“My first pro game [in Bloomington] in the IHL we were playing against Port Huron,” said Milwaukee Admirals forward Mike Liambas. “I came in there and I fought the biggest guy there, Derek Merlini, and then my coach asked me why I fought him. I just said because he was the biggest guy out there.”

It has only been eleven months since Mike Liambas joined the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL). For such a short time span his impact on and off the ice has been outstanding. Yet, it’s his road to this point which can be considered even more remarkable.

The native of Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada comes from a big family with European roots. His dad was born in Greece. His mother was born in Italy. And he is the middle-child of a very tightly knit group of brothers.

“I am a big family guy,” smiled Liambas. “My bros are like my best friends. I wish sometimes that I could spend more time at home so I could hang out with them, but that’s why in the summer I like to get home and hang out with them. Just to be around them. I wouldn’t be here today without my family.”

Liambas’ junior hockey career started with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). His first season (2006-07) he suited up for fifty-five games and scored five points (four goals, one assist). He also recorded 169 penalty minutes in his first junior hockey season – a feat that would be repeated in his second junior season with the Otters.

Where this story goes downhill comes from a game against the Kitchener Rangers on Halloween of 2009.

This might be the moment where most people around the game of hockey recognize the name Mike Liambas. As the Otters dumped the puck into the Rangers zone for a line change – defenseman Ben Fanelli went around the cage to cycle the play forward. He had his head down. Liambas was racing in on the forecheck and squared him up. Fanelli looked up at the last moment, saw a charging forechecker, and tried to whirl a pass behind his net. By the time he threw the puck off his tape Liambas had caught him high to the body with a heavy hit into the glass partition. Fanelli was taken immediately to a local hospital before getting airlifted to a hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. He remained in an intensive care unit for a considerable amount of time with skull and facial fractures.

Four days after the incident, Liambas was suspended for the remainder of the OHL season – effectively ending his junior playing career. This was the beginning of a label against him that he was the bad-boy.

“It wasn’t me that was my doppelganger,” said Liambas of his past bad-boy reputation. “I don’t know who he is or what it was but everyone seems to think that that was me back in the day but it really wasn’t.”

By present day standards, most can view a player such as Liambas as your prototypical team enforcer. He’s the man you don’t want to play against but would love to have on your hockey team. While the bad-boy wrap may stick as a consequence to playing such a role in the game, to him, all that really matters is the people who know him for being him.

“I might as well use my reputation to my advantage,” smiled Liambas. “Everyone that knows me, the people that I care about, and people that care about me know the real me. I could really care less about what others think on the internet because they don’t know me. They see what I do on the ice but that’s my job.”

After his time in the OHL he played with the Bloomington PrairieThunder of the International Hockey League (IHL) before finding his way onto the Cincinnati Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). He played forty-games between the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons: no goals, ten assists, and 180 penalty minutes. Next stop, the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL where he would dress for thirty-two games, score nine points (two goals, seven assists), and pick up 151 penalty minutes.

Then, in February of 2013, Liambas was signed to a professional try-out (PTO) by the Milwaukee Admirals. In the final stretch of the 2012-13 season he played twenty-seven games, scored a goal, and earned 74 penalty minutes. He also played in two-games during the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs: one assist and 32 penalty minutes. While working hard to earn his place on his first ever AHL team – one thing became very evident in Mike’s first season as an Admiral: he had found a home.

“I’ve learned a lot,” said Liambas. “In order to appreciate the top of the mountain you’ve got to hit the very lowest of the lows or else you don’t really know where you are. I wouldn’t change a thing that’s happened because I have learned so much from all the bad things that have happened in my life.”

This season Liambas’ game has taken a big step forward. His forechecking, backchecking, offensive game, defensive awareness, and all-around ability have made monumental leaps over the Mike Liambas that first suited up for the Admirals on Feb. 8th 2013 against the Houston Aeros. That kind of development stems from a student willing and ready to learn and apply. His teachers: anyone willing to offer advice.

“The coaches have been helping me a lot,” said Liambas. “As well with my teammates like [Taylor Beck] or [Mark] Van Guilder. They’ve helped me a lot. I was working with Van again today at practice and I talk to Beck all the time. I know I’m a totally different player from them but I still want to round up my game. Everyone is trying to help me succeed and they are giving me all the tools to succeed.”

While Liambas’ on ice ability continues to grow – it is his off ice personality that makes him one of the most magnetic players in the Admirals locker room. He can be the go-to guy to get anyone around him laughing. He’ll do little things such as nudging himself between Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Dave Boehler and myself to ask his own teammates post-game questions. Yet, he knows that off-ice atmosphere isn’t all about fun and jokes. He is completely aware of where the line between keeping things light and getting serious is. He is very accountable for himself and his teammates. His relationships with members of his team, both professionally and personally, mean a tremendous amount to him. And, as I’m sure the Milwaukee Admirals front office would be quick to point out, he is a fantastic individual when it comes to dealing with the fans and the getting out in the local community. It’s this personality, on and off the ice, that has made a lasting impression on his teammates and those who get to know him.

Anthony Bitetto’s first Mike “Bus-y” Liambas experience:

Bitetto describes his importance to the Admirals and development:

Colton Sissons talks about his relationship with Liambas:

Sissons on the prankster side of Bus-y:

Scott Valentine discusses Mike’s on and off ice personality:

Valentine on Liambas’ development since joining the Admirals:

Taylor Beck describes the ultimate team player and greatest guy, Liambas:

As for my time being around Mike Liambas as a reporter: he has always been up to answering any question that I can throw at him. He is always honest with me. Sometimes he will be very blunt and to the point. Other times he provides me with an answer that goes far beyond my expectations. To provide you with a taste of precisely what I mean I decided to ask him a very frequently asked question that I receive when it comes to his game. Something that most fans always think of when it comes to the game of hockey.

What goes through your mind as you drop the gloves?

Simply put: he is one of a kind.

The continued development for Liambas this season speaks to exactly what we’re used to seeing out of Admirals players: work hard, learn, and work even harder. There is no telling where this story is heading. All that I know is, for my money, that it keeps getting better and better.

(Photo credit to Scott Paulus)

Happy New Year, Roundtable! I hope your Holiday season has been going great. To kick off 2014 I figure it’s a good time to look at the season so far. It’s not officially the middle of the AHL season yet -but- I think it’s worth looking at the 2013 side of the calendar as we get ready for tomorrow night’s opening game of 2014.

2013-14 Milwaukee Admirals Mid-Season Review

Awards

Most Impressive Player: Miikka Salomaki

Least Impressive Player: Patrick Cehlin

Best Forward: Miikka Salomaki

Best Defensemen: Joe Piskula

Best Goaltender: Scott Darling

Most Likely To Be Called Up to Nashville: Taylor Beck

Actually Should Be Called Up to Nashville: Austin Watson

Most Improvement: Anthony Bitetto

Least Improvement: Magnus Hellberg

Player to Watch in the Second Half of the Season: Colton Sissons

Player Who Needs to Step Up in the Second Half: Magnus Hellberg

Player Who Will Step Up in the Second Half: Kevin Henderson

Grades
(A, B, C, D, F, and an Inclomplete for less than 10 Games Played)

#2, Anthony Bitetto: What a start to the season it has been for a man who was sent down to Cincinnati for 23 games last year. In the first half of the season Bitetto has 9 goals and 10 assists. His offensive game has been stunning to watch develop this season. He’s gone from a cautious defenseman to a quality puck mover that can skate with confidence and deliver big time results on the power-play – with 6 power-play goals scored. While Bryan Rodney was brought in for his offensive-defensemen capabilities – it’s been Bitetto who has looked just as sharp in that regard. There aren’t many I can name on this team that can single handedly establish a breakout play from behind the net, carrying the puck the length of the ice, and straight into the zone – but Bitetto does it probably three times or more a game. His confidence this season is through the roof when it comes to skating forward. The lone down spot in his game are defensive lapses that can take place trying to do too much offensively. His plus/minus of-9 is the lowest of any defenseman on the team. I only expect to see more great progress from him as the season continues. Hopefully that sees an improvement in his defense to go along with his numbers on offense. (A-)

#4, Scott Ford: The Captain has delivered the same type of toughness we’ve come to expect from ol’ Fordo. That could be perfectly summed up when he surprised us all by returning from a broken foot: two weeks after breaking it and a full three-to-six weeks before he was scheduled to return to the ice. The best qualities of Ford aren’t always what you see on the ice – certainly not on the scorer’s sheet. What Ford brings to the team is leadership off the ice and veteran composure on it. So far. So good. (B-)

#5, Theo Ruth: Starting the season with the Ads, Mr. Ruth never really showed enough quality to stick around. He was sent down to Cincinnati, called up briefly during Piskula’s NHL call up, and sent right back. Shortly after Christmas, he announced his retirement from the game of hockey at the age of 24-years old. Best of luck in your future endeavors, Teddy. (Incomplete)

#7, Joe Piskula: Of all the defensemen this season none have played more consistent than the Wisconsin native. Alongside Captain Ford, Piskula brings a great veteran calmness behind the forwards. His play in Milwaukee to start this season earned him his first NHL call-up since the 2011-12 season with the Calgary Flames. It might have been a brief stay in Nashville, only two-games, but it was a very well deserved call-up for a twenty-nine year old that plays a stable two-way game. (A-)

#8, Filip Forsberg: Alrighty. So, he played in 7 games. So, he was sent down in an effort to give him more minutes. So, he was sent back down to knock off the injury rust before heading to World Juniors. All he did in those seven games was score 3 goals and 5 assists and showcased some of what Nashville hopes only gets better and better and better. He is 19-years old. You nearly forget how young he actually is when watching him play. He will only get better with time and patience. (Incomplete)

#10, Patrick Cehlin: The reason why I listed this Swede as the Least Impressive Player through the first half of this season has nothing to do with his play on the ice and much more to do with his inability to stay on it. When I spoke with head coach Dean Evason in the pre-season he said that Cehlin was going to need to be a crucial figure on the team’s offense if they were going to succeed. He has suited up for 7 games. In those games he has scored 2 goals and 3 assists. You can see what Evason sees in him with numbers like that. Sadly, a nagging injury has kept him out since early-November. The team needs his skill and ability to bring an added offensive element to the lineup. When Cehlin returns to game action still seems to be a mystery. (Incomplete)

#15, Kevin Henderson: Last season was explosive for Henderson. He scored 17 goals and 12 assists en route to his first trip to the Nashville where he netted his first-career NHL goal. So, looking at this year’s Henderson, what’s happened? If you asked me… I feel the lower-body injury he sustained at the start of the season, which sidelined him for 5 games, nagged on a bit and possibly hampered his play before he went out officially. It probably took him awhile until his legs were really back underneath him. Once he did spring to life in December he looked like a completely different player. I don’t think his first half has been anything like Henderson would have wanted it to be. If he remains healthy, and continues playing on the wing of his penalty kill battery-mate Austin Watson, that’s precisely why I think his second half of the season will be fun to watch. (C)

#16, Mathieu Tousignant: It’s been an interesting season to this point for Tousignant. I’d say for him some nights are better than others. Mostly what I like about him is precisely what the opponents hate about him – his aggressive edge on the ice. He plays very feisty hockey: finishes off checks, forechecks and backchecks aggressively, skates fast, and isn’t shy to get talkative with his opponents – nor drop his gloves with them. I like what he adds to the team on the lower forward lines. Still, I’d like to see more from him in an offensive sense considering the tools he has are there to make an impact. (C-)

#17, Mike Liambas: We all know about Liambas. He just checks hard and drops the gloves. Wrong. So very wrong. From pre-season practice and into the season I have been impressed by the work ethic of Liambas to make plays on offense and defense. He’s worked closely with assistant coach Stan Drulia on his game preparations and looks more and more sound on both areas of the puck. With how physical he is, I’ve liked seeing him work to the front of the net on offense and can see him being able to create chances setting up shop there when he is off the forecheck. It’s all a matter of learning for Mike. This season he’s learned a ton and that knowledge is slowly making its way onto the ice. (C+)

#18, Colton Sissons: Where do I start? How about a team-leading 12 goals to go with 10 assists for a team-leading 22 points. Here is the other place I could have started: this is his first season of professional hockey and in no way does that show in his game. From the opener in Abbotsford on forward Sissons has played fantastic. He has this incredible ability to skate into soft spots on the ice and go undetected by the defense. That same hockey IQ lends well to the defensive side of his game as well. He isn’t afraid to give up his body to block shots and had a very active stick to make the passing lanes a mess. And he’s just a 20-year old rookie. My hope is for this great start to continue. My fear, being that this is his first pro season, is that he hits a wall at some point and begins to slow down. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. (A)

#20, Miikka Salomaki: While his fellow rookie above, Sissons, might be tallying more goals – there hasn’t been a more energetic player on the ice this season than Salomaki. For as shy as this young Fin is off the ice it is amazing just how often his playing style gets under opponent’s skin. The moment he hits the ice it’s zero-to-sixty. He plays the game very physically and drives right in on the goalie – time and time again. His work rate is a constant of the team. He never stops. Heck, if you get to the rink for the pre-game skate at 6:30pm you’ll find that most nights he is the final Admiral to skate off the ice.. often staring down the clock until the final seconds just so he can get his money’s worth of practice. So, he’s shy and facing a language barrier as a rookie. His game speaks for itself. (A)

#21, Simon Moser: Nashville was such a big fan of Moser that he was one of the final cuts in camp before the season started. I can see why. Despite line combos being very erratic this year – no matter where Moser finds himself he seems to complement his linemates well and find ways to make a difference to their playing styles. Whether he plays with a center like Van Guilder or Sissons, he plays smooth offensive hockey and has been rewarded with 5 goals and 9 assists so far in his first professional season of North American hockey. I think with some consistency he can calm down a bit more and focus his game better. He could have a decent finish to the season if he does. (B)

#22, Scott Valentine: It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a defenseman. It’s a forward. It’s a defenseman, again. Now it’s a forward, again! It’s Scott Valentine! …couldn’t help myself. The truth is, I really think the “Valentine as a Forward” experiment should be given the green light for full-time operation. I’m not saying he plays badly as a defenseman. He plays pretty well back there. Especially his partnership when playing in a d-pair with Scott Ford. Yet, when Valentine is put on the wing of a forward group he can be as lively and as tough of a forechecker as there is on the entire team. Whether or not the team decides to keep him as a forward really depends on the circumstances of who is healthy. It always seems the team wants him involved no matter the circumstance. If a d-man goes out – he’s back there. If a forward goes down – he hits the wing. His collective body of work this season, despite the constant shuffle, has been a positive for the team. If the team were to settle on him as a forward full-time.. then business could pick up for the better. (B-)

#24, Zach Budish: Not to sound harsh, but Budish is a difficult player for me to figure out because he can sometimes feel invisible out on the ice. Perhaps that can work to his advantage. He does have 3 goals and 4 assists after all. Like so many of the forward group he has also bounced around line to line – second, third, and fourth line. Time to gel might bring out the better qualities to Budish who, in my eyes, still looks fresh from a four-year collegiate hockey career. (C-)

#25, Josh Shalla: Similar to a combination of Budish and Cehlin, I feel Shalla is a player that was expected to produce offensively but simply became an invisible entity on the ice – leading to his reassignment to and from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. What bums me out about Shalla’s time in Milwaukee is his track record to score goals and his difficulty to do it on a consistent basis while wearing white, black, and Lake Michigan blue. When he was sent down to Cincinnati last season he scored a stunning 21 goals in 37 games. He has the capacity to do it. He just needs to actually do it. (D)

#29, Mark Van Guilder: This is the sixth season in which Mark Van Guilder has suited up with the Ads and every season he seems to take a step forward. This year, he has 5 goals and 7 assists. It’s not going as well offensively as last year. Also an oddity this season has been penalty minutes. Last season he spent 9 minutes in the penalty box in 73 games. Already this season he has 16 penalty minutes. While he is in no way leading the AHL, much less his own team, in penalty minutes – it does speak to the off-start to his season. Unlike some of the young guns of the roster, I can see a guy like Van Guilder working through it and making a bigger difference as the season grinds along. (B-)

#31, Marek Mazanec: Another one of those players I heard about in pre-season camp that was intriguing was Mazanec. When Scott Ford told me Mazanec was going to be pushing Magnus Hellberg hard – I kind of wanted to laugh him off. Boy did I shut up fast. Not only did he win all 5 starts in net for the Ads, but he was called up in-place of Hellberg in Nashville and played so well he earned the NHL Rookie of the Month award for his work in the month of November. He played incredibly composed in net for a 22-year old in his first year of North American “smaller rink – quicker game” hockey. Last season, Hellberg’s adjustment to the North American game took some time before he settled in. Mazanec settled in almost instantly. It seemed like he rarely was fooled by shots, he was able to manage rebounds well, and –scariest of all– could get even better – which was proved by his work up top the moment he went in net for the Predators. As the goalie situation goes within the system, Mazanec just goes to show how great it is to have quality strength in quality depth. (Incomplete)

#33, Bryan Rodney: I doubt that there is a more polarizing figure to Admirals fans than Bryan Rodney. On one hand, I think criticism on him is spot on. How many veteran defensemen does this team need? When will he stop making soft passes that lead to easy turnovers? When will he realize he isn’t Kris Letang and avoid skating too far forward and costing his team odd-man rushes? Then he makes a stunning lightning fast past for an assist that will leave your jaw on the floor and every fault of his prior to that seems to be made accounted for. In other words – he’s a head scratcher that can sometimes single handedly make and break a game. For what it’s worth I think we’ve seen far more right than wrong out of Rodney this season. (B-)

#36, Joonas Jarvinen: The big Fin was sidelined at the start of the campaign for seven games. Ever since his return to the lineup he hasn’t missed a game and has provided very reliable minutes of defense for the team. For believers in the plus-minus statistic, of the entire team no one has a better plus-minus than Jarvinen with a +9. He only posted a negative plus-minus in four out of his twenty-three games played this season. As far as the young d-men go – Jarvinen has stood out as the best defensive minded player through the first half of the calendar. (B)

#37, Scott Darling: The happiest student of Ben Vanderklok’s has played phenomenally to start the season. He has won 7 games from 9 starts, allowed 1.43 goals per game, a 0.955 SV%, and has earned three shutouts. His efforts this season have been recognized by the AHL twice: Player of the Week (ending December 29) and Goalie of the Month (December). And to think I laughed off Mazanec threatening Hellberg in pre-season camp. What we have here is just one more quality “big man” in net. Depending on how the Predators goaltending situation shakes out when Pekka returns, the 6’6” Darling has shown incredible strides in his first real lengthy stint at the AHL level and could play his way into staying in the Ads roster for the majority of the season. It’s has been him against Hellberg to start the year. December showed that the team is much more confident with Darling. And boy did he respond to the task. (A)

#41, Taylor Beck: Another player falling under scrutiny, Beck has put up 8 goals and 8 assists in twenty-six games this season. While it might have been a disappointment for him to have not made the Predators opening day roster – you could tell why he started the campaign off in Milwaukee. He wasn’t playing like himself. At the beginning of the season I had questions about his fitness and/or health. He didn’t play with the same speed or agility I was used to seeing him play with. In fact, it wasn’t until the start of December where I thought he was back up to his full speed: 3 goals and 5 assists in the month of December. Perhaps like Henderson, he played with a lower body injury that sapped his game up that -little bit- to start the season. With his legs fully under him – he’s about as talented a forward as there is on this roster. (B)

#45, Magnus Hellberg: After last season expectations were huge for Hellberg. The start to this season just hasn’t gone to plan for him. An injury on day one of Predators pre-season camp. Decent first three starts. A call up to Nashville. Bench. 12:12 of an NHL debut stopping three of four shots. Back into the fire and surrendering nearly three goals per game. The truth is, I think Hellberg is caught in a loop of trying too hard and getting himself flustered in net. When he calms down and plays with confidence – you get a netminder that can deliver a 40 save shutout against a very highly skilled team in the Oklahoma City Barons. All too often this season he has been fighting himself. It’s a little like what happened with Pekka Rinne last season in the sense he’s being caught scrambling that little too much. For someone as talented as Hellberg is in net – the term less is more might be all the difference for him. One game at a time. One save at a time. (C-)

#51, Austin Watson: Last season, Watson spent the majority of his time with the same line: centering Daniel Bang and Juuso Puustinen. This season he has centered a multitude of different lines combinations that have seen him play with the likes of Rask, Salomaki, Moser, Budish, Tousignant, and Henderson. The Bang-Watson-Puustinen line last season put up great numbers out of the partnership playing seamless hockey. So far, Watson has put up 8 goals and 11 assists with a mishmash of wingers around him. That’s not too shabby. His best linemate this season, for my money, has been Henderson. The two play a very similar style of hockey. They’re skilled, strong, play gritty defense, and can get on the attack fast. That started with their work on the penalty kill together and wound up translating when Evason paired the two on the same line. If Watson is to have a strong second half of the season he’s going to need to continue playing the way he has with a stable line. His partnership with Henderson is the beginning of that. (B+)

#55, Charles Roussel: Of the current crop of d-men on this team I wonder how many overlook the growth of Roussel this season. From pre-season on I’ve noticed similar upgrades to his game as has been the case with Bitetto. The lone downer and reason why he might get overlooked is simply – he isn’t producing the numbers to back it up. At least not yet. His skating ability looks fantastic this year. He can quarterback a power-play. Defensively, he might be a work in progress as far as keeping the play in front of him, but he also hasn’t made that many mistakes when his number is called. He is in the last year of his contract. So far this season it’s been a big step in the right direction. (C+)

#74, Vinny Saponari: One of the last names cut before the season started for the Ads, Saponari returned to the fold from Cincinnati in late-November. His stick skills and skating ability have looked very good since rejoining the team. He’s also earned the trust of his coaches to place him on the power-play. There is much to like with Saponari. I think his play, especially if it continues as it has, may well keep him in Milwaukee for the rest of the season. Should he keep playing on the top forward line with Salomaki and Sissons – his numbers, 3 goals and 4 assists, can only get better. (B-)

#88, Joonas Rask: Tuukka’s brother (sorry Joonas) is another player that I’m curious whether or not people like what they see. The honest truth is, if you look at his career numbers, he isn’t the type of player to produce big offensive numbers. Where he makes up for the lack of offense is with incredibly consistent shift after shift effort. Rask may well be the best defensive forward on the team. He plays very tight defense, has quick hands and stick skills to create takeaways, his speed makes him a neutral zone pest to play against, and that same speed makes him a relentless backchecker that causes the opponents to often times have to dump the puck in rather than freely skate into the zone. His offense might still need some work. As I mentioned, he won’t set the world alight. His passes sometimes aren’t the best. He can sometimes get lost in his own stickhandling and skate into trouble. However, if his speed and stickhandling can be honed in, Milwaukee might be in for a show to watch while he’s playing here. He creates plenty of chances on skill alone. Sooner or later those chances outta be rewarded with numbers. (C+)

Agree or Disagree with the Awards or Grades? Let me hear your take!

Howdy Roundtable! The Christmas break for the Ads starts today and ends when they battle on Boxing Day with the diabolical Grinch-y Griffins. As I expect, most of you like me, will be taking in the holiday festivities until then. Therefore it is my pleasure to bring back the next Christmas installment of Admirals Roundtable! I chatted with several members of the team about their upcoming plans for the holidays. I also asked them that age old question, what is on your Christmas list?

The Admirals Christmas Plans & More

“This Christmas I think I’m just going to stay local. My girlfriend lives in Buffalo Grove, IL, so I’m gonna go down there and be spending the day with her family. Memory-wise, growing up, every Christmas Eve, we had a huge family, and everyone would go to my Grandmother’s house. There would be trays and trays of food. Memories that I have, as a little kid, I remember going outside and looking for Santa Claus and stuff! It’s definitely a good memory there.” ~Anthony Bitetto

“Fortunately for me I’m from Chicago. I’m actually on Sunday just going to stay down after the game and see family. It’s nice. I usually don’t get to make it home for Christmas. So, I’m excited about it.” ~Scott Darling

“I don’t know if I’ll be back here or if I’m not going back to Sweden I might be back here in Milwaukee. If I go back to Nashville, either way, I’ll hopefully have a pretty good Christmas! We’ll see.” ~Filip Forsberg

UPDATE: Since we spoke, Forsberg was announced to Team Sweden for World Juniors. That means he is officially heading home for Christmas – and suiting up for his home country, in his home country, for the tournament. That has to be pretty special for him considering his month long injury nearly cost him that opportunity.

“I’m actually flying down to Nashville because, if [Filip] Forsberg leaves for World Juniors, [Mattias] Ekholm is going to be alone up there. So I am heading down there to celebrate with him.” ~Magnus Hellberg

“I’m actually just sticking around here for the first time in awhile. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a nice long Christmas break. It’s funny because our families has grown so much, the family back home and extended family, that we can’t really get together anymore. But, as a kid, it was awesome. My mom’s side is Lebanese and we would have these huge Lebanese feasts with like forty or fifty cousins, that kind of thing, aunts and uncles. It was great. All the food was unreal. And they were so rowdy because there was so many people. Miss those early years as a kid. Just a little too hard to do that now-a-days.” ~Mark Van Guilder

“I’m the only guy from Wisconsin so it’s easy for me to head up home to Antigo for like a three hour drive. I’m going to go up there for three days and be with some family. It’ll be nice.” ~Joe Piskula

“I’m just going to stay in Milwaukee with all the Finish guys like Salomaki and Jarvinen. Make some good dinner.” ~Joonas Rask

“My family is in town. So, I’m pretty fortunate that they’re coming down – my two sisters, my parents. It should be a lot of fun. We’re probably going to have a big dinner and just spend time together.” ~Charles Roussel

“I’m actually staying here this year. We have a tough break so I’ll spend the time here with the guys. Hopefully my family comes down. We’ll have a late Christmas this year.” ~Joshua Shalla

The Admirals Christmas List

“I’m not sure. Just some clothes. Hopefully try and get my parents a trip out here. Not sure. I haven’t really made a list this year! I got the Xbox One. I’m loving that thing. I just gotta get more people to get it. It’s fun. Keeps me busy!” ~Anthony Bitetto

“I wanted a new travel bag. I think my girlfriend got it for me. So, that’s all I really wanted. It’s nice now that I’m older that I can buy gifts for other people. So I got a lot of Admirals apparel going out to my little cousins.” ~Scott Darling

“I actually got what I needed from my mom. I got a package just before I got here to Milwaukee. So, that’s just what I needed!” ~Filip Forsberg

“I don’t know. I’m hard to buy for. I just don’t really need anything. My dad is the same way. He’s really really tough guy to get gifts for. But me, and my brothers and sisters, figured out about three or four years ago that a gift card for Joe’s – an outdoor sporting goods store. We got him one for his Birthday and he loved it. I think every Christmas, Birthday, Father’s Day since he’s gotten the Joe’s gift card and he loves it just as much every time.So, if it’s not broke don’t fix it!” ~Mark Van Guilder

“Nothing special. Just goals! I need more goals!” ~Joonas Rask

“Probably some clothes. I need to step up my clothes game this year. Hopefully the parents come through on that one. I don’t really ask for much. I have a good life. It’s fun playing hockey for a living.” ~Joshua Shalla

“A few things. I’m asking for a guitar. I want to learn to play the guitar. I want some nice brown leather boots. Maybe, if Santa is involved, I’d take a new bow and arrow. I want to get into hunting. And maybe some stuff for wakeboarding.” ~Joe Piskula

For those who don’t know, the Ads guitar maestro just so happens to be Mark Van Guilder. Luckily I heard from Piskula before Van Guilder so I was able to ask the guitar expert for shopping advice on Piskula’s behalf. What guitar should he get?

“One that plays itself. Because I’ve heard him play before!” ~Mark Van Guilder

What are your plans this year? Any big items on the Christmas list or surprise items that you purchased for family members – a la Red Ryder B.B. gun?

One of the better stories this season has been the evolution of Ads defenseman Anthony Bitetto. Through twenty-four games this season he has eight goals and six assists which ties him for third best on the team in points with center Austin Watson. As the league stands today, Bitetto is among the top twenty defenseman across the entire AHL in scoring. To think that exactly this time last year he wasn’t even playing in Milwaukee.

Bitetto began his first full professional season with the Admirals last year. He suited up for five games, only registered one shot on goal, and had nine penalty minutes to his name. On 11/12/12, the Ads decided to send him down to the Cincinnati Cyclones in favor of current Admirals teammate and linemate Charles Roussel. Bitetto would go on to play twenty-three games as a member of the Cyclones where he would produce one goal, two assists, and registered sixteen penalty minutes. It wasn’t until 1/7/13 when Bitetto received his call back up to the Ads.

Anthony Bitetto on his time in Cincinnati last season:

When he did return to Milwaukee his game greatly picked up. Upon his return in January, he picked up his first AHL point (an assist) two games after his recall and tallied two more assists to close out the month. February, eight more games – two more assists. Then came a fairly rough month of March for Bitetto where he was a -6 skater through eight contests. The silver lining to that month came by the way of his first AHL goal – scored on the power-play.

Bitetto on his power-play success this season – where he has scored five of his eight goals:

While the rest of his season might have tailed off from that moment – where this story really seems to pick up is in the offseason. Bitetto was asked by the team to trim down in body weight. When he showed up to camp this pre-season – he exceeded expectations by how good of shape he was in.

Mike Liambas, Bitetto’s teammate in both Milwaukee and Cincinnati, shared his thoughts on Anthony’s progress:

From pre-season practice right into the start of this season the change of Bitetto’s game is incredibly evident. His skating ability looks vastly improved. He looks and plays the game far faster than he did last season. And, the icing on the cake, his offensive results speak for themself.

Dean Evason on Bitetto’s progress:

Bitetto about improving his game this season:

What also adds to the rate of development for Bitetto are fellow defenseman Scott Ford, Joe Piskula, and Bryan Rodney – all veteran hockey minds of the defensive core. With Ford, there is a leader to learn from and a gritty defensive nature to understudy. With Piskula, there is a two-way game from the defense to the blue line that can really translate well into his game. With Rodney, Bitetto can also hone in on the offensive side of the puck from a defenseman that makes sharp passes and goal-scoring opportunities while quarterbacking power-plays. The examples are all there for him to learn from.

Bitetto on learning from veterans (while Joe Piskula definitely does not troll on the answer to such a question):

In that last clip you get a taste of something I hear a lot whilst doing player interviews – Anthony Bitetto laughing. There are plenty of great personalities on this Admirals hockey team. Few seem to always be as upbeat and jokey as the New York native.

Evason on Bitetto’s personality:

Bitetto on having fun:

With still well over half the season to play, it is exciting to see where and how far Bitetto’s season can take him. The tools are all there. His ability and willingness to learn from those around him and apply them quickly to his game is fantastic. His goal is to continually improve and see this team reach the playoffs for a twelfth-consecutive season. If Bitetto continues to improve – I imagine the team would accomplish just that.

What are your thoughts on Anthony Bitetto this season?

“People ask ‘how’re you doing’ and it’s like, what would we have to complain about,” smiled Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. “We’re doing a job that we absolutely love.”

Last summer, the Admirals were in search of a head coach. The 2011-12 season saw the departures of two coaches. The man who started that campaign off as head coach, Kirk Muller, became the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes very early into the season. Immediately stepping into the fire for Muller was Ian Herbers. The season would come to an end in a first round playoff defeat to the Abbotsford Heat. Herbers then took to a head coaching opportunity with the University of Alberta. Prior to that season the Admirals enjoyed eight seasons with two brilliant hockey minds running the ship, Claude Noel and Lane Lambert. Stability was needed. And it was found from NHL veteran Dean Evason.

Evason on his time in Milwaukee:

Before his time with the Ads, Evason enjoyed a highly successful seven-year run with the Washington Capitals as an assistant coach. In five of those seven seasons the Capitals made the playoffs. He coached under three different head coaches while in DC: Glen Hanlon, Bruce Boudreau, and Dale Hunter. Having coached for such a high-powered and successful NHL team for as long as Evason did, one wonders, why depart as an assistant coach of an NHL team in favor of being a head coach of an AHL team?

Evason on his move from Washington to Milwaukee:

In his first season at the helm, the Ads managed to fight back into the playoff picture and finish with a 41-28-4-3 record. The team’s 89 point finish just narrowly trumped the divisional rival Rockford IceHogs’ 87 points for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

With a full season under his belt, Evason’s Ads are currently sixth in the AHL’s Western Conference with an 11-5-4-1 record good for 27 points in 21 games. More than a full-year into the Evason era in Milwaukee – what do the player’s think about their head coach?

Scott Valentine:

Taylor Beck:

Austin Watson:

Joonas Jarvinen:

Magnus Hellberg:

Kevin Henderson:

When speaking to these players, in particular, much was made of the level of respect Evason has for his players and the players for Evason. There sounds like a balance of keeping the room light and laughing as well as getting serious and prepared for battle. For Evason, this is where his time as a player of sixteen professional seasons and as a coach meet head on.

Evason on the working atmosphere:

The players also shed some light on Evason’s ability to balance the serious side with the lighter side of hockey.

Henderson on Evason:

Hellberg on the lighter side of things:

Jarvinen on the serious side of things:

Beck on screwing up:

Valentine on Evason:

Just as is the case with the player development with the Ads, where the main goal is to reach the NHL, the same can just as easily be said when it comes to the head coaching position. Peter Horachek was the head coach of the Ads during the 2002-03 season. Horachek is the current head coach of the Florida Panthers. Claude Noel was behind the bench for the Ads from the Calder Cup season of 2003-04 to 2006-07. Noel has been in charge of the Winnipeg Jets since their return to the NHL. Is such an achievement, being an NHL head coach, on the mind of Dean Evason?

Evason on NHL coaching aspirations:

What are your impressions of the team since Evason joined? How do you feel he has done compared to previous head coaches with the Ads?

Hello Roundtable! While this foggy and misty weather doesn’t quite set the scene – it is December in Wisconsin. Therefore it is getting to be that lovely time of the year where we all get together with family and friends and celebrate the Holiday season. This afternoon I had the chance to speak with members of the team to hear some of their fondest memories of Christmas.

“Just being around our families. I know about the last six years for myself have been away from home, but I’ve always got home for a couple of days at Christmas. Don’t get to see family and friends much throughout the year. Just being around them at that special time is always nice.” ~Taylor Beck

“My whole family lives really close together. So, just to get together Christmas Eve and share some laughs with the whole family is what I love most. There’s not much of a tradition but just getting back home and being with the whole family is great in itself.” ~Kevin Henderson

“Christmas is all about family. Growing up we always had a big family get together and eat lots of food. To think outside of the box a little, I think last year we didn’t have time to go back to Sweden. So all the Swedish guys on the team and their girlfriends went to Chicago for a couple of days and celebrated Christmas there. That was a pretty fun memory for sure!” ~Magnus Hellberg

“Got to be something about childhood. The whole family getting together. Having Christmas presents. Singing. [Favorite present?] Radio Control cars. Those were pretty cool.” ~Joonas Jarvinen

“I think, honestly, when you’re back home being younger, going downstairs. seeing what’s under the tree with your siblings and your parents, and opening gifts. It was usually full of snow outside. So, whatever you got – whether it was a new toboggan or a sled – you could take it out and hit the hills. Just being with family in the morning. Waking up my sister at seven in the morning to go open gifts and her hitting me and telling me to wait an hour.” ~Scott Valentine

“When we were kids – I have an older brother that’s an ’87 and a younger brother that’s a ’90 – and when we were younger we’d always sleep in the same bed the night before Christmas. The one in front of the house because there is a big window in that room – it was my older brother’s room. We’d sleep there and try to listen for Santa. Then we’d wake up in the morning and my dad would pump the Mariah Carey Christmas CD. Every single Christmas. Literally! We’d put our robes on. We all had matching robes. We’d put our robes on, walk down the stairs together, and start opening our gifts – start opening our stockings – while Mariah Carey was singing the whole time. It was pretty funny.” ~Mike Liambas

To hear Liambas tell his own story, which is just fantastic, give a listen:

I’m hoping to get some more players favorite Holiday memories in the coming weeks. In the meantime – what are some of yours? Any great stories or favorite gifts?