For those only getting a little familiar with Max Reinhart this season you’re probably unaware of just how big the Reinhart name is in the game of hockey. His father, Paul Reinhart, had an extraordinary NHL career as a member of the Flames and Canucks organizations that spanned eleven seasons. Max also happens to be the oldest of two other brothers who are in the NHL. Griffin Reinhart was drafted fourth overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders and is now playing for the Edmonton Oilers. Sam Reinhart was selected second overall in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres where he has 34 points (19 goals, 15 assists) in 67 games during his first full-season of professional hockey.
Although he hasn’t had the chance to do so as a member of the Nashville Predators this season Max also joins his family with games of NHL experience. He played 23 games with the Calgary Flames and was able to score his first career NHL goal in his fifth career game in Edmonton on 4/13/13. As you’d expect, he scored that goal with his family in attendance (video).
Reinhart’s season to date with the Admirals has been solid. He has been one of the most reliable and consistent all-around forwards the team has had in the 2015-16 season and he’s pushed to play in all game situations. He has 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 59 games. His 19 goals and plus/minus rating of +13 are the best on the team. He has had four multi-goal games this season including the first hat tricks of his professional playing career.
~Fifteen~
A big thank you to Max Reinhart for taking the time to do this interview. Also, cheers to Stefan Elliott for the fun cameo appearance! This week Fifteen will be published two more times: Cody Bass (Wednesday) and Patrick Mullen (Thursday).
Yesterday’s news just so happened to fall in-line with today’s featured player in Fifteen. Garrett Noonan was a fan request early on in this feature but, for reasons such as yesterday can kind of show, it hasn’t been that easy to get him on. Luckily for all of us I just so happened to get this interview with him this past weekend before his reassignment back to the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL.
When Noonan arrives back to the Cyclones roster he adds a huge boost to their lineup. He hasn’t had quite the level of success with the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL as he has in the ECHL this season but I take that more as a sign of things to come.
Taylor Aronson is currently in the run of his second successive season as one of the top defenseman on the Admirals roster. That came after a 2013-14 season in which Aronson was the top scoring defenseman on the Cyclones roster with 38 points (6 goals, 32 assists) in 65 games. Jump ahead and you’ll see that Noonan is currently the Cyclones top scoring defenseman with 31 points (7 goals, 24 assists) in 40 games. He was also named the ECHL Player of the Week back in the middle of February. He’s been putting in great work. He’s just caught up in the number of defensemen stacked on top of him at left-side defense in order to crack the Admirals setup this season. It’s a shame, but it hasn’t prevented him from putting in solid performances for the Cyclones in his second season of professional hockey.
~Fifteen~
Thanks very much to The Professor for spending time with The Doctor to do this interview. Professor Noonan’s next game should come Friday night when the Cincinnati Cyclones take on the Quad City Mallards. As for Fifteen? More interviews will be conducted in due time.
The NHL Trade Deadline this season was a quiet one. It was especially quiet in regards to the Nashville Predators organization but, with that, came the realization for many that the true strength of the team wasn’t out on the market but in its own stability.
When you look at the make-up of the Predators roster the team is so largely home grown with several individuals who made their professional debuts as members of the Milwaukee Admirals. In recent weeks many of those faces have seen their hard work be rewarded with brand new contracts. Players such as Anthony Bitetto, Colton Sissons, and Miikka Salomäki. While it wasn’t an NHL level contract the same such news was seen on NHL Trade Deadline Day when the Admirals signed defenseman Jimmy Oligny to a new two-year contract. The philosophy behind the new contract echoes the names of those signing for Nashville. Hard work was being rewarded.
Oligny signed with the Admirals as an undrafted free agent in late-June of 2014. He was removed from a junior playing career in the QMJHL that spanned across two different teams, Prince Edward Island Rocket and Rimouski Océanic, where he played 302 games, scored 123 points (29 goals, 94 assists), and accumulated 531 penalty minutes.
In his first season of professional hockey Oligny maintained a role with the Admirals at the AHL level for the whole of the season: 53 games, 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists), plus/minus -2, and 46 penalty minutes. He impressed well enough that the Admirals penned him to a second professional contract last summer. While he might have dipped a toe slightly into the ECHL waters with the Cincinnati Cyclones this season, just one-game, it wasn’t for a matter of ability or form. Oligny has quite possibly been the Admirals top defenseman in the 2015-16 season.
As a second-year pro, Oligny has looked and played a much more dominant game from the blueline. While his offensive numbers have improved from last season, 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) in 54 games, it is his defense that has been even more impressive to see evolve – and that was already his strong suit. Oligny has been a shutdown level defenseman for the Admirals and have in many ways taken up the spot left by the likes of Joe Piskula these last two seasons. As a rookie a season ago he was able to watch and learn from the likes of Piskula and Bitetto. Now he’s the man playing anchor on defense and succeeding. Oligny has the best plus/minus of any Admirals defenseman this season (+11) and is doing that while assigned to neutralize high threat offensive lines. It’s no wonder then why the Admirals took note and signed him not only for next season – but the season after than to make sure the new anchor was firmly dropped in Milwaukee.
When you listen to this latest Fifteen feature I think this all ends up becoming a full-circle story because two things come up that I would never have known if not for talking with Oligny. The first thing is that, as an undrafted hockey player, he was preparing himself to hit the books and go to school. This professional playing career that he’s experiencing wasn’t a serious reality to him once his time playing in his native Quebec was over. The second thing, and the best thing, was that this interview was conducted days before he had actually signed his new contract and he name dropped playing hockey in Europe in his future plans. I’m not sure even in that moment that he truly realized just how good of a season he has been experiencing. And that I feel speaks to the truly humble nature of Oligny.
The day I went in for this interview was shortly after the Admirals thumping defeat to the Rockford IceHogs where they lost 6-4. The most noteworthy moment of that game may have come when Oligny’s daughter was seen on the jumbotron late in the game to a great response from the fans in attendance. His long-time girlfriend and daughter, or as I refer to them as The Oligny Clan, just so happened to be on hand at practice the day I did this interview. His daughter cheered on every player as they entered the rink at the start practice and even had some fun with Marek Mazanec. I’m going to go on record in saying this group might be among the happiestpeople I’ve come across with the Admirals and I gladly take their background noise in this interview to that of the bombardment of Pink Floyd that took place in Félix Girard‘s edition.
~Fifteen~
Editor’s Note. You’re probably wondering what we were talking about in regards to that Taylor Aronson photo. Well, sorry Taylor, but reality is reality. You looked absolutely mortified and it is hilarious. That photo was taken by Jamie Wahl as are many of the ones you see me specifically turn into a meme of some kind. I can’t help it. And apparently the team can’t either.
Thanks very much to Jimmy Oligny for taking time to do this interview. As of right now I am literally out of Fifteen interviews in the backburner which means more need to be conducted and hopefully that takes place on Saturday morning after practice. The goal to get all players featured before the season ends is a tough one – but we’re almost there!
With the Milwaukee Admirals set to face the Lake Erie Monsters once again tonight my plan isn’t to plunge back into pre-game material but keep going with Fifteen. There will be plenty to keep your eyes peeled for information wise on our social media during the build up to game-time but, for now, let’s have some fun with a member of the French Fries!
Félix Girard‘s junior playing career was entirely spent with Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The team was a five-hour trek North-East of where Girard grew up in Lévis, Quebec, Canada. He was named team captain for the 2012-13 season and was drafted by the Nashville Predators the next summer as the ninety-fifth selection of the 2013 NHL Draft.
After signing his three-year entry level contract in mid-April of 2014 Girard was primed for his debut season of professional hockey. His 2014-15 season was spent entirely with the Milwaukee Admirals at the American Hockey League (AHL) level where he would play 61 games, score 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists), hold a plus/minus of -9, and total up 54 penalty minutes.
As far as Girard’s growth from his rookie to sophomore season is concerned the best word to use would be consistency. Girard was one of the Admirals top penalty killers a season ago but would come and go during the run of even strength play. This season he has transcended his incredible work rate on the penalty kill and has been a go-to option for the Admirals whenever they need a win from a defensive zone face-off. He has been money in that respect.
It looks as if Girard plays the game more direct this season. He is a very no nonsense player, is highly responsible and intelligent on and off the puck, and has been a great table setter for the forward groups behind him as he is typically stationed on the lower lines for the Admirals. Girard has already eclipsed his points total from last season by tallying 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) from 55 games and has also seen improvements to both his plus/minus (-1) and penalty minutes (35). In short, there hasn’t been any sort of sophomore slump.
Girard is of course part of one of the tightest knit group of friends on the Admirals team which is entirely comprised of Quebec natives. The merry band known as the French Fries is consisted of Girard, Frédérick Gaudreau, Jimmy Oligny, and Jonathan Diaby. Right now there are three of the French Fries within the Admirals camp as Diaby, aka the Big Fry, currently finds himself logging minutes with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL).
I was expecting some sort of an interview bomb during this interview with Girard and I have to admit there is one. It isn’t exactly from the source I was expecting though as neither Gaudreau or Oligny got in on the fun. Instead, someone at the BMO Harris Bradley Center decided it would be a perfect time to get paperwork done while listening to a Pink Floyd playlist using the full force of the arena’s sound equipment. So, apologies for the audio bombardment as we’re ticking away the moments that make up the dull day. Let’s instead have some fun with Mr. Girard.
~Fifteen~
Thank you very much to Félix Girard for taking the time to do this interview. Giant stink-eye to the pillock blasting Pink Floyd with no rhyme or reason directly following an Admirals practice. Tomorrow will be part-deux of the French Fries as Jimmy Oligny steps up for Fifteen. Beyond that, the list is at a standstill and the reserves of interviews is bare. The goal is to get every player featured first but, if that gets tight during the amount of road games this month, many have suggested front office staff they would like to hear from. That can – and will be done.
When getting to this edition of Fifteen I feel the need to remind you all of the realities of this feature series venture. I’m attempting to feature every player on the Milwaukee Admirals roster by the end of the 2015-16 season and doing that, with a hefty road schedule such as March presents, means going into practices in downtown Milwaukee long in advance of road trips to showcase them down the line – such as today.
At the time I recorded this interview with Admirals defenseman Johan Alm he was enjoying quite possibly his best run of form since arriving to North America from his hometown team in Sweden Skellefteå AIK. He was fully fit and looking to finally put all the pieces of his game together that he couldn’t have done last season when injuries heavily impacted his first year of pro development in North America. Things were looking upbeat for once.
When the Admirals played against the Rockford IceHogs on 2/24/16 the injury bug bit Alm once again. The big Swede took a nasty fall into the boards and was helped off the ice. He hasn’t played a game since and indications suggest that he could be gone for awhile.
“You know what, I don’t want to say anything because I don’t know what has been,” hesitated Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason when asked about Alm’s injury status on 2/26/16. “Nothing has been dictated to me but I can tell you that it’s not positive.”
Speculation talking here -BUT- if this injury is in fact a long term one for Alm it could mean far more than just the end of his 2015-16 season for the Admirals – it might effectively be the end of the Swede’s North American pro playing career. This season was the last year of his two-year entry level contract that he signed back in late-May of 2014. With two injury plagued seasons in North America as a member of the Admirals, and the likes of Jimmy Oligny and Trevor Murphy in the fold for the 2016-17 season, the Predators would probably be more likely to re-up with Garrett Noonan this off-season than they would with Alm.
It isn’t the most upbeat of intros to a Fifteen feature that I’ve done this season but it’s just the harsh reality of both the game and pre-recording these interviews to catch these guys before going out on long road trips. For what it’s worth, as you’ll no doubt hear, Alm is a tremendously positive and fun person to talk to and I feel his positivity can transcend the setbacks he has gone through since leaving Sweden in the pursuit of an NHL dream. Alm was a two-time champion with his hometown team Skellefteå AIK where he was teammates with Viktor Arvidsson. Alm can get back on his feet and get back to the ice. All he needs to do is keep his head up and be himself.
~Fifteen~
Cheers to Johan Alm for taking the time to do this interview. Fifteen will be back tomorrow as the pre-game story and will feature Félix Girard with an interview bomb by Pink Floyd. You read that correctly.
It is still the month of February, yes, but the Milwaukee Admirals schedule for the month ended with last night’s 2-1 loss on the road against the Chicago Wolves. Sort of a downer of a game to end the month on knowing how strong the previous effort was against the exact same team -but- that sort of sums of the month of February for the Admirals.
This past month has been a bit topsy-turvy. It hasn’t been awful. It hasn’t been great. The Admirals held a record of 6-5-0-0 in the month of February. Much of that span has been spent in a sluggish manner where the offense isn’t performing as well as it is capable of. Despite that, the Admirals still move on with more wins than losses on the month. Could it have been better? Sure. Could it have been worse? Far more so – but it wasn’t thanks to some timely performances from the group.
It’s a month such as February that makes it tricky to pluck out an individual performer who I identify as better than the rest. As I weight the options I keep coming back to one individual who seemed to not only do a tremendous job in his own right but elevate those around him in the process. That man would be none other than the captain, Colton Sissons.
In February the Admirals captain produced 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 11 games. It was Sissons biggest month of offensive output in the AHL this season and he did it all while doing his prototypical all-around work rate. Sissons operates on both sides of the puck and that lends itself to his work on both the Admirals power-play and penalty kill. As you’ll notice in the Admiral Mentions portion – the top two considerations for this monthly award were predominantly wingers with Sissons throughout the month. That isn’t a coincidence that their games were also elevated thanks to the abilities of Sissons in February.
Admirable Mentions: Max Reinhart, 6 points (4 goals, 2 assist) in 9 games with an average of 2.9 shots on goal per game… Frédérick Gaudreau, 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists) in 11 games while operating on an Admirals penalty kill that went 91.9% (34/37) in February… Kevin Fiala, 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in 11 games… Cody Hodgson, 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 8 games with an average of 3.6 shots on goal per game… Max Görtz, 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 11 games… Trevor Murphy, 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 10 games… Taylor Aronson, 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists) in 11 games… Juuse Saros, 2 wins from 4 starts including a shutout, 2.13 goals against average, and 0.910 save percentage.91.9% (34/37)
~Admiral of the Month Award~
October: Félix Girard November: Viktor Arvidsson December: Frédérick Gaudreau January: Marek Mazanec February: Colton Sissons
Who do you feel was the Milwaukee Admirals top performer during the month of February? Was it Colton Sissons, Max Reinhart, Frédérick Gaudreau, or someone else? Answer in the comment section below.
Kristian Näkyvä scored his first pro goal in North America as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals on 12/19/15 against the Manitoba Moose at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Someone who has possibly flown under the radar for consistency sake this season has been Milwaukee Admirals defenseman Kristian Näkyvä. The 25-year old from Helsinki, Finland has yet to miss a game due to injury this season. The only five-games he has missed this season have come down to being a healthy scratch to see the likes other other defensemen get rotated into the lineup.
Näkyvä was touted as a puck moving and offensive minded defenseman when he arrived from Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) in the off-season. Last season in the SHL he played 55 games and scored 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists). That hasn’t necessarily translated into the smaller North American ice. He has only produced 8 points (1 goal, 7 assists) in 46 games for the Admirals this season.
While that might seem like a major blow-back the reality of the transition from Europe to North America is a hard one to take for many players crossing the pond. The heart of the defenseman position is written in the job title: defense. Näkyvä started his debut season of North American hockey in quite shaky fashion. The speed of the smaller ice surface seemed to get the best of his previous instincts. As time has gone on the Finn has looked more and more comfortable in defense while starting to let his ability to move the puck be seen in a different avenue than a score sheet might shout out. Because of a player like Näkyvä the transition game of defense to offense can really roll at a high energy pace. It’s on him to protect his own zone and float the puck up for the forwards to do the damage. Thus far, that’s been the Näkyvä experience of 2015-16. Not as flashy as expected. Not as bad as people might make out purely looking at the numbers.
~Fifteen~
Cheers to Kristian Näkyvä for taking the time to do this interview. He had ten-minutes and we hit that ballpark number perfectly! Reminder, my check list of players that you’ve suggested to hear from next on Fifteen is pretty bare. Please comment down below with more suggestions!
Yesterday the Nashville Predators made sure that they’d be retaining the services of Milwaukee Admirals captain Colton Sissons through the 2018-19 season. He’s yet another great example of the Predators commitment to building and developing players within their organization. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Yesterday’s news that the Nashville Predators locked up Colton Sissons for the next three-seasons was another kind reminder of what the organization is and has been all about for years. The Predators don’t just build from within they develop from within. It’s a process that has seen so many current members of the Predators roster hone their craft as members of the Milwaukee Admirals first before being unleashed as polished professionals at the NHL level.
(Photo Credit: Milwaukee Admirals)
When you look at the current Predators roster the team features sixteen players who have played for the Admirals. Let’s say that with some more BANG to it. Of the current Predators roster sixteen out of the twenty-four players on the roster played for the Admirals. Those sixteen Predators players that logged AHL time in Milwaukee played a grand total of 1,247 games with the Admirals. That includes five of players who have played above a standard 76 game AHL season: Austin Watson (229 games), Anthony Bitetto (183 games), Pekka Rinne (147 games), Gabriel Bourque (120 games), and Miikka Salomäki (117 games). That is a massive amount of professional experience gathered before reaching the ultimate proving ground that is the NHL. Yet, it’s the process that the Predators love to see their prospects go through. They want to see players develop at their own pace and be a polished product before becoming a frequent name brought up in the NHL. The goal is to set players up for long-term success rather than short-term instability that could come with pushing a prospect too fast and crumbling under the lights, camera, action of the NHL.
The contract that Colton Sissons received yesterday did have echoes of a recent one that the Predators just put together for Austin Watson this past off-season. Watson had played a total of 229 AHL games over the course of three full playing seasons with the Admirals before getting a brand new two-year contract from the Predators with the first year being a two-way deal for 2015-16 before bumping up to a standard NHL one-way contract in 2016-17. Sissons’ contract is a three-year deal that will be a two-way contract for 2016-17 before kicking into a one-way NHL deal for the following two seasons. When you look at the two players penned to these deals there is much more than just the contracts that are similar.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Watson and Sissons are two players that have been workhorses for the Admirals in their brief professional playing careers. Watson was tasked with operating in a multitude of playing roles that went up, down, and around with him gathering experience in just about any game situation that didn’t involve him being a defensemen or a goaltender. In short, I believe there is a reason why Watson hasn’t spent a single day in the AHL during the two-way portion of his 2015-16 contract. He has remained in the Predators outfit the entire season because he’s durable, he’s capable, and his quality across the board. That can all be said thanks to the day-by-day tests that came with all that was thrown at him during his tenure with the Admirals. Sissons is now in his third professional playing season. As a sophomore he had already won over the locker room to be voted by his teammates as an alternate captain at the age of 20-years old. A season later, hello 2015-16, he was named team captain. He is a natural leader and is so because of his maturity on and off the ice with a great dedication to work ethic.
(Photo Credit: Stephanie Moebius)
Sissons, like Watson, has been thrown through the obstacle course that is being a top-line center at the AHL level. He has been on the power-play, penalty kill, and played with so many different wingers on his line that he probably should be seen only wearing this t-shirt. To this point Sissons has played 36 career games in the NHL for the Predators. While he hasn’t quite seen the same points production that he has in the AHL that doesn’t take away from him using his high hockey IQ to adapt to the situation he is being put in for the Predators. If he is being asked to play a smart defensive game and be strong on the face-off circle he’s generally going to deliver just that. Sissons has won 59% of his face-offs with the Predators this season which is the best in the NHL for a player who has taken a minimum of 100 draws at the face-off dot. With him, and an increased role, there’s reason to believe Sissons’ 0.60 points per game in the AHL can pump up his current 0.17 points per game with the Predators all while delivering sound and smart hockey surrounding that all-around game of his.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
There are of course many other examples of how this process can be a great success story. I can think of no greater example of this right now than current Predators blueliner Anthony Bitetto for how the development process can shape an NHL level pro. Bitetto’s road to reach Nashville came from a lot longer road than simply the Admirals and the AHL. Where Bitetto perhaps saw his real grunt work done to get his game together actually started with a 23-game spell for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. Bitetto’s game was a little bit too erratic and he would find himself over-committing to the offensive aspect of the blueline game rather than, well, the name that is in his position: defense. The move to Cincinnati playing ECHL hockey allowed for him to log more minutes, sharpen some rough patches, and lay a foundation for a really breakthrough season that came with the Admirals in 2013-14. Not content or happy with his defensive work rate of that season – Bitetto tightened up his game even more and looked and played the part of a solid two-way defenseman for the Admirals in 2014-15 which set the stage for his first career NHL call-up and game that season. He now finds himself as a common name for the Predators and does so due to the path he took to get their that made him polished enough for the NHL.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The same can also be said of the young whipper snappers of the Predators prospects that get sent to Milwaukee despite having really high-end talent that could be tested right away in the NHL. Filip Forsberg was acquired from the Washington Capitals on trade deadline day of the 2012-13 season. He made his NHL debut at the end of that season but his true rookie season to the North American game came with the 2013-14 season. He started off with the Predators but, after some injury time and a bit of struggling efforts, the organization saw it best for him to go through the motions with the Admirals at the AHL level as a 19-year old rather than be overloaded or minimized at the NHL level. He played 47 games for the Admirals that season and scored 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) as well as contributing a goal and an assist in the Admirals opening round playoff series against the Toronto Marlies. Forsberg wouldn’t see Milwaukee again after that. Instead he burst onto the NHL scene with an explosive rookie campaign that saw him play every game for the Predators, score 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists), be named to the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, and produce at a point per game clip (4 goals, 2 assists) in his first ever taste of playoff hockey at the NHL level.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
When looking at the current crop that the Admirals have there are plenty more stories similar to the ones above ready to reach the same outcome. Kevin Fiala‘s path to the NHL is looking more and more like Forsberg’s by the day and his attitude and work ethic are seeing the fruits of the bigger picture. Fiala can do far more than score flashy goals and he needs to be able to process the full dynamics of the pro game in order to be an NHL mainstay. Vladislav Kamenev is a 19-year old center that is slowly being afforded more and more responsibilities as his debut season of professional hockey in North America unfolds. Look to the path of someone such as Sissons as an example of Kamenev’s road ahead before eventually becoming the player that should have fans in Nashville very excited to see play at center. Your Bitetto-style “hard work pays off” story might just be none other than Admirals AHL All-Star representative Frédérick Gaudreau who was an undrafted free agent signing in 2014-15, signed a second pro contract with the Admirals last off-season, and has performed so fantastically well this season that he earned a two-year entry level contract from the Predators that will keep him around on a two-way basis until the 2016-17 season. Not bad for someone who played 14 games of ECHL hockey for the Cyclones a season ago, right?
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The process isn’t limited to forwards, either. Often times I wonder if Predators fans forget the amount of AHL service time their Finnish stud in net logged before being a perennial Vezina finalist. Rinne played three-seasons for the Admirals and appeared in 147 games. Marek Mazanec is currently playing his third season for the Admirals and is sitting on 107 career AHL games. Juuse Saros, the 20-year old Finnish goaltending prospect, is in his first professional playing season in North America and has 23 games under his belt. Time will probably go on to show that the waiting period, and the time spent getting more acclimated to the North American game in net, will be worth it.
The model of consistency that you see year after year between the Predators and Admirals is remarkable when looking around at the rest of the league and their NHL-AHL connections. The two organizations have been paired at the hip ever since the Predators inception in 1998-99. Through that time the names that have rolled through Milwaukee on the road to Nashville have been numerous and, looking ahead to the future, continuous. What stands out to me has been great scouting as well as great coaching throughout the organization which has lead to so many high quality professionals that were either ushered in with speed to the NHL or sharpened to get and stay there in the AHL. The process has worked forever. And it doesn’t appear to have any reason to change.
The Juuse Saros hype train was pumping at full-steam long before he started playing professionally in North America. This past off-season saw him sign his entry-level contract and paved the way for the Nashville Predators to trade away Magnus Hellberg to the New York Rangers. It didn’t take long to see what all the hype was about. Saros has performed brilliantly in Milwaukee as he transitions to the smaller North American ice.
Through 51 games for the Admirals this season they’ve been able to lean on both goaltenders without ever requiring the need to pull a starter from a contest. That means all 23 appearances this season for Saros have been starts and, of them, he has earned 17 wins. That is the most amount of wins by a rookie goaltender in the AHL this season. The next closest to him is Maxime Lagacé of the Texas Stars who has 15 wins. Both Lagacé and Saros have the same save percentage of 0.919 but Saros holds the edge elsewhere with a 2.33 goals against average and has earned a pair of shutouts.
In a slight surprise, the 20-year old Finn earned his first career NHL call-up and made his NHL debut starting for the Predators on home ice 11/28/15 against the Buffalo Sabres. Sadly, he took the loss that night. He stopped 20/23 shots on goal with the Sabres scoring twice on the power-play to push them over the top on the evening. Still, at 20-years of age in his first months of playing professional hockey in North America, I think it is safe to say that NHL appearance isn’t going to be the last of his career. This kid is a talented one as well as a very mature one. I’m pretty sure that will come across in this interview.
~Fifteen~
Cheers to Juuse Saros for taking the time to do this interview. Reminder, my check list of players that you’ve suggested to hear from next on Fifteen is pretty bare. Please comment down below with more suggestions!
This is Trevor Murphy in game mode. In game mode he is very serious and can be quite the chirper. That’s opposed to off the ice where he’s quite the chirper but not as serious. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
I believe after last night’s 4-1 defeat for the Milwaukee Admirals a bit of a laugh is needed. Who better to provide that laugh than the man that Kevin Fiala said is his pick for the funniest player on the Admirals roster, Trevor Murphy.
For those unfamiliar, Murphy was signed to a three-year entry level contract by the Nashville Predators in mid-September as an undrafted talent having played four-seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) as a member of both the Windsor Spitfires and Peterborough Petes. At just 20-years of age he is the youngest defenseman of the Admirals 2015-16 season roster and has contributed 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists) in 33 games. So far, his rookie season highlight came on a night when he was tasked with helping the Admirals out by playing as a forward and scoring 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) against the San Diego Gulls. That or his first professional fighting major that saw him bloody up Colin Smith in a decisive win. I’d take it he would pick the scoring game over the fisticuffs but let’s kick back and listen to him tell as much. Keyword Today: Clown College.
~Fifteen~
Editor’s Note: Apologies for the audio being pretty combative to the interview. This was done on an autograph day for the team so there was a lot of sticks being signed and tables being jostled around.
Cheers to Trevor Murphy for taking the time to do this interview and having a laugh. Reminder, my check list of players you’ve suggested is pretty bare so please comment down below with more suggestions!
Admirals Roundtable 