This morning I made the trip into practice to catch what the Milwaukee Admirals were up to ahead of their showdown against the Rockford IceHogs tomorrow night. Practice was held at the BMO Harris Bradley Center and saw a solid focus on some of the faults of recent games.

The first thing I noticed in practice today was the high tempo passing drills. That made up the bulk of practice with transitions from neutral ice to the net or complete breakout drills from defense to offense. The session ended with a legit scrimmage of the Admirals power-play group against the Admirals penalty kill group.

When you think about the last few games those are major areas of the game in which the Admirals have struggled. Their greatest assets this season have been speed in attack and being able to produce on the power-play. Both of those haven’t been happening in the last five-games and the power-play drought is currently at nineteen chances without a power-play goal. The more simplified the Admirals game can get the better their all around performance should be. Go North – not East-West.

~Roster News~

If you haven’t caught wind of it through social media then here you go: today the Nashville Predators placed forward Cody Bass on waivers.

My guess is that he will clear and be assigned to the Admirals. It is a twenty-four hour process so, while I believe it to be a slam dunk that he clears, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Bass would be any sort of a lock to be inserted into tomorrow night’s game for the Admirals. I’m not sure if the timing will necessarily match with the travel associated with when the waiver wire window closes. He might make it in town should he clear but that wouldn’t mean he’d be an immidiate addition ahead of the game. A more likely scenario would be this weekend’s games against the Chicago Wolves.

~Injury News~

Many fans noted during the last Admirals game that they spotted Patrick Mullen leaving the ice in some distress with lots of blood coming from his hand. Following up after the game I discovered that Mullen was taken to a hospital to receive stitched due to getting caught by a skate.

I had the chance to speak with Mullen in person today and his right hand was heavily wrapped up. He told me that as he was falling down to the ice a skate blade managed to get behind the cuff of his right glove and slice into his exposed hand and wrist. The end result of the incident ended with him receiving thirteen stitches. That’s the cosmetic damage but he also had a slight nick to a tendon. That is the bigger concern at the moment but he avoided major damage. Should the tendon heal up nicely, along with the stitch-work, he should hopefully return to the ice in a few weeks time. It’s all really dependent on how that tendon heals up.

For the meantime, what does that mean for the Admirals defensive make-up? The answer is a simple one. There are two pairings that have been locked up for awhile now: Taylor Aronson with Johan Alm and Stefan Elliott with Jimmy Oligny. That leaves the two players that have been rotating with each other to play alongside Mullen, Kristian Näkyvä and Trevor Murphy, should form as the third defensive pairing. Simple fix – even if it means the Admirals will now have a two lefty setup once again on defense.

~Chatterbox~

After practice I had the opportunity to speak with yesterday’s headline maker Colton Sissons as well as Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. Here is what both had to say.

Editor’s Note. Cheers to the Milwaukee Admirals Director of Group Sales Nate Harker for twice giving me a firm slap on the arse – including during the Sissons interview. You can slap him back by following him on the Twitter machine here.

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 wasn’t pretty, again, but at least the Milwaukee Admirals put an end to a two-game losing spell with their 2-1 shootout win over the Iowa Wild yesterday. After back-to-back losses by a 4-1 final it just feels important to claim maximum points when playing against a team that you should be taking home both points that are on the line. Sloppy. Missed opportunities. Near chances. There was plenty of that yesterday but I’ll take the win all the same.

When subtracting empty net goals the Admirals offense has now popped in only six-goals from five-games. The power-play drought have reached six-games and they’ve gone nineteen straight power-play opportunities without a power-play goal.

Things are frozen on offense but I do believe that there were plenty of encouraging signs against the Wild. The Admirals were doing a much better job generating shots on goal and the second or third chance opportunities for a goal off of a rebound or a blocked shot were there for the taking – they just weren’t. There were tons of moments in that game where a puck would kick out just a little too wide from an on-rushing attacker for the Admirals down a wing or a rebound would be spilled but there just wasn’t a body in the right place (example of how it is done correctly – the Wild’s goal scored in the third period).

Should’ve. Could’ve. Would’ve. Plenty of that yesterday but, hey, the previous two-games I didn’t even see much of that being generated. Momentum is a real thing. Get that foundation established back up, enjoy the win, and launch hard into the big showdown against the Rockford IceHogs on Wednesday is what my line of thinking is. This is a lull. Perhaps a tired Admirals team that has lost some of its wheels. They get today off from practice and have an opportunity to relax a bit. They’ll sharpen up tomorrow in practice and get some of the game simplified ahead of Wednesday night. The better the details the better the results. That’s the key.

~Chatterbox~

After the game I spoke with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Cody Hodgson, Colton Sissons, and Juuse Saros. This is what they all had to say following yesterday’s 2-1 shootout win over the Wild.

Comments on the comments? Do you think yesterday there were signs of improvement by the Milwaukee Admirals offense? What must be corrected before the Admirals square off against the Rockford IceHogs on Wednesday night?

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 try to take some time before leaping into the written portion of the Chatterbox because I want to properly digest the game I just watched. Following some late night coffee I do believe I’ve come to a far better place than the moment the final horn sounded to signal a 4-1 loss for the Milwaukee Admirals to the Manitoba Moose.

The Admirals are in a bit of a lull. There is no getting away from that. When you take away a pair of empty netters the offense has scored five goals in four-games. The power-play hasn’t scored in five-games and is currently on a drought of sixteen straight chances without a power-play goal.

That’s all bad. No question. But, when you avoid looking purely at the AHL standings, it makes sense for a team like the Moose to get the result last night. The Admirals are trending down a touch. The Moose are trending up a touch. That’s just the ebb and flow of a hockey season. The team that the Admirals are battling with in the divisional standings right now, the Rockford IceHogs, were beaten twice by the Moose leading up to last night’s game. They’re on a roll. Even those lowly teams can pack a punch and the Moose are reminding the top two teams in the division just that as they’re now on a four-game winning streak and a six-game point streak.

What the Admirals might need more than anything is exactly what goes down today. Another game and, at that, one that happens less than twenty-four hours after last night’s loss. There isn’t anything to really be said of last night’s game. So why bother? The focus shifts to today and does so so fast that the mindset of the Admirals should be more instinctive and less deer caught in the headlights.

Was last night’s game a stinker? Yes. But it is the Admirals second straight loss following a run of 6-1-0-0. Things aren’t too bad and, honestly, games like last night should still be saved in the memory bank for things to improve upon as this season grinds into the playoff push. There is always room to be better. If the Moose can do that, as they have lately, so can the Admirals.

~Chatterbox~

After the game I caught up with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as forwards Max Görtz and Gabriel Bourque. This is what they had to say following last night’s defeat.

Comments on the comments? Do you feel this is just a lull for the Milwaukee Admirals offense or is something being exposed that all teams are suddenly leaping on to slow them down?

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.

Let’s take a gander at the Milwaukee Admirals recent three-game homestand, shall we? They defeated the Rockford IceHogs in a comeback thrill ride that ended 4-3 in overtime. They shutout the Iowa Wild in a slow and grinding game that ended in a 2-0 final. Then, last night, they took care of business in a similarly played contest to the one previous and earned a 3-0 shutout of the Charlotte Checkers.

These games haven’t been flashy. They haven’t featured a high powered offense that is blowing people away. They’ve been playing what I consider to be playoff style hockey and really digging in deep to yield great results. These last three-games have all physically demanding, high pressure, grinding, chess-match like defensive battles that have all come up with the same result: the Admirals win.

Since the Nashville Predators swapped out Victor Bartley and Conor Allen for Stefan Elliott and Patrick Mullen the Admirals have gone 8-1-1-0 and have four shutouts. …sorry Marek Mazanec, splice-y splice-y some audio, but I do think that has made a heck of a difference.

Since January 15th, when the last trade to bring in Elliott went down and Mullen made his Admirals debut, the team has held their opponents to an average of 24.0 shots on goal per game. They’ve only been outshot by their opposition once and have only allowed 30 shots on goal once. Both of those instances came when they beat Rockford in OT (2/12/16). They have twice held their opponents to less than 20 shots on goal: at San Antonio (1/15/16) and at Lake Erie (1/23/16). The penalty kill of the Admirals has gone a dominant 31/33 for a 0.939 penalty kill percentage.

In short, while what’s happening in the net has been outstanding what is happening in front of the net lately is even better. Both Mazanec and his pal Juuse Saros are doing great. They have been all season. When you adjust the way the Admirals defense operates with three left-shooting defensemen and three right-shooting defensemen it makes for quicker exits on defense and the goaltenders have been benefiting from limited attacking zone time as a result. The less shots you face the lesser the chances will be that a high quality scoring chance gets produced. The less high quality scoring chances that get produced, well, just look at the Admirals last two results because that’s essentially what happens. Get some quality from the forwards, as Matt White and Max Görtz were able to link up twice and do last night, and it’s a recipe for success. Defense – to offense. The Admirals are on fire with that formula right now.

~Chatterbox~

After the game, I joined Mr. Dave Boehler (he has a blog) to interview Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. We then chatted with Saros, White, and Görtz for their thoughts on the game. Here is what they had to say after the shutout of the Checkers all just moments before hitting up the bus and getting to Grand Rapids for tonight’s game.

Comments on the comments? How important was it for the Admirals to shift towards a clean split of three right shots and three left shots on defense? Will the Admirals be gassed for tonight’s game against the Griffins in Grand Rapids?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, see our photos on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

On paper, or really just the box score, the Milwaukee Admirals 2-0 shutout of the Iowa Wild sounds pretty good. Nothing outrageous in the scoring department but a controlling game of shutout hockey where the lesser team was put in its respective hole.

That of course wasn’t exactly how it played out. Not even close. That game was ugly – very ugly. Neither the Admirals or Wild could really string passes or solid attacks throughout the game. Both sides struggled to find any sort of a foothold from which to build their offense up and chip away with shots to the net. It was really a game of misguided passes or deflected passes. It was an all-around slop fest.

What is important to note though is one very simple fact. The Admirals didn’t commit a major mistake in the contest. For as rough as so many passes were throughout the night there weren’t botched transitions out of the Admirals defensive zone to allow for the Wild to grind out and create multiple chances. The team such together and forced pucks out of their zone. If it meant the cost of icing the puck? So be it. The Admirals appeared to win the better majority of their defensive zone face-offs on the night and, time-and-time again, get out of the jams that those should create. It allowed for a deep breath to be taken and a chance to re-establish their own base of attack. That clearly was a rough area for the Admirals on the night but all that was needed was a touch of quality that their forwards group possess to get the job done. Kevin Fiala provided it. And that was enough.

I still look at games that the Admirals have played this season against the bottom feeders of the Central Division and scratch my head a bit. What is it about the Admirals and lower tier opposition? The Admirals have gone 5-4-1-0 against the bottom two teams of their division. Of those five-wins two were one-goal contests that ended with overtime or a shootout. Last night could have just as easily ended at a 1-0 final. The Wild. The Manitoba Moose. They appear to bring out the worst of the Admirals and I’m not sure why that is.

Regardless of how tough teams like the Wild or Moose seem to match up – it is worth looking closer at the standings right now. The Admirals and Texas Stars both became the first teams in the Western Conference to reach the 30 wins mark on the season last night. The major difference to the two teams is it took the Stars seven extra games to accomplish it. The Admirals are 30-14-3-0 (63 points). They have won seven or their last nine games. This is all happening while teams like the Charlotte Checkers and Grand Rapids Griffins are suffering major setbacks in recent weeks. Through this entire season the Admirals consistency has been outstanding and it’s important to not overlook that. This Admirals roster featured a 100% healthy lineup this weekend for the first time since December 1st when there were so many roster moves within the system that Vinny Saponari was needed on PTO basis just to have a full forward group. To have secured the wins that the Admirals have throughout so much mayhem has been incredible when you remember back to the destruction levels that all began on this exact date last season when Brendan Leipsic was traded away and Miikka Salomäki was declared done for the rest of the season due to a second shoulder injury that required surgery. Times have changed for the better.

~Maz-tronomically Good~

Sure, last night’s game was a bit of a sleeper. Sure, it was sloppy. But, whenever he was needed for a save or a stoppage of play, Marek Mazanec was there for the Admirals. He stopped everything that Iowa threw at him and picked up yet another shutout this season. Mazanec now has 4 shutouts in 26 games this season. He had 4 shutouts from 48 games all last season and none as a rookie with the Admirals in 2013-14 when he appeared in 31 games. The evolution of Mazanec this season has been something of an eye-opener.

In year one, Mazanec actually spent a solid chunk of time helping out the Nashville Predators. He appeared in 25 games, had a 2.80 goals against average (GAA), 0.902 save percentage (SV%), and a pair of shutouts. His numbers, GAA and SV%, were both better with Milwaukee but he was never someone I would feel comfortable with in net. He allowed two or more goals per game for 24 straight games and didn’t really settle down in net until the final month of the season and the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs.

The same sense of here-there-everywhere could be felt last season, too. Mazanec would go through stretches that would have you so excited, winning five-straight games, but follow it up by losing nine of his next eleven games. He’d win seven-straight games but follow it up with four-straight losses. He ended his season winning one of his last eleven starts. The numbers fluctuated so much but the one that stood out the most was seeing a 0.917 SV% as a rookie fall off to a sophomore 0.900 SV%.

Plenty of changes were made last off-season but I think one of the biggest ones came in the form of Juuse Saros‘ arrival to North America. Mazanec was suddenly placed in a role his old battery-mate Magnus Hellberg found himself in back when Mazanec arrived in 2013-14. The starting job isn’t a lock. People are talking about Goalie 1-A and 1-B but, mainly, people are riding the hype-train that is Saros – the supposed heir to Pekka Rinne‘s Nashville/Suomi Predators goaltending position.

The pressure of in-house competition was higher than ever before on Mazanec this season. The two years previous he was the one in the position of dethroning an elder. This season he is the elder with an expiring contract looking to (1) succeed in net when given the opportunity (2) beat out his teammate Saros to earn more playing time (3) earn a new contract with the Predators and possibly give them a more bang for your buck alternative to Carter Hutton. It is mid-February and Mazanec has proceeded to Phase 2. Phase 3 will be worked out when the season ends and made all the more interesting should both Mazanec and Hutton continue performing as well as they have been. Ironically, the better Hutton plays while Mazanec also plays well actually makes the case for Mazanec that much stronger when you think about Nashville wanting to limit the dollar amount attached to the back-up goaltending job.

This season Mazanec has made 26 appearances (all starts), has a record of 15-8-3-0 in net, a 2.32 GAA, 0.919 SV%, and 4 shutouts. With only three more wins he will have matched last season’s overall wins total of 18. He has been nothing short of brilliant.

~Chatterbox~

After last night’s game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also spoke with Fiala and Mazanec. Those interviews took place with Dave Boehler and Colin Fitts on-hand. For one last interview I tackled the prospect of asking Max Reinhart about why he left the team for two weeks due to personal reasons as well as his general thoughts on the game and playing on the “Super Centers Line” with Colton Sissons and Frédérick Gaudreau. This is what everyone had to say following the conclusion of last night’s shutout win over Iowa.

Comments on the comments? With today marking the one-year anniversary of the Leipsic trade are you at all concerned that this Admirals team might see some names get dealt before the NHL Trade Deadline this season?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, see our photos on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

The Milwaukee Admirals did not play their best game of the season last night. Not at all. They were caught up in a defensively grinding contest where sticks clogged up passing and shooting lanes and never really seemed to have much of a secure grip on the game.

It’s precisely that reason why I believe the Admirals 4-3 win in overtime over the Central Division leading Rockford IceHogs felt so sweet. The Admirals form wasn’t great but it was still able to get them across the finish line ahead of a team that has been performing so well such as the IceHogs. In a game that felt so much like a playoff style game from a defensive chess match perspective – the Admirals overcame a rough second period wave to come up with checkmate.

The goal that forced overtime for the Admirals could be considered puck. It could. But, I say otherwise. The IceHogs opted for much of the third period to sit back and defend. They started playing trap through the neutral zone and were holding on to their 3-2 lead with a death grip. They allowed the Admirals to bring wave upon wave of attack into their trap and defensive zone minefield. The Admirals kept pushing and finally forced a loose puck out in front of Michael Leighton that could be jammed home. From there? The open ice of three-on-three overtime eliminates the strength of the IceHogs which is their great defensive structure at five-on-five. The IceHogs have the strength. The Admirals have the speed. Speed kills in three-on-three overtime – as does intelligence.

Marko Dano was throwing a weak pass from the left point that Cody Hodgson was able to easily bat down. Dano’s mistake and Hodgson’s smart stick-work allowed for an odd man situation to develop in neutral ice. Kevin Fiala had Hodgson’s read on Dano’s pass and was off to the races with the interception by Hodgson which allowed him to beat Vinnie Hinostroza to the punch. Dano squares to the man who picked him up, Hodgson, but fails to assess -as a forward playing last man back on defense- that Fiala has cheated behind him for the breakaway. Hodgson’s dish is perfect. Fiala is in all alone. Waits for Leighton to sprawl out and give him an open net to elevate into – and he just gets the puck over the right pad to bury the IceHogs on what was their third mistake with the puck that directly lead to an Admirals goal.

The overtime win for the Admirals against the IceHogs didn’t change the divisional standings. The IceHogs remain in first place with a 0.670 points percentage from 47 games played. The Admirals are hot on their heels with a 0.663 points percentage from 46 games played. What is starting to look fantastic though is the head-to-head numbers this season. The Admirals are now 6-2-1-0 against the IceHogs this season. The Admirals have claimed 68.4% of the points available in the match up while limiting the IceHogs to 38.9% of the available points. The IceHogs have lost to the Admirals four times after regulation – last night was the first time this season where it was the Admirals that needed to get scrappy and score an equalizer to force overtime. The IceHogs have done well to claim some points from the nasty clutch of defeat but the majority of points in a head-to-head of the top two teams in the Central Division is going the Admirals way. As it stands, the IceHogs could find themselves in a position down the stretch where they’ll be needing outside help if put in a position where they’re chasing the Admirals. The season series only has three more games remaining. That includes two games in Rockford. If last night felt like it was a playoff teaser then we’re in for a treat come then because those are big points that could be the difference between winning this year’s Central Division or not.

~Mr. Everything~

If you thought that I would go through Chatterbox without breaking down Frédérick Gaudreau‘s first career pro hat trick – you’d be wrong. He needs and deserves his own segment of the Chatterbox. So, let’s plunge into it.

Gaudreau’s season through December was looking astonishing. It was the type of feel good story that makes me love covering life at the AHL level as much as I do. An undrafted free agent signing who flipped between the AHL and ECHL in his debut season that earned a second career AHL contract which would get bumped up by the Nashville Predators brass into an NHL two-year entry level contract. Heck, two days after that announcement came another one – he was going to represent the Admirals as an AHL All-Star in Syracuse. Then Colton Sissons was re-assigned by the Predators to the Admirals and, for whatever reason, the Gaudreau machine kind of hit a wall.

From the moment to Sissons return to the Admirals to the game prior to last night – Gaudreau had scored 7 points (0 goals, 7 assists) in 15 games. He went from playing Sissons role as a top line center to Sissons wing-man. Sissons in that same span? Also not hot. Sissons had gathered 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in 15 games. In that 15 game span the two were held pointless on the same night seven-times including a spell of six-straight games which came two games after Sissons return from Nashville. What happened to Gaudreau’s December mojo when he scored 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in 14 games?

I’ve had the feeling that it wasn’t so much the return of Sissons to the Admirals that impacted Gaudreau’s performance as much as it was his switch from center to the left wing. Kind of ironic in a way when last season saw the exact same scenario unfold for Austin Watson with such brilliant results. There is more freedom on the wing to be creative offensively and a little lighter defensive load when operating around the outside of the ice. What was it about the move to the wing that caused Gaudreau to sputter while Watson thrived? … That’s a legitimate question that I honestly don’t have a clever answer to. I believe the simplest guess for an answer would be that it all comes down to what’s going on between the ears and, with a player as defensively stout as Gaudreau can be, allowing yourself the ability to attack more and worry less about the heightened responsibilities that come with playing center. I would be surprised if at some point during the end of that 15 game span that someone didn’t out and tell Gaudreau, “You don’t have to worry about that work load down the middle of the ice – Sissons is already doing it. Handle your own assignment and be the playmaker that you already are when marching North.”

It just so happened that last night’s game for Gaudreau, a center playing on the wing, also happened to be the return of Max Reinhart after nearly two full weeks of hockey. So, what did the Admirals, with a now 100% fully fit squad, decide to do with him, Hodgson, and Vladislav Kamenev all coming back into the lineup after not having any of those players a weekend ago? Drop three centers all on the exact same line: Reinhart-Sissons-Gaudreau.

What were the results for all three of those lads? Reinhart, no points but a +3 rating in a 4-3 game… Sissons, one assist and a +3 rating in a 4-3 game… Gaudreau, scored a hat trick in regulation to force overtime and was a +3 in a 4-3 game. That line alone combined for 28% of the Admirals shots on goal last night. They were active. And, when I say active, I mean across the board. The first two goals scored of Gaudreau’s hat trick are prime examples of defense-to-offense: Gaudreau keeps an active stick, Nolan Valleau thinks he has a breakout pass, Gaudreau takes away the passing lane, keeps the puck in front of him to complete the intercept, squares to the net, scores a goal… Cameron Schilling, and the rest of his IceHogs forward group, thinks he’s going to carry the puck out of the defensive zone and make a play through neutral ice. WRONG. Sissons turns on those CCM Jetspeeds of his, back-checks Schilling, loops with Gaudreau.. who was watching the back-check by Sissons unfold from the slot to the blueline.. and the two-on-one gets buried with a nasty wrister that all came from heads up defensive awareness from both forwards.

So, what’s it all boil down to then? Gaudreau went on a stretch of 15 games without scoring a goal and then proceeds to score a hat trick. Is he streaky or just going through a slight lull coming off of what was for -everyone- on the Admirals a highly taxing month of December? My guess is just that. It was a lull in the scoring department. Just because the points and goals weren’t stacking up didn’t mean his overall play was bad during that stretch. It’s the balance between defending and attacking that Gaudreau seems to teeter between and, for at least last night, he did both brilliantly. That’s a great sign for the busy time ahead for the team.

On an ending fun note for Gaudreau… and that goal that forced overtime… and provided him with his first hat trick since 3/28/14 during the 2014 President’s Cup playoffs as a member of the Drummondville Voltigeurs when he scored 5 goals against the Victoriaville Tigres… I attended Admirals practice Thursday morning at the MSOE Kern Center. After formal practice ended a group of players stationed around Juuse Saros in net and proceeded to perform a reaction drill (photo). One shooter, placed in the slot, would fire a puck on target and the group would try to smack any sort of rebound off of Saros directly in. Look at Gaudreau’s hat trick goal one more time. Practice makes perfect. And, in this instance, practice made two points against the IceHogs.

~Chatterbox~

After the game, I had the chance to interview Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason with fellow media scrum-mates Dave Boehler and Mario Tirabassi. I then proceeded to get post-game comments from Gaudreau, Sissons, and Fiala. Here is what they all had to say following the comeback win over the IceHogs last night.

Comments on the comments? Should the Nashville Predators not sell the farm to buy the present at the trade deadline where do you see the Milwaukee Admirals team going this season as far as the playoffs are concerned? Which team within the Central Division scares you more: Rockford or Grand Rapids?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, see our photos on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

I’m not sure I would say last night’s 7-3 win for the Milwaukee Admirals over the Grand Rapids Griffins was the team’s best performance of this season – but it might certainly go down as one of the more important ones when this season ends and everyone reflects.

The Griffins have been dominating the Admirals most of this season. Their goaltender Jared Coreau has especially had the Admirals number and has so for his entire career. Remember what I wrote in Scouting the Enemy yesterday about his career numbers against the Admirals?

In net against the Admirals Coreau has played in nine-games, made eight starts, holds a record of 7-1-0-0, has three career shutouts, and stopped 203/212 shots on goal for a career save percentage of 0.958 to go along with a 0.99 career goals against average.

Yeah. That’s domination. That’s Admirals Killer status. It made perfect sense why the Griffins went with Tom McCollum in net Friday night when they matched-up against the Toronto Marlies. They were saving Coreau for the Admirals in a two-in-two. The Marlies are the hottest team in the AHL. Why burn up your tried and true formula of Coreau against the Admirals the night before in a grinder?

Hard cut to present day where that scenario for the Griffins didn’t work out at all. Coreau lasted 25:33 of ice time, was bombarded with shots unlike the Admirals have ever thrown on him before, and ended the night stopping 19/23 shots on goal. Think about that for a moment. 23 shots on goal from 25:33 of work. Coreau’s first game in net against the Admirals he faced 22 shots and stopped them all. Coreau’s fourth start against the Admirals this season he faced 23 shots on goal and stopped them all. Last night the Admirals smacked 23 shots on goal in under half a game and sent Coreau packing.

~Liev Schreiber’s Stunt Double~

Cody Hodgson has been terrific since he has joined the Milwaukee Admirals. He absolutely has been. The weight of being sent on waivers by an NHL team can’t sit well on the mind nor should the idea, on a contract as affordable as Hodgson’s, that no other NHL is willing to claim you. Mentally that is a defeated position to be in… but it doesn’t have to be.

With a demotion to the AHL at Hodgson’s age, 25-years old, there is an opportunity to learn, improve, and use this time with the Admirals as a launch pad. Last season saw two such examples of waiver talents from Nashville make it to Milwaukee and both had their own way of handling themselves. Rich Clune was, well, Rich Clune and provided his grinding style to the ice and endearing locker room personality that kept things loose. Viktor Stålberg had bright spots here and there for the Admirals but it was clear that his focus was less in the now and more in the summer. When Hodgson fell through waivers was he going to be as locker room oriented and team first as, say, a Victor Bartley when he turned up this season? Was he going to be shellshocked by getting dropped by the Predators and struggle to find the inspiration to finish out his contract within the organization? Honestly, I believe that could all have been answered in his first game in Admirals blue.

From the first moment he suited up in San Antonio wearing the #21 to last night in Milwaukee when he was wearing #19 Hodgson has been visibly working his butt off. He plays with great pace and precision on both sides of the puck and has been a point per game player through five-games with the Admirals: 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists). He has averaged a crisp 4.0 shots on goal per game. And, above all, has been acting the part of a pro behind the scenes.

“[Cody Hodgson] has been unbelievable,” praised Evason. “I don’t know what’s said of him what’s talked about him as a player in Nashville or the NHL. He has been a leader. He has been great offensively. He has done all the right things defensively. He has done everything off the ice correctly. We love him here. I don’t think he’s going to be here long. People are going to see what he’s doing here. He’s just been a pleasure.”

“I’m trying to enjoy the game again,” said Cody Hodgson of his time with the Admirals. “Being creative and trying to make plays with the guys. That’s hockey. As a kid you don’t play for the glory that kind of stuff you play for being able to try to do things on the ice and push yourself. That’s what I’m trying to do here. Trying to get better but, at the same time, try and enjoy the game.”

~One and Done~

There’s a reason why Kevin Fiala was sent to the Admirals recently. It’s the NHL All-Star break and two things slash questions that I’m sure the Nashville brass thought up: (1) Why not have him play a game for the Admirals rather than sit out during the break? (2) Why pay him NHL money to do nothing when he could make AHL money for five-days instead? If that sounds brutal that’s sadly just the way it is. Though, I do wonder why Cody Bass wasn’t given the similar payday shaft. I digress…

How was Fiala going to look after his stint in the NHL? How was he going to react being back in Milwaukee? Well, brilliantly. Fiala played with such an incredible pace in last night’s game and his goal pointed to just that. McCollum was cold in net after replacing Coreau. Fiala used his speed and quick hands to beat McCollum on the wrap-around. Not only that but the speed of his passes was noticeable – his quick reads to create plays. The Hodgson goal last night was a prime example. Fiala put some trust in Taylor Aronson to handle his defensive assignment and connect an outlet pass from the defensive zone to hit him in stride after he cheated up ice to create a two-on-one between himself and Hodgson with Robbie Russo last man back for the Griffins. And Fiala zipped ahead to Hodgson the instant he took Aronson’s pass. It was how that goal could happen thanks to the high pace of the transition from defense to offense.

It should be no surprise when Tuesday morning comes and news hits that Fiala has been recalled by the Predators once again. Seeing him play as loose, as quick, and enjoying his hockey as much as he was last night is simply why. After a rough start it looks like Fiala is having fun again. A little spell in the NHL for the teenager can’t hurt the confidence, either. Nor did his game last night when he returns to Nashville. He looked great.

~Chatterbox~

After the game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also caught up with last night’s first star of the game, Hodgson. Yesterday’s headline maker, Matt White. And, because I was curious how badly that shot caught him in the third period, Marek Mazanec – giant welt on his collarbone and all. Here is what they all had to say following last night’s football score win in a hockey game.

Comments on the comments? Do you feel like Cody Hodgson will play himself back into the Nashville scene or will his play in Milwaukee attract a lower-end trade that the Predators could make? How important was it for the Admirals to finally switch to three right-shooting defensemen to balance out their defensive group?

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The Milwaukee Admirals have been grinding along lately. In truth, I’d say they were grinding through a rough patch through all the injuries and roster changes. It just never felt like it because the Admirals kept finding ways to win, win, and earn points along the way. So much so the Admirals were leading the entire Western Conference not too long ago. Then the tides changed. And all that grinding came with losing. That wear and tear, both physically and mentally, gets impacted more-so with even more losses.

I never was expecting anyone that I spoke to after the game to use fatigue as an excuse but plenty of talk around the locker room was about the Admirals needing a break and time to practice. It’s something that almost goes unnoticed when you think of how often the Admirals have been logging games that throughout it they’ve not had much time to practice. They’ve been in full “GO” mode for what feels like a month or more now. In fact, going back from the start of December to yesterday, the Admirals have played 19 games in 40 days. That’s essentially like playing every other night. The bodies and minds are getting worn out and there hasn’t been much time to heal up – much less practice. It’s cliche to say but, cliche for a reason because it’s true, practice makes perfect. This Admirals team is banged up. They’re fatigued. And they aren’t playing smooth hockey because they’ve almost limited themselves to in-game situations one after the other. That takes a toll and the current run of form screams that.

The Admirals are currently fourth in the Central Division and fifth in the Western Conference standings. Just six days ago they were first both. This league is all about hot and cold stretches. Everyone goes through them. It’s about how quickly teams get past the rough patches and get back to it. For me, this month of January now opens up with lots of dead space and road games – all of which couldn’t have come at a better time. The Admirals played eight-games in the last two weeks. They will be playing half that amount over the next two weeks with massive gaps limiting them to weekend dates only. R&R, practice, and getting out on the road to get some quality team bonding is a well needed medicine right now. Admirals are getting that. Let’s see what it brings in terms of results next weekend in San Antonio.

After the game I spoke with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. I also spoke with Max Reinhart and Cody Bass. Here is what they had to say following the Admirals 4-1 loss to the Iowa Wild.

Comments on the comments? Is there any concern for you that this isn’t a matter of fatigue and that the Admirals are being outplayed in five-on-five hockey no matter what the circumstance?

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There are times when I’m left debating whether or not excuses are really worth pasting over a game’s performance. Last night was a game where I watched, watched, and watched as the Milwaukee Admirals looked gassed and debated if fatigue finally caught the better of them. The Admirals lost 4-0 to the Lake Erie Monsters. It was the Admirals seventh game in eleven days. They had a rest day on Monday for some much needed R&R but it didn’t seem to manifest the energy needed to mount any kind of Admirals hockey I’ve become used to seeing this season. They were exhausted. They were lethargic. They were sluggish. And they were beaten. It’s not so much of an excuse as it is a fact.

I fall back to two things with last night’s game. One, was all that you just read up there. Two, for a 4-0 shutout loss I never once felt as if Lake Erie was dominant or overwhelming the Admirals. They were winning puck battles and getting a fair bit of attacking zone time, true, but they didn’t generate a heck of a lot with that.

If the Admirals who played last night faced the Grand Rapids Griffins when they were on that fifteen-game winning streak I wouldn’t have been all that surprised by an 8-0 scoreline. The Admirals were in Mortal Kombat “Finish Him” stance from the opening puck drop and the Monsters sluggishly earned three of their four goals. The best hockey played all last night came when the Monsters were cycling and attacking relentlessly before Dillon Heatherington‘s long range snap shot from the center point beat Juuse Saros bardown. Away from that? Funky bounces. Slow moving board battles. Passes from both teams not connecting. Rough stuff with the Monsters finding answers just enough times to put the Admirals to sleep.

So, there was nothing really good you could say about last night’s game from an Admirals perspective. It’s the type of game that you do video research on and hammer out some mistakes and preventative measures going forward or you could honestly just write the whole game off and focus on playing in Grand Rapids on Friday. I’d take the second option. I also believe what the Admirals plan for the week ahead is a smart one. After last night’s game they are doing a quick team practice today, taking tomorrow off, and then traveling to Grand Rapids.

What’s still actually a big silver lining to all of this is that through the Admirals frantic recent schedule… through the wild roster moves and injuries that have taken place… the Admirals after last night’s loss remain in first place of both the Central Division and Western Conference standings. I’m not saying that makes it alright for the Admirals to every now and then throw out a stinker of a game but it’s eye opening to me that this depleted team is still achieved this many points to sit through a wave like last night’s game and come away from it still pretty clean.

What should excite everyone is when a Cody Bass gets healthy… when a Trevor Murphy, Victor Bartley, or a Taylor Aronson gets healthy… when a Vladislav Kamenev returns after having just finished up a great series of performances at the 2016 IIHF World Juniors. Those are some solid players that are out right now and, despite that, things have been holding very strong. If games like last night piled up with great frequency through all these injuries I’d be repeating much of what was said last season. But it isn’t happening. With how the rest of this month sets up the Admirals will be playing seven games from their next twenty-five days. That sounds much better than the run they were just on playing seven-games from eleven days. There will be more time to recover energy. Time to let bodies that are beaten up right now but fighting through the pain to still get out and play to heal up. And let this team focus itself ahead of the playoff push that’s ahead of them.

After the game I spoke with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason to talk about the game as well as if he saw what happened with Kamenev during the gold medal game at World Juniors. I then spoke with Frédérick Gaudreau and Joe Pendenza. Here is what they had to say following last night’s game.

Comments on the comments? Do you think the best remedy for the Admirals to avoid another game like last night is time off to recharge the batteries or were there serious flaws in the last few games that need adjusting?

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The Milwaukee Admirals 3-1 victory over the Lake Erie Monsters felt like a different kind of game and a different kind of win. What I mean by that is this. I think the Admirals stole one last night. And doesn’t that feel nice?

From the start of the second period the game shifted to a more rugged defensive battle after a first period felt more open, the offenses both were cycling and moving around well, and generated power-play goals. But what about that third period? The Admirals were holding on for dear life to a 2-1 lead in that period and were allowing shot after shot after quality shot after rebound chance after point shot after… you get it. The shots were 14-4 in favor of Lake Erie in the third period when there was 2:41 remaining in regulation. At 2:06 remaining they went empty net and extra attacker. With fourteen seconds remaining Jamie Devane scored into the empty net. And at the end of the game, for those last 2:41 of build up, pressure, and extra attacker hockey, the Monsters didn’t register a single shot on goal.

I suppose you can look at it two different ways. Either the Admirals stole one or the simply survived. Either choice selected results in the Admirals taking home another regulation win. They have 47 points through 34 games this season and have started to build a gap within their divisional race. Which brings me to the fun part. They can widen that gap over second place with a win on the road over the Rockford IceHogs later this afternoon. How lovely!

~Juusesaurus Rex~

Who is the Admirals number one goaltender right now? My answer: who cares? The production coming out of the net by Admirals goaltending has been the foundation of this outstanding run during all the injury woes and roster changes and we were all witness to another example of a netminder answering the bell big time.

Juuse Saros‘ game last night might not have been a shutout, such as the one he had earlier in the season against the Iowa Wild, but I challenge you to find a better game from him this season. He was every bit the reason why the Admirals won last night and he stopped everything thrown at him. It took an awful bounce off of Jimmy Oligny‘s trailing leg on what was meant to be a wing to wing pass by Ryan Craig to fool Saros in net and catch him by surprise. Take that bad bounce away and he probably gets the shutout outright over Lake Erie. For everything they rained down on net in the third period Saros was on point. He never looked flustered at all. He was calm. He was composed. And I feel as if that confidence spread into the Admirals defending as the period grinded to a close.

Here in Milwaukee, we’ve been so used to seeing some great goaltenders over the years and it’s high time we start acknowledging what is starting to unfold with Saros this season as an AHL rookie. Let me direct your attention to precisely what I’m getting at.

Pekka Rinne won 30 games in net from 51 appearances as an AHL rookie. Mark Dekanich won 15 games in net from 30 appearances as an AHL rookie. Chet Pickard won 14 games in net from 36 appearances as an AHL rookie. Jeremy Smith won 16 games in net from 28 appearances as an AHL rookie. Atte Engren won 8 games in net from 23 appearances as an AHL rookie. Magnus Hellberg won 22 games in net from 39 appearances as an AHL rookie. Marek Mazanec won 18 games in net from 31 appearances as an AHL rookie. Scott Darling won 13 games in net from 26 appearances as an AHL rookie.

Saros has won 14 games in net from 17 appearances as an AHL rookie. The Admirals haven’t even hit the official halfway point of the regular season. There are still 42 games to be played yet. What Saros is doing as a first year professional to North American hockey is incredible.

~That Other Swede~

Have you heard about this Viktor Arvidsson kid? Me too. Well, since he and his outrageous 1.21 points per game left Milwaukee for Nashville there was always going to be this void on offense that either one or more individuals were going to need to fill for the Admirals to be as well-rounded as they were with Arvidsson around.

Who was going to fill that void? If you answered first-year North American pro Max Görtz you would be correct. I had high hopes for what having Görtz in Milwaukee would be like this season. Knowing how rough some transitions can be from Europe to North America my bar was set for an average season with him slowly coming to grips with a faster more physically demanding league. His first two months sort of reflected that. This last month has been nothing short of staggering.

From the start of December to yesterday’s 2016 curtain jerker Görtz has scored 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists) from his last fourteen games. Where did Arvidsson’s damage come from goal scoring? On the left wing faceoff dot looking to one-time bomb a right-handed shooting slap shot. What role was Görtz handed on the Admirals power-play? Arvidsson’s. What has Görtz done? Scored 6 power-play goals from his 9 overall goals scored this season. Görtz on assuming Arvidsson’s role in general lately seems to be a case of Challenge Accepted.

~Injury Musings~

After the game, I had the chance to catch up with a few players that are currently banged up (either close to returning, coming off injury, or playing through injury). Those three guys were Trevor Murphy, Jonathan Diaby, and Félix Girard. All were in great spirits. All conversations weren’t recorded but just casual banter. And I’ll share with you some of what I now know.

Murphy, who we all know took an illegal check to the head from Ryan Hartman, told me that he has been doing very well. He also stated that he’ll be back to skating today. That’s a great first step for anyone dealing with a head injury. With bodies in camp for the time being it also means the Admirals can afford, as well they should, to go slow in Murphy’s recovery process as he can return to the team 100% refreshed. Hey, the last time they did that with him he scored a goal in four-straight games. Can’t hurt right?

That end line might have been unfortunate given the story Diaby told me last night. Because, there is no escaping it, this was a painful story to listen to. I didn’t know what happened to Diaby that sidelined him with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) so I simply asked what happened. As it turns out, Diaby took a skate blade near his groin that cut deep enough into his leg that it was an inch away from cutting his femoral artery. He required initial surgery to patch it up and a secondary surgery to deal with an infection due to internal bleeding that was occurring due to the deep wound left by the skate blade. Take that knowledge and re-apply it to the game Diaby had last night and give that man a standing ovation ASAP.

Up next, it was almost like a literal line of players I kept running into with this, was Mr. Girard. If you remember the Admirals game on New Year’s Eve it was a scary one because it appeared that Girard took a wrist shot to the mouth during the second period. He left the ice in a panic and didn’t return to the game. He was suited up for game action last night but was so wearing a full cage to protect his face. Notice his face? That shot he took to the face caught him square on the cheekbone and his face is showing the effects of just that. Girard being the tough guy that he is simply laughed it off, played on, and told me it looks worse than it is. … I’ll believe him.

~Chatterbox~

Last night I spoke with Milwaukee Admirals head Dean Evason about not only the game but if he was able to catch Vladislav Kamenev‘s incredible game-tying and game-winning goals to push Russia into the Semi-Finals of the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships (video highlights). I also chatted with last night’s top two stars, Görtz and Saros. Here is what they had to say following the 3-1 win over the Lake Erie Monsters.

Comments from the comments? What are you taking away from last night’s game? What do the Admirals need to do today in order to thwart the Rockford IceHogs?

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