The Milwaukee Admirals, for all the injuries and roster moves that have stretched the team thin, are currently on a three-game winning streak with seven wins from a ten-game span. Their record at the moment is 20-9-1-0 (41 points) with a 0.683 points percentage through 30 games played. Last season, with the same amount of games, the Admirals record was 15-11-1-3 (34 points) for a 0.567 points percentage.

To see this year’s Admirals team not being flustered very much by all that’s happened so far is simply impressive. Per Elite Prospects, the Admirals were the second youngest team in the AHL to start this season trailing only the St. John’s IceCaps. The youth hasn’t felt like inexperience. A solid chunk of this team experienced the pains of what last season brought and so many of those first-year players are excelling this season.

Frédérick Gaudreau has been nothing short of incredible for the Admirals and the exclamation point comes when looking at the year-to-year difference he’s shown. Last season, as an undrafted free agent signing by the Admirals, he split time between the AHL and ECHL and produced a combined 18 points (9 goals, 9 assists) in 57 games for the Admirals and Cyclones. This season he has stayed up at the AHL level all season long, started on the wing before getting lined up at center, and leads the Admirals in scoring: 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists) in 29 games. He has already matched last season’s overall goal total and has more power-play goals for the Admirals this season than he did overall in Milwaukee all-last season.

Then there is possibly the forgotten Swede in the pipeline by the name of Pontus Åberg. Yes, Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson are great Swedish wingers in the organization but Åberg is playing the best hockey of his pro career this season and he’s plenty of the reason why the Admirals have stayed afloat during this roster squeeze: 11 points (8 goals, 3 assists) in 29 games. Half of his goals have been game-winning goals. Three of his goals were first-goals. He’s been both an igniter and a finisher this season.

This all is said without simply tipping the cap to the overall depth that has shined, as well. Félix Girard has been a workhorse all season long and has had no problem playing alongside the Manchester Monarchs PTO contractees Matt White and Zac Larraza. Max Reinhart has provided a veteran-like touch for the team down the middle while Colton Sissons is up with Nashville and Cody Bass is out with injury. Adam Payerl went from pre-season camp invitee on loan from Cincinnati, to earning standard AHL contract with the Admirals, and has picked up 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) in 28 games.

Oh yeah. There’s that Kevin Fiala kid. He’s starting to finally look relaxed after a rough start to this season. While he was held scoreless these last two-games in Rockford his month of December has impressed: 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 11 games. More than anything else he appears to have his explosiveness back. He’s beating defenders with skill and pace. And adds a much needed threat for the Admirals as so many of those sorts of players were all called up to Nashville.

Defensively things have also been different from one season to the next. Well, when I say defensively I kind of mean offensive productivity from the defense. In 2014-15 the Admirals defense produced 127 points (16 goals, 111 assists) among eleven different players. This season Admirals defensemen have already amassed 53 points (13 goals, 40 assists) in 30 games among the exact same amount of defensemen as last season. In better perspective, the Admirals are up to 1.76 points per game from defensemen this season as opposed to 1.67 last season. They’re only 3 goals from matching last season’s total.

Entering this season it was going to be a fascinating storyline to watch play-out as Marek Mazanec faced in-house competition in the form of Juuse Saros. The hype of Saros making the North American leap this season was huge. The 20-year old Finn has met it well. And, by the same trade, Mazanec has been far improved this season while competing for time in net. Last season the Czech had a 2.76 goals against average (GAA), 0.900 save percentage (SV%), and a rough 0.565 shootout percentage (SO%) while losing nine of twelve games that went to overtime (including losing four of four games in the shootout). This season Mazanec has a 2.68 GAA, 0.910 SV%, and an 0.875 SO% while winning four of five overtime games (including winning all three shootout games he has played).

It feels like ages since the Admirals had core players on the ice. Their team captain, Sissons, has played more games in the NHL (19) than AHL (12). Arvidsson, last season’s leading scorer and quickly found himself leading in that department when he returned to Milwaukee, has also now played more games in the NHL (17) than AHL (14). Not to mention, Miikka Salomäki started the season with the Admirals only to play 4 games and never come back from Nashville.

This season really has been a time when the coaching staff of Dean Evason, Stan Drulia, and Scott Ford have all really earned a pat on the back as well as a respective tip of the cap to so many contributors that have stepped above and beyond expectations so far to yield team results. The details are much more crisp than last season. Rarely it seems the Admirals are their own worst enemy costing themselves games. Momentum shifts don’t overwhelm the Admirals anymore it feels as if they ride the wave and adapt to how a game is being played seamlessly. That’s a true sign of a team. And, right now, it’s being performed with bits a pieces moving in and out of the lineup on recall or professional try-out basis.

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Following last night’s 6-2 win in Rockford the Milwaukee Admirals are now officially at the Christmas break with a record of 19-9-1-0 (39 points). Their 0.672 points percentage has them in second place of the Central Division and third in the Western Conference. That’s really impressive when you consider the state of the Admirals roster is stretched to the point where the third line is basically another PTO signing away from having the ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs top line.

For all that the Nashville Predators have been through injury-wise, and all that the Admirals have been through roster move and injury-wise in their own right, you almost lose sight of what sort of strain that puts on our ECHL affiliate.

I’ve yet to take a proper look into just how the Cincinnati Cyclones’ 2015-16 season has been going but am fortunate enough to have someone that can help myself and all of us get to know what’s what in Cincinnati. Dakota Johnson of Sin Bin Cyclones was able to have a chat with Admirals Roundtable to shed light on how the Cyclones have been doing as well as some other random questions that popped into the noggin. Here’s our conversation.

~Q&A Sin Bin Cyclones~

Admirals Roundtable: The Cincinnati Cyclones have started this season off rather well. What are your likes and dislikes of this season’s team? And has anything or anyone surprised you with the Cyclones?

Sin Bin Cyclones: This year’s Cyclones are an all around, strong hockey club. A lot of fire power up front with the likes of Jack Downing, Zach Budish, and Andrew Yogan. Strong goaltending as Brad Thiessen has been our rock in goal. Thiessen is currently up in Lake Erie so it’s nice to have guys like Neil Conway and Brandon Whitney who have stepped big time between the pipes in his absence.

Their biggest problem so far has been consistency. Past few weeks we have been suffering “win one, lose one” syndrome. If they can find that level of consistency, the Cyclones will be a very tough team to beat.

Biggest surprise for me would be rookies Joe Wilson and Steve Weinstein. Wilson has the highest +/- rating on the team with a +13. Weinstein leads all defensemen in scoring with 17 points. The unexpected young guns have really come in and have made an instant impact on this team.

AR: We’ve had the chance to see him briefly this season but never once in game-action. What are your thoughts on Brandon Whitney?

SBC: Whitney has been another surprise to me. We saw him briefly last season when he was with the Wheeling Nailers. Coming in, I’ll admit, I was a tad concerned, but he has really impressed me. When he’s given the chance, he comes up huge, and has bailed us out in plenty of games.

AR: Last season Frédérick Gaudreau flipped between Milwaukee and Cincinnati are scored a combined 18 points (9 goals, 9 goals) in 57 games. This season he has already surpassed that total, 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists) in 28 games, and has done it all here in Milwaukee to lead the Admirals in scoring at the Christmas break. Are you surprised by that at all or did you see that level of quality from him in the ECHL last season?

SBC: I’m not surprised in the slightest. In the short time we had him in Cincinnati last season, I could tell just by his speed and offensive awareness, he wasn’t going to be back with us this season. Freddy is a guy, in all honesty, I don’t think is too far off from the NHL. He certainly doesn’t belong in the ECHL, that is for sure.

AR: Additionally, Joe Pendenza is another similar story to Gaudreau. He’s been between both organizations the last two seasons a fair bit. Do you think if he was in any other organization he’d be an every day AHL player?

SBC: Pendenza is going to produce no matter where he goes, so I really try not to imagine him with any other organization. But if I had to, I think he definitely deserves a legitimate shot at being a full time AHL forward. It’s definitely hard to imagine any AHL team not wanting to take full advantage and utilizing his talents.

AR: It’s been a slight bummer seeing so many banged up bodies for the Cyclones. Eric Robinson, Jaynen Rissling, and Jonathan Diaby have all struggled in that regard. What have you made of their season to date and how are all doing health-wise at the moment?

SBC: Rissling and Diaby have been far from point scoring machines. But they play smart hockey. They’ve both made those simple, small plays and by doing the little things right, you can really have a positive effect without putting up any points. Rissling and Diaby both suffered upper body injuries. Both are short term and they could come back any day now.

Robinson was unbelievable right from the get go. He was averaging over a point per game before his injury and was well on his way to having a very successful rookie season. Unfortunately, he tore something in his leg, is currently on crutches, and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

AR: One guy that has maintained fitness this season is Garrett Noonan. He looks to be putting together a solid season right now. How has he been looking on defense?

SBC: You can’t ask for a more reliable person on the back-end than Garrett Noonan. He has consistently been one of our best defensemen. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting him to get sent to Cincinnati this season at all, but the way he’s been playing, and for obvious selfish reasons, I won’t complain.

AR: It was a sad ol’ time last season when both the Admirals and Cyclones missed the playoffs. It’s early, I know, but I feel that the Admirals are setting themselves up for a playoff return. Can you say the same for the Cyclones?

SBC: I’ll start off by saying I’m a very superstitious person, and am going to hate myself for saying this but… I can definitely say I think the Cyclones are on the right path. Of course, as I alluded to earlier, if they can fix their issue with consistency and weather that storm, there is no doubt in my mind this Cincinnati team will find themselves in a playoff spot come April.

~Le Fin~

Thank you very much to Dakota Johnson of Sin Bin Cyclones for taking the time to chat ECHL hockey with us here on Roundtable. I suggest following along to Sin Bin Cyclones on Twitter to keep up to date with everything going in with the Cincinnati Cyclones this season. My hope is, like the Admirals, the Cyclones return to playoff hockey a season removed from disappointment. All we both need now is for players to get healthy and that lovely roster depth at the start of the year to trickle back down… or, as I would call it, a late Christmas gift/miracle.

Are you a Cincinnati reader? If so, what have your general impressions of this year’s team been? How have the likes of Noonan and Diaby looked on defense? And how has Rissling’s move from defenseman to winger gone so far?

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When thinking of who would be the top performing member of the Milwaukee Admirals in the opening month of the season you’re met with reminders of how very little actual consistent play was produced. The team’s record of 2-4-1-0 (5 points) basically drives that message home but, individually, pretty much the same can be said.

So, who was the Admirals most consistent and reliable performer in a poor opening month? When thinking about how everyone played I kept coming back to one man and that man is Félix Girard.

What’s funny is, if you were to simply looking along the stats of the Admirals you probably end up looking clean past Girard. And I understand that. He hasn’t scored a single point of offense in the Admirals opening seven games. What you are missing when overlooking him purely based on stats is that he is probably the only Admirals forward from game one to game seven that has looked sharp. He’s done solid work on the lower lines for the Admirals, works his butt off shift after shift game after game, has been a great penalty killer, and is probably unlucky to not have actually produced offensive numbers considering his partnership with Frédérick Gaudreau has been so good. Whether it’s winning faceoffs in the defensive zone, getting the Admirals out of an offensive rut by getting the cycling game working in the attacking zone to tilt the ice, it has been Girard really doing a lot of very positive grunt work that has shined out of several less than stellar individual performances from more high profile talents that were expected to hit the ice and steal the show. Girard isn’t a Kevin Fiala type who can dangle through a defense and score a spectacular goal but he’s a table-setter for other forwards to follow up his shift with a work rate that is equal to what he’s delivering. Unfortunately not many have done such so far. And I think that’s what makes Girard’s work stand out even more.

There are of course other options for the statistically inclined: Colton Sissons, 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists)… Vladislav Kamenev, 4 points (4 goals, 0 assists)… and Viktor Arvidsson, 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) and 15 shots on goal in 3 games. In a not so statistical option, an Admirable Mention if you will, Jimmy Oligny was also quite good in October and probably the best defenseman in the opening month.

~Admiral of the Month Award~

October: Félix Girard

Who do you feel was the Milwaukee Admirals top performer during the month of October? Was it Girard, Sissons, Kamenev, Oligny, or someone else?

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This post took awhile to complete because, well, Marek Mazanec’s latest mask didn’t officially get unveiled by its artist until yesterday. Mazanec’s artist is the same man behind Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros masks, David Gunnarsson of DaveART. Not joining the DaveART group in the ye olde Admirals mix is current Cincinnati Cyclones goaltender Brandon Whitney whose mask is styled by Sylvie Marsolais of Sylabrush.

~Juuse Saros~

This is probably my favorite of the Admirals designs this season. I think the photo up top taken by Scott Paulus shows why. The new colors and logos really blend well into the uniform. Plus, my favorite element of the new Admirals logos uniforms is the bone “A” that is on Skeletor‘s hat and it bursts off each side. Also a nice added motif is the Nashville Predators logo appearing in Admirals navy along the lower end of the mask – flowing into the chin where another Admirals logo is placed. And I think what makes it all come together is the white areas around the cage – which, if you look closely enough, feature a hidden Suomi detail in chrome.

~Marek Mazanec~

Let’s not beat around the bush. This is Mazanec’s brand new 2015-16 challenger. It’s not an old mask. It just looks like one. Why did Mazanec decide to use the old Admirals logos? Welp, I look forward to asking him because my guess is he either (1) had no idea that the Admirals got new logos or (2) preferred the old logos. I sort of get the feeling it’s one or the other there. As far as Maz’s mask history with the Admirals goes. I still love his original design the most because of it’s simplicity and coordination with -especially- the home uniform of the time. This being much more baby blue I think will work well enough all-around with the new uniforms. I just think it’s funny seeing the old logo back as a photo negative. It’s like the ghost of the logo that was just killed off that’s begging to be exorcised.

~Brandon Whitney~

Firstly, massive thanks to Whitney’s artist Sylvie Marsolais for reaching out and sending in these close up shots of the mask. Considering there’s no guarantee he wears this Milwaukee mask in Milwaukee this season, I must say, it’s still a pretty gnarly mask. It also reminds me of Mr. Tendy Swag himself, Rob Madore, last season who probably had the best Admirals mask despite never logging a minute in net. There’s a lot of real cool little things going on in this mask – best of all is that hidden Predators logo behind Skeletor’s hat. In addition, the backplate features a tractor as an homage to Whitney’s family being big into farming (probably my favorite part of the mask because it’s completely individual and different). I’m not all too sure of the realistic looking skull on the side of the mask but hey Skeletor.

~Pekka Rinne~

Alright, he isn’t on the Admirals and (for his and the Predators sake) I hope that stays that way this season. Still, just look at it. I always like his faux-mask with a monster behind it design. Adding to it this season is the Immortan Joe look from Mad Mad: Fury Road with design elements that glow in the dark. Yes. 100% yes.

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The Milwaukee Admirals open up training camp tomorrow morning. There will be some stories formed out of camp the next week or so as far as how lines shape up, who will be the captains, who trickles down to the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL, and much more. For right now I say let’s take a look at some of the basics because there are plenty of storylines worth taking stock of before the pucks start flying around at the MSOE Kern Center.

~New Season, Same Problems~

The Admirals ended last season with a record of 4-14-5-3 following February 15th in which they lost Brendan Leipsic to trade and Miikka Salomäki due to a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. There was no playoff hockey in Milwaukee for the first time since the Admirals inaugural season in the American Hockey League of 2001-02. It could be a concern to some that more of the same could be on the horizon. There are up to 17 returning names on this year’s Admirals team from the previous season. Yet I say turn your focus away from the players for a moment and shift them to behind the bench.

This is year number four of Dean Evason as head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals. In his first three seasons he has collected a regular season record of 113-80-18-17. In his first two seasons his Admirals made the playoffs but did so only to get eliminated in the opening round with only a single win from the two best-of-five game series to show for it.

Looking at all of that, knowing the team finished last in the division a season ago and missed the playoffs, you might be wondering if similar history is set to repeat itself. The simple answer to that, of course, is we won’t know for sure until some games are laid down. Even then I feel last season’s hot streak cold streak style could even lessen some of the ‘feel good’ out of an early successful period of play. Should this team start as cold as it finished though I think there can be cause for concern. There could come a point in this season if things go sour when someone asks whether or not the player development in Milwaukee and lack of team results go hand-in-hand. If there was any single person or group that is motivated to rebound from the struggles of last season I have to imagine it is Evason and his coaching staff.

What I think will help plenty is when we bring our focus back to the players themselves. There are so many returning faces that I think everyone has more than enough motivation to better themselves and what was on display a season ago. Even bigger than that of course is that the prospect pool of the Nashville Predators is a deep one and, for some, that itself is motivation enough. This is an important year for several names that need to put a big fat stamp down on this season as to not get lost in shuffle of forwards that will be entering the prospect pool after this season. Will they make Nashville keep them in their plans or end up out of a job? It’s up to performances shining through on the ice to make the answer to that question clear. Should the players hold themselves to that high level of a standard it should only mean good things for the Admirals as a team for this campaign.

~The Newbies~

When it comes to the new names arriving in Milwaukee this season there is a lot to like. Juuse Saros, Max Görtz, Vladislav Kamenev, Trevor Murphy, and Kristian Näkyvä are all Nashville prospects entering the fray. Meanwhile, some more seasoned names are also being added to the mix: Cody Bass, Max Reinhart, Jamie Devane, and Conor Allen.

The biggest name of the newbies is easily Saros. The 20-year old goaltender from Finland is making his first splash in North America this season and he enters with a large amount of hype surrounding him. There’s a good possibility that this Finn will succeed another Finn named Pekka Rinne in Nashville one of these years.

In my talks with Magnus Hellberg last season, I got a much better understanding of the adjustment process from the European game to North American game as it relates to goaltending. You not only have a smaller rink, and therefore a quicker game pace to deal with, but the manner in which offenses crowd the net and play off of rebounds is a higher point of emphasis than it is in Europe. Yet, it is still safe to say that this adaptation process is entirely individual. How fast can Saros adapt? The early signs from Nashville’s rookie and pre-season camps suggest that he has adapted quickly… very quickly.

Saros is not your prototypical Nashville Predators goaltending prospect. He’s a wee lad that only registers in at 5’10” tall. By comparison sake to the Predators goaltenders that we’ve come to know over the years he should look every bit on the ice like the kid that he actually is. What’s important to note is that height and size isn’t everything. In fact, I sometimes question if bigger sized goaltenders get away with the mistakes that someone with the size of Saros could ill afford to make. While a goaltender like Hellberg might get caught out by moving side-to-side only to rely on his size to bail him out. A goalie like Saros doesn’t have that. He’s never had that size as a bail out. In turn he has incredibly fast instincts and reaction speed to account for the extra bit of net that has opened up due to his size. It’s these instincts that will make his adaptation process to the North American game fast and the selection of “who is number one in net” for the Admirals a question mark from opening day forward.

As for the others, Kamenev and Görtz are two of the skaters I am really eager to see play for the Admirals this season.

Kamenev was the Predators second round selection in the 2014 NHL Draft. He’s a 19-year old Russian center who has 57 games of professional playing experience in Russia’s KHL with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The on-ice life for him should be easy enough. He might not be the flashiest player to hit the ice for the Admirals this season but I think his age might get lost in how well he plays. As for off the ice it will be curious to see how he, his coaches, and teammates handle the language barrier. I say, if Marek Mazanec can come through it and speak the level of English that he can now, so can Kamenev. The game of hockey is a universal language. The more he and everyone learns to communicate with one-another off the ice will only allow him to feel more comfortable in his own skin.

Görtz is a player I’ve been excited about seeing for a good amount of time. He’s a strong winger with good skill to go with his size. He is coming off of his best playing season of his career in which he scored 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists) in 53 games with Frölunda in Sweden. My lone concern was that how his season ended last year would hinder his 2015-16 start. Görtz ended last season being taken off the ice on a stretcher in the SHL playoffs after receiving a headshot. He was caught with his head down as he skated in towards goal. How would he handle himself getting back on the ice for a game after a scene like that? Luckily, his Rookie Tournament and work in pre-season both have looked good and any sort of “getting back in the saddle” jitters he might have had simply didn’t show in his performances. That’s as good of a sight to see as seeing his name on the scoresheet. I feel like Görtz is just the type of winger the Admirals have been needing to have success. Look at how well Austin Watson has performed on the wing scoring wise and think about having a second incarnation of that on the depth chart. Someone who won’t get out-muscled or out-sized working the wall and can scrap it out in front of the net for gritty goals as well as whip some in from open play. That’s who Görtz can be for this year’s Admirals team.

~The Fiala Conundrum~

This off-season I felt more and more confident that Kevin Fiala would make the Predators opening day roster. Be it simply depth up top, or the coaching staff thinking he isn’t ready yet, his season starts in Milwaukee. This will begin a fun chapter of the 2015-16 season that should mirror one from the 2013-14 season when a kid named Filip Forsberg found himself in a similar scenario. Highly talented, but unpolished. Can play in the NHL, but you’d rather have him logging top line AHL minutes than lower tier NHL minutes (if not healthy scratched).

Fiala certainly looks better than last season which should mean amazing things for the Admirals. When he arrived midway through last season as an 18-year old he practically hit the ground running: 20 points (11 goals, 9 assists) in 33 games. Not to mention, some of his goals were just flat out ridiculous.

If there were to be any concern for Fiala this season it purely comes from between the ears level stuff. For example, how will the disappointment of not making the Predators opening day roster impact him? Will he be extra motivated to get back up top or shaken up from losing out on an NHL spot? What if he starts well, continues to do well, but the Predators still don’t have the room for him and would rather he keep developing at the AHL level? Does he start gripping the stick tighter wanting that NHL time or continue going about his business and controlling what he can control. Time should tell with that and hopefully a sophomore slump is avoided.

No matter what proceeds in the Fiala storyline of this season it’s quite simple. He is an incredible talent. What I’m sure can be instructed to Nashville fans eager to see him hit the scene, similar to Forsberg back in 2013-14, is to be patient. Being as young as he still is – the more he can play this season the better (AHL or NHL). I’m sure the reason why he is in Milwaukee is for the same reason I’d have sent him to Milwaukee. Why not play top line minutes instead of here-and-there action on the fourth line in Nashville? While playing in the NHL might satisfy your ego logging those lower line minutes sort of defeats the purpose. Let him play. Let him learn. Watch him grow.

~Defensive Wake Up Call~

This time last season I was more worried about an inexperienced defense more than anything else. Heck, if you were to tell me that Taylor Aronson was to have the season he had a year ago I might have fainted. Sadly, Aronson’s improvement and some decent work out of the pairings of Joe Piskula and Anthony Bitetto were about as good as it got really. The defensive structure of the team last season was quite sloppy and players such as Johan Alm and Garrett Noonan were spotty when part of the Admirals setup.

Jump cut to present day and Piskula is gone, PTO contractee Scott Ford is now an assistant coach with the Admirals, and some new names have been added. The loss of Piskula still saddens me in the sense he really was the most consistent defenseman on the Admirals last season and provided the calm presence you’d expect from a veteran like him. With him gone now the team will look to lean on two players that are is six-years younger than Piskula in Allen and Bitetto.

I think Bitetto needs no introduction. His game keeps evolving and, while the scoring touch might be lacking, his defense has looked better and better. The prospect of him being able to produce offensively as he did in 2013-14, scoring 36 points (11 goals, 25 assists) in 73 games, and then playing as stout defensively as he did last season is perhaps just what Nashville are looking for when it comes to his long-term outlook with the organization. He’s set to be the Admirals top defenseman this season. Has the potential to be a team captain considering his standing and respect level within the locker room. One season removed from making his NHL debut and this could be the most important season in Bitetto’s career. Everything is in place for him to put it all together. Can he do it?

Allen is the oldest defenseman on the Admirals this season. And when I say older I mean by about five months on Bitetto. Allen is an undrafted defenseman who played his trade with UMass-Amherst. After finishing up in college he made his pro debut in the AHL with the Connecticut Whale. He then proceeded to play with the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL and played 7 games with the New York Rangers in the NHL. His AHL numbers, especially last season, are solid. In 2013-14 he played 72 games, scored 31 points (6 goals, 25 assists), had 71 penalty minutes, and a plus/minus rating of -4. In 2014-15 he played 72 games, scored 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists), had 113 penalty minutes, and a plus/minus rating of +1. He might not be the Sconnie that you knew and love in Piskula but I say give this Chicago native a chance. He should fit in nicely, play a quite similar brand of hockey as Bitetto can, and might not even have hit his ceiling yet.

~Czeching In With Maz~

This off-season’s early storyline was the goaltending dilemma. Will Saros make the leap to North America? If so, who stays and who goes? That has of course been answered but now leaves a question mark as it relates to Mazanec.

If the Predators are as invested in Saros as they appear to be does it mean he’ll end up getting the majority of starts in Milwaukee this season over Mazanec?

Early into the goaltending situation being figured out the more I understood the reasoning behind why Nashville went the route that it did. Mazanec has the NHL experience and would be that slightly bit more acclimatized to help out in the event of an injury that required a call up. Yet, with that in mind, is he purely back in Milwaukee on that condition while Saros gets that majority of starts in net? It’s a question that will play out before our eyes early in the season.

What is curious to see will be Mazanec’s start, middle, and end to this season. He has started great the first two years of his Admirals career.

2013-14, Mazanec started the season off with five wins in his first five starts before getting an NHL call up that saw him get Rookie of the Month honors in November 2013. He labored a little bit in his return to the Admirals – losing six of his first seven appearances in February 2014 – but he literally needed to shoulder the load in goal during that time due to the amount of injuries at the position. Once he settled back in? Brilliant: he won nine of his last twelve games including his last four straight and had a 0.926 save percentage across that span.

2014-15, Mazanec once again started off the season by winning his first five starts of the season. But, much like the Admirals season as a whole last year, it was up down and around from then on out. His save percentage month-by-month broke down: 0.924, 0.894, 0.885, 0.947, 0.905, 0.867, 0.902. Basically, when he was good – he was great and when he was rough – he was ROUGH. To allow me to dip into something I said during my end season grades for last season… Hellberg allowed three or more goals fourteen times. Mazanec allowed three or more goals twenty-five times. There’s no tip-toeing around it. That’s simply not good enough.

There is a lot on the table for Mazanec this season and by that I really mean it being the difference between being the back-up in Nashville next season versus heading back home and playing for HC Plzen. Mazanec needs to step up to the plate, meet the challenge and hype train of Saros head on, and be the anchor in net here in Milwaukee. Should he flounder in his chances there is no reason why the net shouldn’t just be handed off to Saros to speed up his developmental process. The pressure is on and how Mazanec is able to handle it this season should be the difference between him succeeding Carter Hutton and not being back at all.

~Heart and Soul~

I believe I mentioned a kid named Salomäki getting injured for the season somewhere up top. Well, good news, that injury has healed up and he is back to 100% fitness for the 2015-16 playing season. So much so he was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct in the Predators pre-season opener. Some look at that as bad. I look at that and say he’s back to the way he was (more or less).

Considering his shoulder injury last season you’d wonder if more plays like that, such as a high impact boarding check, would get eliminated out of Salomäki’s arsenal. While I’m sure the coaches weren’t please at the time with him doing that I also think there was a wry smile as well. It’s that level of full throttle play from Salomäki that makes him so fun to watch and as effective on both sides of the puck as he is.

The game misconduct will probably be met by the player and coaches the same way it was when he suffered the same fate as a rookie here in Milwaukee. But it should also rebound as it did where he’s not a nasty player whose aim is to deliver checks like that. He’s simply an aggressive bull in a China shop. The moment that he went down for the season last year it felt like the team lost a big part of their identity. Salomäki’s tenacity on the ice in some ways is a great table setter for each and every forward to take the ice and commit to working as hard as he does in all areas of the ice. Him being back fully fit will be a hugely welcome addition to the team.

There’s plenty more storylines out there. For example, I’m thinking this should be an outstanding season for Colton Sissons and have briefly talked about why I think that should be the case. Plenty of stuff to talk up but tomorrow will be the first day of training camp downtown. I’ll be there and hope to catch up with the team afterwards so expect a Chatterbox or two this week. Hope to see you at the MSOE Kern Center this week. Not sure what the schedule is? Have a look here.

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This past week I had the chance to sit down and chat with the voice of the Milwaukee Admirals, Aaron Sims. It was great to catch up with Aaron and get some of his perspective on this year’s off-season as well as his thoughts on the season ahead for the Admirals. Here’s a transcript of our conversation – as a Chatterbox containing the audio would have been roughly a half hour (we’re good at talking about things we like).

~Q&A~

Daniel Lavender: First things first, the Admirals brand news logos, colors, and uniforms. What do you think?

Aaron Sims: I love the new logo. I love the new uniform. I love, and it sounds like I’m in the minority here from what I’ve been reading, but I like the M-A. I like that bone M-A. I think that’s really cool. I think it’s great. We spent nine years with the other one and it’s time for a change. I’m all for it.

DL: I think my initial impression when I looked at it all was, “yeesh,” but the more I actually looked at it… it wasn’t actually that different from what they just had.

AS: No. It’s what Harris [Turer] said, “an evolution.” Yeah, I like it. And then the response from like a lot of people, the [AHL], and all of that it has been really positive. That’s pretty cool to see.

DL: I thought the turn out for the unveiling event itself was great. There were tons of fans and the instant reaction to the logos was strong. That had to be satisfying to everyone involved in the re-design process.

AS: We had no idea. I asked them, “how many you think are going to show up?” And we really didn’t know. You just put it out there and, yeah, that many people showing up was pretty sweet. It was cool. I wish more former players could have made it but it was cool to have a few of the legendary guys: Phil Wittliff, Danny Lecours, and Fred Berry. I’d love to see a full blown Admirals Fest. That would be tough to do but it would be great to do I think.. June or July.. have as many people as you can come back.. I don’t know, teams used to do the old timers game, I’m not a big fan of that because those guys don’t want to get hurt and that’s the last thing anybody wants. Just to hang out and and make it like a baseball card type of thing that would be fun.

DL: In terms of this off-season’s moves it feels almost like a mass exodus of faces everyone is familiar with. Guys like Mike Liambas, Mark Van Guilder, Magnus Hellberg, Joe Piskula. What have you made of these moves?

AS: It’s just part of the thing. Year in and year out you kind of brace yourself for all of this stuff. I know Mike Liambas was a guy that didn’t necessarily want to go but he would have been foolish not to see what’s out there for free agency. Mark Van Guilder is at a point in his life where he gets to see the world. Everybody always talks about Nashville having to run it through the draft and all of that stuff. Every team has to run it through the draft. So then you piece the right free agents in there. I don’t know anything about Conor Allen but I’m anxious to see him. All I know is what I see in the numbers because we never see any teams out East. But I’m really excited and have been an admirer of Cody Bass for awhile. I’m really excited to see him on our team because he’s a tough guy, he’ll stand up for his teammates, from what I’ve seen – heard – and read he is a good man in the community. I’ve always like him. I’m really jazzed to see him. I’m anxious to see how Félix Girard progresses. If you think about it, we kept talking last year about a young team. They’re all going to be in their second year, so they’ll have a year of experience, and then you throw in an Allen.. Bass.. Jamie Devane I’m excited for. I’m looking forward to this. We’re in the [AHL]. If guys are here for two-years it’s a shock. To have those guys three, six, seven years is pretty amazing.

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