarsson put himself on Nashville’s radar. Although Malmö did not reach the playoffs Gunnarsson still posted career highs for himself at a senior team level and did so in one of the top European leagues: 44 games, 2.47 goals against average, 0.913 save percentage. In addition to his work at club level he also earned the chance to represent his country at an international level where he stopped 23/24 shots in a 5-1 win for Sweden over Switzerland in his international debut at senior level. It was a feather in the cap of what had already been a whirlwind and successful individual year.
Yet, the opportunity to make the splash to the North American pro scene came knocking and did so from an organization that has developed some of the better European goaltenders in the game today. The Predators organization signed Gunnarsson to a one-year entry level contract on 6/1/16. He took part in the Rookie Development Camp in Nashville over the Summer, went head-to-head to win the back-up job against Mark Visentin at Admirals Training Camp ahead of the 2016-17 season, and then settled in for what has been a struggle for time in net as the season has progressed.
While the European playing season does have an earlier start than here in North American it is somewhat surprising just how drastic of a change things have been from one-year to the next for Gunnarsson. Right now he has logged 6 games in net for the Admirals. By this time last year he had logged 28 games in net for Malmö. The rotation and uncertainty that has played out in front of him this season couldn’t have been expected. Luckily for him, when given the opportunity, he has made the most of his ice time.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The numbers might not truly give an honest reflection of Gunnarsson’s early work with the Admirals so far. In his first few appearances he has had the misfortune of being the man between the pipes for some true stinkers by the group in front of him. Yet, through all the down time and waiting to redeem himself for those games, the Swede has been a workhorse in practice. The Admirals have an incredible family atmosphere this season and workers like Gunnarsson do not go unappreciated. When he earned his first career North American pro win – it was a big boost for the entire team. When he earned his first career North American pro shutout – ditto. The locker room is a big fan of Gunnarsson the goaltender, the professional that he is around the rink, and the person that he is away from it.
After having chatted with him myself following a practice not too long ago it isn’t hard to see why people can become a fan of Gunnarsson the person. Fans who were there for post-game skate following his shutout performance can also relate to that. He didn’t even leave the rink before being swarmed by fans who shared their appreciation of his efforts that night – and he was the last person off the ice making sure no fan left without giving a thanks or an autograph. So, without further ado, let’s all get to know our new Swedish goaltender that little bit better.
Thank you so much to Jonas Gunnarsson for spending the time to conduct this interview. The next man set to be featured in Fifteen will be defenseman Jack Dougherty. That will be coming in the very near future. As always, I’d love to get who you want to hear in Fifteen next. There are still plenty of new Admirals to have featured. Let’s have some fan suggestions!
Monday’s outing was described as “awful” and “the worst we’ve played all year” by Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. The group had an intense practice Tuesday and looked for the right response against an Iowa Wild team that can and has had the Admirals numbers at times in recent years. I feel the response by the team was a strong one. And, not to mention, the real standout for the Admirals has been the sore spot lately – the defense.
The Admirals 3-0 shutout came in large part to a group effort in really establishing their defensive half of the ice as a place the Wild were going to have to scratch and claw for and then fight harder to keep it. For a welcome change, the defense was really doing a good job getting pucks up and out of their zone and not creating traps for themselves with turnovers or overaggressive penalties. The pucks that would get deep didn’t stay deep for long. And, while the twenty-seven save shutout was great, there just weren’t a high volume of quality scoring chances against Jonas Gunnarsson. The group helped him to settle into the pace of the game and once the Swede was needed in a pinch he was up to task.
What was also a great boost for the team was seeing rewards come for the likes of Gunnarsson and Justin Kirkland last night.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Gunnarsson’s story this season is a fairly obvious one. He’s just not getting game action and a lot of that has to do with the flip-flopping nature of the Nashville Predators indecision of who they want to back-up Pekka Rinne. Between Juuse Saros and Marek Mazanec I feel both have done a good job wherever they get shipped around to. But, all the while, Gunnarsson has been on the outside looking in. The team knows it. He knows it. That said, when the name gets put up on the board as “starting in net” he has to deliver. He’s shown great signs of battling for pucks in net previously but he was so calm and confident last night. The team rallied behind that and there is an infectious attitude when the goaltender exudes confidence and stability such as he did. If the Predators could clamp down and say Saros is up top and Mazanec is staying down rather than have both always looking over their shoulder and living out of suitcases it could help everyone even more to settle in and let it roll. Mazanec has looked great since coming down from Nashville. Gunnarsson gets rotated in finally and he provides a shutout.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Kirkland’s story this season has been that of, “Hey, wait a minute. Weren’t you a big time scorer in juniors? What’s happening?” To be fair, scoring isn’t always everything and there have been a lot of times when Kirkland seemed ever so close to getting that first pro goal. It took a trip down to the ECHL, while the forward depth was getting deep again, for him to record that first pro goal as a member of the Cincinnati Cyclones. It seems whenever I watch practice Kirkland is impressive to watch across all drills the team throws him into. Sometimes it just takes getting that first one to get a weight off. Last night, with his dad celebrating his birthday in attendance as well as his old coach – who was wearing a #23 Kirkland Kelowna Rockets jersey, he got that first AHL and Admirals goal. You could see not just relief on Kirkland as that shot went through but also jubilation from the rest of the team for him. Everyone there wants to see each other succeed – even more so the ones that put the hard work in. That came good for Kirkland and then the team rallied behind Gunnarsson to see him -and the team- get the shutout.
Someone else who deserves a good mention would be Rick Pinkston. “Who is that,” you ask. Well, let me tell you. I flat out didn’t know either until close to puck drop. I was at practice on Tuesday and he wasn’t there. He was actually relaxing in Michigan at that time. He signed a PTO Contract out of the ECHL, showed up to a team where he only kind of knew Trevor Smith, heard good things about the organization from former Dartmouth teammate Eric Robinson, and spilled on the ice for a game.
The first goal last night came directly from a quick play on Pinkston’s part followed by keeping his shot low to the ice so he could generate a rebound while the Admirals had the numbers during a four-on-two rush. Mike Liambas was there to get the loose puck off Alex Stalock‘s pads. And Pinkston had himself a primary assist seven minutes into his Admirals debut. He played a very level-headed and simple defensive game that I felt made lots of sense in righting the ship defensively last night. There weren’t glaring mistakes that he made at all, either. That was an under the radar really nice night given the circumstances in which he was thrown right into the fire.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Another area that’s worth giving some praise to would be the Admirals special teams last night. The penalty kill this season has been fantastic all-around – if only over-worked lately. The taxing style that the Admirals have been toying with, taking lots of penalties, means seeing a lot of that PK group but they weren’t over-exerted last night. The Admirals killed all four penalties and did a quality job in forced very deep perimeter shots that weren’t going to cause much trouble. The best chance the Wild probably had last night came on a power-play when Christoph Bertschy finally rushed the net to attempt a jam play but Gunnarsson stayed low and forced a whistle. As for the Admirals power-play – it’s been a mixed bag this season mostly highlighted by over-passing. Some of that staple did creep in on their last two chances in the game but, first time of asking, they got one when they needed one. Frédérick Gaudreau made a really incredible play working on the backhand and out-waiting Stalock to force the net open as he glided across from slot to left. For the Admirals to get a second goal a minute out of the second period only allowed the group to calm down that much more and be the guys playing with a lead rather than in a one-goal scrap or chasing from behind. It feels like it hasn’t happened too often this season. But the result kind of says enough for what the Admirals can be if they play smart defensively and transition forward for timely offense then maintaining a lead. It just helped to shut the door.
After last night’s game came to an end I did get to catch up with plenty of the names mentioned above. I spoke Evason, Gaudreau, Kirkland, Pinkston, and Gunnarsson to hear what they made of the night. These were last night’s post-game interviews.
For the record, I did everything in my power to not burst out laughing after Evason called Pinkston by the name Pinky. I may have pulled a jaw muscle grinding my teeth through that one.
A story worth keeping an eye on come Friday night’s road game against the Chicago Wolves will be the status of Cody Bass. There didn’t look to be any ill intent by anyone when he got injured last night but he clashed legs and immediately grabbed towards the back of his right hamstring area. He needed help getting off to the locker room and never returned after that incident in the second period. And, while not official yet, Anthony Richard was already with the Admirals last night. It could be that Max Görtz goes right back in and Richard can serve as a possible flex-option should the Admirals feel the need for speed in Richard’s game.
Comments on the comments? Do you feel that the addition of Pinkston is the Admirals way of trying to find a certain defenseman that can stick to the lineup (eg. Kessel, Diaby)? Would you feel comfortable if the rest of the season the Admirals featured a goaltending tandem of Mazanec and Gunnarsson?
SOMEONE HELP THIS MAN. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
When someone as blunt as Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason says things like “we were awful” and “it is the worst we’ve played all year” you tend to get the point. That team knew they had a clunker. It was bad and it comes on a string of less than quality performances from a group that is capable of so much better.
To think about where the Admirals are now versus where they were when they defeated the Texas Stars on the road by a 9-1 scoreline is pretty staggering. It was less than two weeks ago and at that point it felt like the Admirals were about to start steamrolling opponents with an offense that was clicking across four forward lines. The problem is what you feel versus what reality is can often be two different things.
The first game after that Texas sized blowout was a 3-0 shutout loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins on the road. It was the first shutout loss for the Admirals this season. That was followed by an 8-4 loss on the road to the Chicago Wolves. That was the most goals allowed in a game by the Admirals all season. And then, while not as directly obvious as to its stink factor by the 5-2 scoreline, the Admirals losing at home to the Wolves last night was a rougher watch than the previous two. Why? That result was largely a self-manufactured disaster.
The Wolves first goal came from a chip attempt out of the zone up the left wing that failed to get anywhere and ended up right to Brett Sterling for an instant scoring opportunity. Credit to Sterling for measuring up and scoring from the chance. Credit the Admirals for affording him that opportunity in the first place.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Then came that part where the game was actually 1-1 that came thanks to a lapse on the part of the Wolves on a really sloppy line change. The Admirals had a three-on-one rush and Trevor Smith did something that not a heck of a lot of puck carriers did wearing navy blue last night – he had the puck, was in the attacking zone, and shot it towards the goal. It’s weird how such a simple process can actually have the result you’re looking for but time and time again last night the Admirals passed themselves out of scoring chances – and sometimes the entire attacking zone that they just fought to gain entry into. I’ll take a guess that this afternoon’s practice will feature some real “keep it simple, stupid” sort of approaches because it didn’t happen near enough for the Admirals last night. But, when they did keep a level headed approach and put pucks towards the net, it created problems and chances – some of which paid off. When a team gets on a lull such as the Admirals are, and perhaps that 9-1 win plays into this as well, there can be an urgency to do too much. The Admirals are by far a better team this season when the play a very direct game with pucks staying North-South and getting shots to the net and bodies around for second and third chance opportunities. Less is more. The Admirals abandoned that almost completely last night.
That 1-1 scoreline held up almost to the end of the second period. If it did, it may have afforded the Admirals a chance to better regroup and do so on a level playing field. That didn’t happen. What did happen was a Matt White holding penalty followed quickly by a breakdown on penalty kill game planning by the Admirals against the Wolves power-play.
“We do a pre-scout. We do meetings. So many times [Stan Drulia] told us that they on the PP use the middle guy for a shot tip,” said Marek Mazanec. “And even though we know it they still score from it. So there’s got to be something wrong with us to pay more attention to the details and do our job, every guy.”
So, what could have been a 1-1 game entering the final frame of regulation turned into the Admirals needing to fight back once again to get on level terms. Midway through the frame yet another in-zone turnover smacked the Admirals in the face. Jonathan Diaby tried to backhand a puck out of the zone and either didn’t get enough on the clear out that he wanted to or flat out didn’t see Samuel Blais at the center of the blueline cruising around. Either way, the puck went right to him and it was pretty simple from there. It was another rinse and repeat of the first Wolves goal: credit to Blais for scoring off the chance but credit the Admirals for giving it to him in the first place.
That, for me, is essentially the game. There were the empty net theatrics, yes, but at 3-1 the game’s result was set in stone. Two poor turnovers that cannot happen right in front of your goaltender as the group are breaking up ice away from the goaltender and a power-play goal coming from a play that was supposedly scouted heavily and meant to be negated. Execution was desperately lacking. Mistakes were made and punished for being created. Yeah, I think Evason’s assessment was fairly accurate.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
I suppose next the obvious question is: what now? Well, today the Admirals are getting a rare luxury that they haven’t been afforded all that much in December which is waking up in their familiar surroundings in Milwaukee. That’s a boost. They then get to practice right on home ice at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena this afternoon. And it all gears up for a quick turn-around against an Iowa Wild team that is actually playing a smidge better in their last ten games than the Admirals, 5-4-1-0 record. There is no time to feel sorry for anything. There is no time to pout or mope around. The Admirals need to clean up their game and get back to some basics – less equals more.
Following the conclusion of last night’s game I did catch up with Evason as well as a few players. Mazanec being one and Jimmy Oligny and Max Görtz being the others. It was nice to catch up with Görtz who seems to be remaining as positive as he can while fighting through an early season slump. I do feel that once a guy like him can start doing some of what he did last year it will be a nice boost for everyone. Here is what Mr. Görtz and company had to say last night.
Thoughts regarding this current losing streak? What are the most glaring issues coming about these last three games or are some of the “we’re resilient” moments from earlier in the season coming back to bite the Admirals now?
Unlike the previous game for the Milwaukee Admirals I don’t exactly want to sit and stew over what happened. Their back-and-forth contest against the San Antonio Rampage that ended in a 5-4 win is something that deserves to be written in the moment. It was a pretty smooth sailing game as far as the first two periods were concerned. Then that third period turned up and it turned into the hockey version of the upside-down from Stranger Things. That’s the short way to view it. Let’s really acknowledge that third period.
When the third period started the Admirals had a 3-1 lead. They were up in shots on goal by a comfortable 22-14 margin. And the Rampage didn’t seem to be finding many quality scoring chances. Annoyingly, that is still said with yet another saga in the Admirals penalty taking rodeo that occurred. The Admirals had four penalty kills in the second period. One of them they managed to get a delayed penalty called and work the puck around long enough with the extra attacker on that they created a shorthanded goal for Pontus Åberg. That play was pretty spectacular given Åberg pretty much started the play from behind the vacated net to start a rush that he’d finish after three passes up ice.
I suppose the true writing on the wall for just how insane the third period was about to be was when Jonathan Diaby scored his first career AHL goal. Diaby unloaded a cannon of a slap shot. He used all of that massive and wiry 6’6″ frame of his to unleash a shot Kent Simpson was never stopping. Diaby did that. No, really, Diaby did that. His first AHL goal in the seventieth game of his AHL career. That’s the same Diaby who in previous seasons was being outscored by goaltenders in points by season’s end. You could have started to buy a lottery ticket and it wouldn’t have shocked me in the slightest if that happened and the Cleveland Browns were on Monday Night Football last night and earned a win to boot. We -at that moment- had reached the upside-down.
(Photo Credit: Mark Newman)
All of that sounds brutal. I get it. But let me paint you a much better image for you of that special moment for Diaby last night and why it felt so surreal to see. Diaby since arriving from Victoriaville at the end of the 2013-14 season has really just been a big bodied defenseman and one that looked very unstable when skating backwards on defense. The Admirals in recent years has seen examples of this plenty of times with European defenseman that the Nashville Predators sign and you can quickly see the difference in North-South pace overwhelming them and turning them inside out at times. Diaby, with his big frame on the ice, isn’t agile or quick. He is clumsy with the puck and sometimes that can almost comedown to passes directed at him have a much wider area to pass to on him versus someone else and Diaby can handcuff himself receiving pucks to begin with. It was always going to be a lengthy learning curve and development process for him. But time at the ECHL level is something that could do him wonders in the fact that he could log far greater minutes to play and learn the pro game in game-speed. The problem was getting in games at all a season ago.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Diaby was the poster-boy for the Admirals rebranding a season ago. He was the man rocking the brand new uniform when they were unveiled for the first time. He was the one photographed next to the Admirals name as the eleventh greatest hockey jersey of all-time as tabbed by The Hockey News. Yet, for all that excitement ahead of the 2015-16 season, Diaby only actually wore that Admirals uniform in-game five times. He was mainly with the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL and ended up playing 43 games down there. He missed significant time due to injury. One of those injuries was receiving a skate cut that was less than a quarter of an inch from cutting his femoral artery. That required two surgeries to help with bleeding and it was that sort of bad luck that seemed to hang over his head all last season. Which is made all the more sad given he was the man I credit to with creating the “French Fries” nickname yet it was Frédérick Gaudreau, Jimmy Oligny, and Félix Girard getting all the buzz around them in the AHL a season ago. Diaby was part of that group. And he didn’t really get to enjoy any of that success or fun.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
For Diaby he is still only 22-years old and has another year past this one under contract. You keep your fingers crossed for him, in moments such as right now when the roster is so stretched, that he sees these AHL opportunities and actually capitalizes off of it and finds something that sticks. Scoring a goal isn’t doing that. It isn’t. He is a defenseman. His job is to negate goals more than scoring them and, with that frame of his, that’s the approach he’s looking to go with. He followed up scoring his goal by turning a puck over right to Shawn Ouellette-St-Amant for a one-timer goal. Every shift with Diaby has a certain drama to it. And it isn’t always something that ends on the plus side but, for once, last night had far more right than wrong. Seeing him get that goal might not be the start of a trend by any means but it sure makes a person such as myself smile seeing a guy continually battling to work for more and more. Diaby was given an opportunity last night over Trevor Murphy. And he used it. Sometimes all it takes is one moment or one of those sorts of games to start pushing a player forward. I hope last night was Diaby’s moment.
But, what from there? The Admirals were leading 4-1 with 15:29 remaining in regulation. What could possibly go wrong? Well, seeing as we’re in the present talking about the past now, a lot.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The Admirals started the season having issues with continual trips to the penalty box. Especially last month it seemed as if the cure was found for that reoccurring hiccup that they had. These recent games though, specifically the last two home games, have been brutal. It isn’t that they are boneheaded penalties, not all of them anyways, but they are penalties. The game by the second or third period should already have a sense of right and wrong with the on-ice law and order. What can and can’t be done with aggressive play with sticks and small grappling along the boards or at the neutral zone, etc. The Admirals seem to keep putting themselves in areas where a penalty can be called – and it is being called. They are hustle style penalties but they are overly aggressive penalties to take and they are being taken when they just can’t or shouldn’t be afforded to be done.
With a 4-1 lead the Admirals could have and should have been able to coast home with that sort of a score. They didn’t. Adam Payerl took a roughing penalty and then Rampage captain Joe Whitney scored a power-play goal. That’s a spark. That’s the start of something. And 1:33 of ice-time after that it was 4-3. And 4:47 after that it was tied – tied by a power-play goal scored by Rocco Grimaldi after a slashing call against Cody Bass. The Rampage went from down 4-1 to tied 4-4 in 9:06 of ice-time in the middle of the third period. A time that should have seen the Admirals closing the door – they opened it wide and welcomed the Rampage right on in.
The real reason for the drama that took place in that third period last night comes down to the Admirals getting too aggressive in the way they were trying to finish that game. To continue with the theme of doors, as was one around the Master Lock rink last night, it was as if the Admirals were trying to slam the door so hard that it smacked back open. Remember a few years ago when the buzz quote was to “play the right way” and “to do the right things” after games? We didn’t hear it in any media scrums last night but that’s the message that should soak back in after two games where a more simplified approach could have helped see a lesser bite in the way the Admirals defend and end up going to the penalty kill endlessly. It’s an exhausting way to play. And one that darn near cost them two games on home ice.
At the very least the upside-down that was last night’s kept on with yet another Admirals defenseman, who is not commonly known for his goal scoring named Jimmy Oligny, netting a shot to earn his first goal of the season. It just seemed to catch Simpson unexpectedly. The shot was from along the left wing wall and found its way home. It was Admirals back out in front with a 5-4 lead just 1:19 after Grimaldi had tied it with a power-play goal. The game stayed there for the final 5:04 of regulation. And the Admirals earned a much harder than it had any right to be two points.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
There is all great news to that game as well as this past three-games, really. The obvious would be winning last night. That’s nice no matter how ugly it gets. But the lessons to learn from everything happening around the last three-games are really important to be learned from. The Admirals had a very taxing four-game road trip that depleted them by the fourth game. They are about to take another four-game road trip. They should learn from the last one and manage their energy appropriately. The Admirals in the last two-games, both at home, were marred by continuous penalty troubles leading to a penalty killing vortex that also exhausts a bench and goaltender. They -need- to learn from that and start finding a way to play with an edge without that edge cutting their own heads off. Today, the Admirals have an off-day. That is two off-days in three days surrounding last night’s game. They need the rest. But from Wednesday to the first game against the Texas Stars this season a lot of troubleshooting should get done to minimize what’s sending so many to the penalty box. It can’t happen so often and be expected to not impact the loss column.
~Chatterbox~
After last night’s game I spoke with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Jonathan Diaby, Jimmy Oligny, and Mike Liambas. The chat with Liambas was a fun one to get to know more of his NHL spell, how he found out he was recalled, the game itself, and what it was like to look around and see so many he already played with in Milwaukee. Here were last night’s interviews.
Comments on the comments? How do you feel the Milwaukee Admirals will hold up with all of the upcoming road games? Is this little bit of down time at home in Milwaukee before heading to Texas just what the Admirals need?
Admirals Roundtable 