Greetings from Nashville, everybody. Today was the first day of on-ice activities at the Nashville Predators Rookie Development Camp. There was much to take in from the practice sessions at the Centennial Sportsplex. Faces that we’ve all seen before. Faces that we will be getting more familiar with later this year. As well as some faces that should arrive in Milwaukee in due time.

~Development Camp Roster~

Let’s start by tacking who is all here this week because names in attendance aren’t just limited to Nashville Predators property.

Forwards: Kris Bennett, Kevin Fiala, Patrick Harper, Vladislav Kamenev, Justin Kirkland, Vinni Lettieri, Tyler Moy, Tommy Novak, Rem Pitlick, Anthony Richard, Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau, Zach Stepan, and Zach Walker

Defensemen: Frédéric Allard, Alexandre Carrier, Teddy Doherty, Jack Dougherty, Dante Fabbro, Samuel Girard, Hardy Häman Aktell, Josh Healey, Teemu Kivihalme, Trevor Murphy, Mitch Reinke, Andrew Sinard, and Adam Smith

Goalies: Jonas Gunnarsson, Juuse Saros, Zachary Sawchenko, Mark Visentin, and Karel Vejmelka

Invitees to this week’s camp in Nashville included: Bennett (Saginaw), Lettieri (University of Minnesota), Boudreau (Chicoutimi), Walker (US NTDP), Doherty (Admirals), Healey (Ohio State), Reinke (Cedar Rapids), Sinard (TPH Thunder), Sawchenko (Moosejaw), Visentin (Rockford).

There were two players listed as injured for today’s practice: Allard and Visentin. I did see Visentin working practice drills for a good while, though. I did not see much or Murphy on-ice while practice went on. There are two separate rinks at the Centennial Sportsplex. I don’t think my timing could have been that unfortunate to have missed him practice as I flipped between the two. So, I’m not sure if he picked up a knock during the skate.

The entire coaching staff of the Milwaukee Admirals is in attendance for this week. That means Dean Evason, Stan Drulia, Scott Ford, and David Rook are all testing the young crop of kids out just as you may have ever watched a practice run at the MSOE Kern Center.

~Notes~

I was incredibly impressed by what I saw out of Gunnarsson who is the potential second choice goalie in Milwaukee. His lateral movements were quick. He had a quick read on shots. And, even for a practice session, there wasn’t much getting through him. I figured his role for next season was going to Janne Juvonen. The 21-year old Finnish goaltender was a seventh round pick of the Predators in the 2013 NHL Draft and he attended the final games of the regular season and playoffs here in Milwaukee. Gunnarsson not only took that spot but Juvonen went from being on the preliminary development camp roster to just not being here.

One of the biggest talents heading to Milwaukee at the start of the season will be a 19-year old winger by the name of Kirkland. Elite Prospects lists him as standing at 6-3. He looks even bigger than that. I was impressed for someone of his size to move as well as he does. His shot looked sharp. He has a quick release, as well. With how successful the Kelowna Rockets were last season he had missed out on getting introduced to the pro experience like a few others on ATO contracts would have. He’ll be coming in completely fresh to the pro scene, and Milwaukee for that matter, but I think he’ll do just fine.

If you’ve read my work closely this off-season you might have noticed how timid I am when it comes to the right-handed shooting defenseman Dougherty. I have no shame in admitting that was simply because I didn’t know if he was coming back to Milwaukee for the 2016-17 season. Having spoken with him this afternoon, huzzah, I can confirm he will be in Milwaukee. This will mark the fourth different team and the fourth different league for Dougherty in the last four years. Can you blame my timidness? The great news is that he not only showed up at the end of the season in Milwaukee he already made his pro debut, logged 3 games of work, earned his first career pro point (an assist), and is familiar with his surroundings. That should make stepping into the 2016-17 season a little less stressful for Dougherty. The only real stresser will come in how often people such as myself, or the equipment managers, botch the two defenseman coming to town: Dougherty and Doherty.

When Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile addressed the media earlier today he made mention of an absentee from this week’s camp: Yakov Trenin. Unfortunately the Russian forward suffered a broken leg as a result of a mountain biking accident last week. He needed to have an operation to mend the break and is expected to be out of action for the next four months while recovering. Trenin will be arriving to Nashville in a month’s time for evaluation and is due to return to the Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) once the season begins.

~Chatterbox~

There were plenty of people to chat with. I suspect I will be getting to as many different players or coaches as I can in the week that I am here in Nashville. That being said, I had to go right for the familiars on my Nashville debut. It was fun seeing a lot of these guys and actually felt like it has been ages since the season ended. All players featured today should be back in Milwaukee this season. Interviewed today were: Poile, Saros, Doherty, Dougherty, Fiala, and Kirkland. Here is what they had to say after practice.

For anyone due to catch practices this week at the Centennial Sportsplex or the scrimmage game on Saturday at the Ford Ice Center – I would be more than happy to meet up with you Nashville fans this week. I’ll be there or looking to be a total tourist from the end of practice to, well, the next practice. Hope to see you while I’m in town.

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

Today is the last day in which the Milwaukee Admirals will be together as a group before departing, heading separate ways, and closing the book on the 2015-16 season. I had the chance to round up several players this morning to get comments from the playoff exit, the season that was, and other general happenings due to unfold this off-season.

In the last Chatterbox of the season we have Juuse Saros, Joe Pendenza, Adam Payerl, Matt White, Marek Mazanec, Corey Potter, Jamie Devane, Stefan Elliott, and Trevor Murphy. This is what everyone had to say on exit day.

At the time I’m publishing this the team is having its final meeting. Considering I rounded up as many players as I already did I chose to come home prior to the meeting and let the team have its last send-off as a group. Most want to get packed up and situated as soon as that meeting ends anyways so I’m very fortunate that Milwaukee Admirals Hockey Operations Coordinator Ryan Costello was able to round up as many players as he did to allow for these interviews today. Thanks to him. Thanks to the players. And as I said earlier – thanks to all of you.

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

You know the drill. I gave the insider just last time here on Chatterbox that I like to really let a game sink in before plunging into it if it was a game where emotions would take from objectively analyzing the game that was. No matter how long I waited after last night’s 2-1 loss. No matter how many late night stops at the Keurig machine I made. There wasn’t any escaping the fact that “NO GOAL” will become one of those sporting moments that will set me off no matter when I hear it.

~Rant~

I feel what you will hear Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason say from his post-game interview last night sums it up best. He spoke in regards to the idea that in junior hockey plays such as the one that happened last night can be reviewed yet in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs you can’t. It doesn’t make sense.

To me, I really wish I could stress the human element of what the referees don’t have that we do have: instant replay. Yes, the officiating crew 100% blew it last night. Yes, they got together and came up with that decisive call. But it’s done in the moment, one look, first take, make a decision. The fact that a situation such as last night’s “NO GOAL” is an unreviewable play is an even bigger issue that the officials blowing the call on the ice. Because it only took the main replay angle from the jumbotron feed to show that, not only was there was zero contact made on Tom McCollum, no one was more than two feet from him in net. It’s inexcusable, embarrassing, and brainless for the AHL to have zero ability or try-to in making a play such as that unreviewable. If the Green Bay Packers had to be the victims of the “Fail Mary” to get the replacement referees out of the NFL then let the Admirals be the dead duck for the AHL to actually get uncomfortable and make something change to their own replay rules when moments such as “NO GOAL” are met with, “Well, I did all that I can do.”

Is it the officials fault last night that the Admirals lost? No. The Admirals still didn’t do enough offensively to make more of an impact against the Griffins. Yet, the game ends in such a way that there is a one-goal difference with that difference drawing all eyes back to a moment of lunacy. What happened was, thanks not to the officials, but the way the AHL is setup, is create a forever moment of, “What if?” Because, what if the Admirals go into the locker room at second intermission down 2-1 and then Vladislav Kamenev scores that power-play goal? What happens now that it’s a 2-2 game? What if there was overtime? What if the Admirals actually scored on that power-play that started the third period with them buzzing now that they have all the momentum in the world because it was a GOOD GOAL? What if? What if? What if?

So, if you really want to point fingers, I’d say take them and aim them directly at the AHL. The officials are human beings that make mistakes like the rest of us. Sometimes they’re put in a spotlight that magnifies the human element of sport – such was the case last night. They shouldn’t have needed extra security around the visiting locker room tunnel as they left the ice last night. They shouldn’t have needed to walk the long way around the underbelly of the BMO Harris Bradley Center to exit the building. No, they should have just been able to watch the replay and make the correct call. That option isn’t there for them and the fault as to why they don’t is on the league’s lap this morning. Why don’t they? Because not every AHL arena has the capacity for multiple cameras? Because they’re too cheap to make sure the game is conducted as a high level professional hockey league? Because they don’t care? There is zero excuse as to why or how “NO GOAL” is allowed to stand. Zero. It’s an embarrassment of riches and it’s all down to the way the league is structured. Not the officials who were on the ice last night.

~The Road Back to Milwaukee~

Part of why even more tension and emotion was placed on last night’s game was the sheer magnitude of what Game Two meant to the Admirals. They were already in a 1-0 series hole and were looking down the barrel of needing to survive at least a game in Grand Rapids, a place where they haven’t won all season, should they have even won Game Two. They didn’t. And now they need to win both games in Grand Rapids just to see Game Five in Milwaukee.

When was the last time the Admirals won two straight games in Grand Rapids? You have to go back thirteen-games to find a time when they actually managed to win three straight games in Grand Rapids: 11/25/12, 4/12/13, and 10/18/13.

When was the last time the Admirals scored more than two-goals in a Calder Cup Playoff game? You have to go back fourteen-games ago to a 5-4 (OT) win at home against the Houston Aeros on 5/8/11. The Admirals record in the playoffs since that specific win has been 1-12 including losing their last seven straight playoff games.

When was the last time the Admirals overcame a 2-0 series deficit to win a playoff series? Never. It has never happened in the franchise’s entire playoff history which consists of thirty-three previous playoff appearances.

What is the Admirals record in elimination games in the AHL era of the team? The Admirals are 9-11 in elimination games. They have lost their last four consecutive elimination games and last won an elimination game, there’s that date and game again again, on 5/8/11 at home against the Houston Aeros. The last time the Admirals won two consecutive elimination games came during the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs with a win on the road against the Chicago Wolves (4/21/10) and then at home (4/23/10) before losing in Game Seven. They did the exact same feat the year prior in 2009 against the Aeros: 5/9/09 and 5/11/09 The best the Admirals ever fared in playoff history in elimination mode came in the opening round of the 2004 Calder Cup Playoffs when they won the last two games of the series against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks after having trailed 3-2 in that series – the Admirals wouldn’t face elimination again and would win their first and, to this point, only Calder Cup Trophy. The Admirals must one up that effort and win the next three.

So, the Admirals are up against it now. They probably felt that way last night. But there is something very much to be said about pushing certain teams or individuals into a corner. Make no mistake about it, when the Admirals play on Tuesday night in Grand Rapids, you’re going to see the absolute best of what the Admirals have to offer. It’s make or break moment from a team and, to some, an individual level. Win or go home. Simple as that.

~Chatterbox~

After the game I had the chance to speak with the Milwaukee Admirals head coach who, as I alluded to above, had summed up last night’s controversial call very well. I also spoke with Max Görtz, Juuse Saros, and the man who made his surprising -and quite impressive- professional playing debut last night Yakov Trenin. Here are the sounds from around the rink last night.

Comments from the comments? Why do you feel the AHL doesn’t allow for video replay for goaltender interference and will that change next season thanks to last night’s game? Are these Milwaukee Admirals, who have now lost their last four-games, capable of pulling two wins from the hat in Grand Rapids to return back to the BMO Harris Bradley Center next Saturday for Game Five?

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

I always feel it’s important for myself to wait before getting to the written portion of Chatterbox. I can give a solid think about what happened in the game while not letting the emotions of the moment mask what actually happened. With the Milwaukee Admirals 3-1 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins in Game One of the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs I can’t help but feel a sense of here we go again. It was there after the Griffins first goal. It was there after the second period. It was there when the final horn sounded. And it was there after my drive back home from the rink. It’s simply inescapable.

There was always a level of concern on my part that the Griffins could be the opening round opponent. Knowing their capacity to play so well it’s boggling how they dropped like a stone at the end of the season. Factoring in last night’s result the Griffins are now a solid 6-3-0-0 against the Admirals in 2015-16. Their win means that they can eliminate the Admirals by winning both games in Grand Rapids during Game Three and Game Four. They haven’t lost to the Admirals in Grand Rapids once this season. In fact, the Griffins beaten the Admirals in Grand Rapids in seven straight games. The last Admirals win in Grand Rapids came on 1/31/15 in a 4-0 shutout with Magnus Hellberg in net.

That is one element of “here we go again” that, by game’s end last night, had me feeling like I was firmly punched in the middle of my back. The other comes purely from the Admirals recent history in the playoffs. Since Dean Evason took over as head coach in the 2012-13 season the Admirals have a record of 1-7. The season prior to Evason saw the Admirals get swept in three-games by the Abbotsford Heat in the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs. And the year prior to that was the last time the Admirals advanced out of the opening round. The Admirals have only advanced out of the opening round of the Calder Cup Playoffs three times in the last ten-years.

A loss to open up there series with a team that you’ve not beaten on the road in seven straight attempts with a playoff history of six straight losses. Here we go again.

What I do make up for in divvying up past history is my relentless optimism which I would like to hand out to all of you that just read all that. Everything written above, including last night’s result, is part of the past. It’s gone. It’s over. It’s done with. What the Admirals focus simply needs to be on is today. Not yesterday. Not those two games in Grand Rapids. Today. That’s all that matters because it’s the challenge that awaits them. A win tonight makes it a 1-1 series. Who is to say the Admirals can’t take a 1-1 series lead and shut up a Grand Rapids crowd in Game Three? History? History doesn’t matter because today is what matters. That should be the Admirals philosophy.

Yes, last night’s game was rocky and could have gone much better but there were also lots of missed opportunities on the Admirals part mixed with a few good bounces that fell the Griffins way. Juuse Saros was great in net and should likely see action once more in tonight’s Game Two. That instantly provides a great platform for the Admirals to build from. All that’s needed now is having a rethink about five-on-five play which went pretty much the Griffins way last night. The Griffins do a tremendous job at getting the Admirals offense to stay along the boards and take long range perimeter shots that either get blocked or easily saved. The Admirals have worked wonders either during the season or in-game at making adjustments. I feel that trait is actually their strongest asset in these playoffs because, when you see the same opponent again and again, eventually you’re going to solve that puzzle. The Admirals have roughed up the Griffins on home ice in the late stages of their season series so a breakout game could be on the horizon with the right adjustments made from last night’s experience.

~Chatterbox~

After last night’s game I did catch up with the Milwaukee Admirals head coach, Mr. Evason, as well as getting to talk with a handful of players: Max Reinhart, Anthony Richard, Adam Payerl, and Félix Girard. Here is what they all had to say following last night’s game.

Comments on the comments? What was the single biggest element that needs to change for the Milwaukee Admirals to gain an edge over the Grand Rapids Griffins at even strength? When the Admirals were on the power-play did you feel that the Griffins did a good job applying pressure with their penalty kill or were the Admirals putting to much pressure on themselves to pass or shoot into areas that were obstructed?

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

Today the Milwaukee Admirals hosted a Media Day with the playoffs officially beginning tomorrow night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. You might think not much would have changed in terms of the on-ice product from yesterday but that simply wasn’t the case.

The Nashville Predators officially assigned defenseman Alexandre Carrier to the Admirals this afternoon. Not only was he on-hand for this morning’s practice but he was joined by fellow member of the Gatineau Olympiques Yakov Trenin who, I suppose like Janne Juvonen and Joonas Lyytinen, is unofficially here. Carrier and Trenin were both selected by the Predators in the 2015 NHL Draft and have each already signed their entry level contracts. This group follows that of Jack Dougherty, Aaron Irving, and Anthony Richard who all joined the Admirals before the end of the regular season. As far as uniform numbers are concerned they all go as follows: #5, Trenin… #15, Dougherty… #24, Richard… #30, Juvonen… #38, Lyytinen… #49, Irving… #64, Carrier…

There was then the fantastic news that came about just as Media Day was coming to a close that the Predators organization has signed Admirals forward Adam Payerl to a one-year, two-way contract that will keep him around for the 2016-17 season. That’s quite a special story given last off-season he couldn’t even find a job at the AHL level and took to the Cincinnati Cyclones because of the chance to participate in Admirals pre-season camp. He impressed then. He’s impressed since. And he’s impressed so much so this season that it put him on the Predators radar.

~Chatterbox~

This being Media Day meant there were countless other news stations around to join the media scrums. There will be a fair bit of different voices asking questions along the way. As far as the usual suspects go they went as follows: Dean Evason, Max Görtz, Kevin Fiala, Marek Mazanec, Corey Potter, and Jamie Devane. These were the sounds from rinkside earlier today.

Comments from the comments from today’s practice? Would you like to see a few of the new additions to the Milwaukee Admirals enter the fray come playoff time? Would that add a new twist that the Grand Rapids Griffins wouldn’t have expected or would making a professional playing debut with the stakes being so high be a tad too risky for the Admirals?

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

This morning I attending practice to get a better glimpse of what’s what with the Milwaukee Admirals as they are days away from starting off the 2016 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs on home ice against the Grand Rapids Griffins. There was a fair bit to take in. Here is what I saw.

Reinhart-Gaudreau-Åberg
Fiala-Kamenev-Payerl
White-Girard-Görtz
Richard-Pendenza-Devane

Oligny-Potter
Näkyvä-Elliott
Murphy-Mullen
Lyytinen-Dougherty (Irving)

Saros
(Mazanec)

I know what you’re probably eyeballing right away. Who is Lyytinen? Well, that my friends would be defenseman Joonas Lyytinen who was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL Draft. He played for KalPa in Liiga (Finland) and has been part of their program for the entirety of his career dating back to the 2009-10 season as part of the U-16 program. He turned 21-years old at the start of this month, is a left-handed shot from the blueline, and has yet to officially sign an entry level contract or ATO with the Admirals.

That last line is an important one to note because there also happens to be another Finnish player in Milwaukee with the team right now that isn’t officially signed by either the Predators or Admirals. At the moment goaltender Janne Juvonen is with the Admirals. He did not participate with the team in practice today but has been with the team for roughly a week now. He was another fifth round draft choice by the Predators in the 2014 NHL Draft which is now invading the city of Milwaukee. The only member of that draft class that isn’t here right now is Justin Kirkland whose Kelowna Rockets are still doing solid work in the 2016 WHL Playoffs.

There are then two other names of interest that could be joining the Admirals, Yakov Trenin and Alexandre Carrier. Both are members of Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL which was eliminated from the second round of the 2016 QMJHL Playoffs by the Moncton Wildcats in a six-game series. Trenin was the Predators first selection, taken in the second round, of the 2015 NHL Draft and Carrier was selected in the same draft class two rounds later. Both have already signed entry level contracts with the Predators organization. Trenin was reportedly in Nashville last night.

News on the Taylor Aronson front remains silent. He is still not with the team due to personal reasons. Also still not back with the team is Cody Hodgson who has been out for awhile now due to back spasms. It’s unclear whether or not Hodgson, who missed the last twenty-games of the Admirals regular season, will return at all during the playoffs.

~Chatterbox~

After practice was completed I had the opportunity to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Pontus Åberg and Jimmy Oligny. If you are wondering why the Oligny interview starts off with laughter it is because he informed me that he named dropped me on WISN-12 who was doing a feature with the French Fries before the interview. I was taken aback by that so hilarity ensued. … I digress. … Here’s what they had to say a few days ahead of the Admirals opening round series against the Griffins.

Comments on the comments? Are there any concerns on your part if the Milwaukee Admirals end up without Taylor Aronson during this playoff run? With all these new prospects coming in does the future wave of Admirals excite you knowing how well the Predators have been drafting in recent years?

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

Well, it finally happened. It took until the final game of the 2015-16 regular season but the Milwaukee Admirals were spanked last night. Their 7-1 loss on the road to the Rockford IceHogs was up there for one of the biggest losses of the season: 7-2 vs. Charlotte (10/16/15), 6-0 vs. Grand Rapids (11/27/15), and 6-2 vs. Rockford (12/18/15). Look at those dates and you will see that it took the Admirals 48 games since the last time they were thrashed that badly.

Can I go deep into what I saw in Rockford last night? Sure, but I don’t think there is much to be said that the scoreline doesn’t already scream into your eyeballs. It was rough. It was sloppy. Mistakes were made. And, frankly, Marek Mazanec was made to suffer and hung out to dry.

I read a fair amount of comments after last night with concerns or disgust regarding the result. It was a good game. I’ll give you that. It also isn’t the grandest way to enter the playoffs. I will give you that, too. But keep in mind that this was an Admirals team fresh off of a franchise record tying thirteen-game winning streak. They also had a run of seven straight wins going right up until these final two games of the regular season. If these two losses were sprinkled in the mix of the final fifteen-games a little more so than just as the last two-games of the season I don’t feel the same level of frustration and worry would be there. From where I sit I’m not in any sort of a panic, worry, or concern. Especially after last night’s game. The IceHogs had something to play for last night. The Admirals didn’t. And I feel like that amplified the efforts of the IceHogs in that game. It’s not to say that the Admirals quit or didn’t try but never underestimate what playing with desperation and hunger does to even the smallest of teams. The Admirals were complacent on Friday night. The Admirals were complacent on Saturday night. Perhaps the best thing that could have happened to the Admirals leading into the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs was the stiff slap in the face they received last night.

Before the Admirals and IceHogs game even came to an end the Grand Rapid Griffins had lost on home ice to the Bakersfield Condors to set the Central Division side of the playoff bracket. The Admirals will be getting the Griffins in the first round. The Lake Erie Monsters will now get the IceHogs.

As far as things have gone this season I’ve been dreading the thought of playing the Griffins in the first round. They’ve out-battled and shutdown the Admirals at times this season. The Admirals record against the Griffins was 3-5-0-0. While that seems poor I hazard you from going into any form of hyperventilating because as rough as the Admirals last two games have felt, and as poor as that record against the Griffins looks, the Griffins have been all sorts of awful. In the Griffins last thirteen-games they have a record of 3-10-0-0 and have lost their last five-games straight heading into the playoffs. There is a part of me that feels this is the time to pounce on the Griffins. And having the 2-2-1 style playoff format so the Admirals get to open up and finish on home ice makes it all the better to think about.

~Schedule Update~

Following the decision out of Grand Rapids the Admirals first round schedule dropped. We were all made aware that the Admirals would be hosting games on the upcoming Friday and Saturday but this is what the full layout will be.

Friday, Apr. 22 vs. Grand Rapids: 7:00 pm CST
Saturday, Apr. 23 vs. Grand Rapids: 7:00 pm CST
Tuesday, Apr. 26 @ Grand Rapids: 6:00 pm CST
*Wednesday, Apr. 27 @ Grand Rapids: 6:00 pm CST
*Saturday, Apr. 30 vs. Grand Rapids: 7:00 pm CST
(*if necessary)

I’m a much bigger fan of the 2-2-1 best-of-five format as opposed to what the norm has been in recent memory of a 2-3 format. It makes things more balanced and makes having home ice advantage feel more like actually having home ice advantage. Not sure what I mean by that? Well, the Lake Erie Monsters are the second seed of the Central Division playoff bracket and will be getting the IceHogs. Needing three-wins to clinch the series everyone in the 2-3 format generally picks the three-games at the back end of the format so the series ends on home ice. The IceHogs will be getting the first two games of that series in Rockford. So, if that team and building is rocking as much as it was last night and the Monsters have to win all three-games that they have at home ice that home ice advantage doesn’t mean all that much does it? I’m not sure why certain locations get specific treatment to differentiate the rest of the playoffs but, if I did, I’m sure there would be a Californian AHL teams joke in there somewhere.

~Chatterbox~

After the conclusion of last night’s game I waited up to catch Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as the man who made his professional playing debut Aaron Irving. With most of the Admirals gearing up to get right back to the bus and back to Milwaukee ASAP that’s really all I wanted to grab. Who could blame them for wanting to put that game far behind them? That all said. Here is what Evason and Irving had to say following the contest.

Comments on the comments? How will the Milwaukee Admirals fair against the Grand Rapids Griffins in the opening round of the playoffs? 

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

It happened. The Milwaukee Admirals finally looked pretty human for a change in last night’s 5-2 loss to the Bakersfield Condors. There were mistakes across the board and, unlike most games in recent memory, those were all badly punished. The result was the Admirals losing in regulation for the first time in over a month to snap a franchise record tying thirteen-game point streak as well as what was a seven-game winning streak.

Perhaps this loss was all just over due but, in the grand scheme of the regular season, it was a blip. I wouldn’t really even classify the game as one of the worst efforts the Admirals have had this season – because it just wasn’t. It was just as you’ll hear Juuse Saros say in more adult language than I feel free to write for a PG reading audience. It happens.

The very first goal allowed by the Admirals last night kind of set the tone, really. A puck miserably wobbled towards the net. It wasn’t a shot. It was a really bad pass that missed sticks and kept going. Saros was forced to play it and play it he did – right to Dillon Simpson. I remember my talks with Magnus Hellberg, or even Marek Mazanec for that matter, in which a big difference from the European game to the North American game as a goalie is where you place your rebounds. That was simply what took place with Saros. He didn’t give much thought on where that puck was going to be smacked away to as long as it wasn’t where he was. That not only went to Simpson’s tape but Saros was then caught in a bit of a scramble given the situation. Simpson aimed low glove and caught Saros out of sorts in the panicked frenzy over a simple mistake.

Mistakes happened a lot last night. Simple as that. The go-ahead goal for the Condors came during a sloppy change from the Admirals in which three different wingers from three different lines all ended up on the ice and left a wide open Philip McRae bash in a rebound. The Condors third goal? Sloppy play that allowed for a quick three-on-two with no forwards back to help defend. The fourth goal as another odd-man rush. And the fifth goal was a power-play goal from the Condors fourth crack at the Admirals penalty kill. See foot. Shoot foot.

All that being said. It wasn’t an all-around awful game from the Admirals. There was still a lot to like. For as bad as the scoreline looks it may have been worse if not for another strong effort in net by Saros to keep the Admirals within arm’s length to the Condors throughout the second half of the contest. Pontus Åberg, once again, is on fire and playing his most confident hockey that I believe I’ve watched of him since he joined the Admirals last season. Åberg has scored 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) over his last twenty-games which includes 5 power-play goals, 3 game-winning goals, and has been held without a point only four-games in that span. The proven line-combination of Kevin Fiala, Vladislav Kamenev, and Adam Payerl once again had a good night as they combined for 10 of the Admirals 35 shots on goal in the game. They simply just weren’t able to get rewarded for their efforts.

So, the Admirals lost last night. It was sort of rough but I say that’s almost more down to how feel good these last few weeks worth of games game been. Even with bad starts the Admirals found ways to correct areas of concern, compete, and get points (mainly wins). That just didn’t happen last night.

The Admirals record is now 48-22-3-2 (101 points, 0.673 points percentage). They won’t become the first Admirals team in AHL history to win 50 games in a season. With the Ontario Reign winning 4-2 on the road against the San Diego Gulls last night the Admirals lost out on winning a Western Conference title. If you asked me I don’t think that winning the Western Conference title would have meant much more than a banner which you’d look at as a participant trophy. The real goal is the Calder Cup trophy. That’s what banner you want raised. And it would be a fun occasion to see a Western Conference Finals in which the Admirals show the Reign exactly why winning that distinction doesn’t matter.

The focus shifts to the here and now for the Admirals. It’s good to have a game shortly following a less than upbeat performance where the team has the chance to immediately correct the faults from the night before, eh? As far as the playoff implications go. The Rockford IceHogs defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins last night 4-0 in Rockford to break out of the third place tie and move into a prime position to earn one point tonight to claim the third seed as their own. Should the IceHogs lose in regulation, and the Griffins beat the Condors in Grand Rapids tonight in any fashion, the IceHogs become the Admirals first round opponent in the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs. If they stay as is right about now? It will be the Griffins. The Admirals cannot play tonight’s game as a means to dictate who they play in the first round. That more or less fell on the results of last night and what the Griffins do now. Having watched the Admirals get roughed up 3-5-0-0 against the Griffins this season I was pulling for the IceHogs as an opening round opponent. Yet, if you want to win it all, you’re always going to have to beat a solid team. That first round opponent doesn’t matter. All that matters for the Admirals is today.

~Adieu Bradley Center~

If you weren’t one of the 11,827 fans in attendance last night you would have missed seeing a tremendous video package that paid tribute to the Admirals time at the Bradley Center. Fortunately for you that video is available to watch online.

~Chatterbox~

After last night’s game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Saros, Åberg, and Payerl. I also joined a pre-game media scrum in which Admirals Owner/CEO Harris Turer spoke about the final regular season game in BMO Harris Bradley Center. This is what everyone had to say last night:

~Other Notes~

Both the Nashville Predators and Cincinnati Cyclones opened up their 2016 Playoffs with wins on the road last night. The Predators were able to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. During that game Viktor Arvidsson, Cody Bass, Anthony Bitetto, and Miikka Salomäki made their debuts in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Cyclones also won by a 3-2 scoreline playing on the road against the Fort Wayne Komets. Jonathan Diaby and Garrett Noonan both featured in the contest with the latter notching a primary assist on the power-play for the Cyclones opening goal.

Comments on the comments? Who would you actually rather see in a first round playoff match-up against the Milwaukee Admirals: Grand Rapids or Rockford?

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

The Milwaukee Admirals 3-1 win over the Chicago Wolves last night was another performance in a train of resilient efforts. Once again, it wasn’t the prettiest of games played by the Admirals to start the contest but they managed to refine and adapt to what the game is giving them before taking control.

So much of this now franchise record tying thirteen-game point streak can be said, game by game, with that last sentence in mind. It’s with that where I say individually the games haven’t impressed me too much but the ability to do it again, and again, and again – is nothing short of phenomenal. Nothing seems to really throw this Admirals team off at the moment. And what a time to be creating that characteristic.

There are only two-games remaining in the Admirals regular season. They have the Bakersfield Condors at home on Friday night and then get to play their currently prospective first round opponent in the playoffs, the Rockford IceHogs, on the road Saturday night. The Admirals right now have a record of 48-21-3-2 (101 points) for a 0.682 points percentage. It’s the first time since the 2010-11 season that the Admirals have eclipsed 100 points in a regular season campaign. That same season was also the last time the Admirals had earned a divisional title. With one more victory the Admirals will match their AHL franchise record for wins in a season with 49 wins which took place during the 2005-06 and 2008-09 seasons. Both of those seasons were played in an 80 game schedule as opposed to today’s 76 game schedule. What you’re watching this Admirals team do right now is cement itself as the best Admirals team, on points percentage, in the AHL history of the franchise.

~Hunting the Reign’s Reign~

I’ve spoken before about what’s left for the Admirals to play for. Quite honestly there isn’t anything there but the desperate hope that the Ontario Reign slip up in their final two games of the season where they’ll play the San Diego Gulls on the road in both contests. Thanks to points percentage, and the eight-games lesser schedule for the Reign, any loss or failed point can make a dent on their points percentage.

If the Reign lose both of their last two games in regulation they drop to a 0.669 points percentage. An overtime or shootout loss and a regulation loss moves them to 0.676 points percentage. A win and a loss, or consecutive overtime or shootout defeats, would see them move to a 0.684 points percentage. A win and any form of a loss past regulation moves them to 0.691 points percentage. Two wins vaults them to a 0.699 points percentage.

The best the Admirals can achieve, by winning out their regular season and becoming the first Admirals team in their AHL history to secure 50 wins in a regular season, is a 0.691 points percentage. Should the Admirals and Reign tie on points percentage the tiebreaker rules are as follows:

Between two teams:
a) percentage of games won (excluding shootout wins)
b) points in season series between teams
c) goal differential
d) goals scored in season series between teams
e) intra-conference points percentage

Consider that very first tiebreaker a death blow because the Reign’s 43 wins this season have all come in regulation while the Admirals now currently stand at 41 games. For both two have been tied at 0.691 points percentage would mean the Admirals sitting at 43 ROW from a higher games played total. Even if the Reign won that one game needed to get to that equal playing field 0.691 mark in overtime or a shootout their 43 ROW from their eight-games lesser schedule makes that percentage of games won excluding shootout wins a dagger.

That means what you should be pulling for is 0.684, 0.676, or 0.669 points percentage. In short, start rooting for the Gulls if you want to see this year’s Admirals team taking home the best record in the Western Conference. The Reign are great but the Gulls aren’t slouches either. The Gulls’ 0.621 points percentage is better than that of the Grand Rapids Griffins right now. All they need to do is thwart the team with the best road record in the Western Conference is all.

For all that I just said. For all the numbers crunching and repeated use of the term points percentage. Here’s the catch that I feel it is worth stating. The Admirals don’t gain anything by beating out the Reign as the team with the best record in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season. They aren’t battling against the Reign to get the right to play against the lowly eighth seed of the Western Conference come season’s end.  No matter what happens the Admirals will still be playing their first round of the playoffs against the fourth seed of the Central Division. It would simply be a nice bonus or something to put on a banner when the Admirals move over into the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

As you’ll hear head coach Dean Evason state it’s really not about looking too far ahead as much as it is simply tomorrow for the Admirals. Simply put: if having the best record in the Western Conference at season’s end happens it happens. If it doesn’t, the team’s focus hasn’t changed because they’re all set firmly on the next day and opponent in front of them. To me, I’d much prefer to have the Admirals sights set on the here and now rather than pretentious scoreboard watching while playing games of “what if?” Instead this team is doing what the Nashville Predators are wanting them to do which is being groomed for playoff caliber hockey at the professional level. Focus on the here and now. That’s what’s important. If that gets taken care of other little treats, such as divisional titles, fall into place. The main goal is the 2016 Calder Cup. That isn’t where the eyes are now though. The Admirals have today off and are looking to the Condors for Friday night’s game. One item at a time. One day at a time. The results are speaking for themselves with this philosophy.

~Chatterbox~

After last night’s game I not only had the chance to catch up with Mr. Evason but I also chatted with Max Reinhart, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Max Görtz. It’s worth noting that two cameos were made during Gaudreau’s interview. Pontus Åberg gave a walk by so I name dropped him as a result and then Vladislav Kamenev made his Chatterbox debut by silently dropping an interview bomb. Poor Gaudreau.

In the media group for this session was Dave Boehler of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Jimmy Carlton of OnMilwaukee.com.

Comments from the comments? What are your impressions of this point streak by the Admirals? Any concerns from you that the Admirals might be peaking before the playoffs or are they getting hot at the right time?

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.