The last few games for the Milwaukee Admirals have been a very solid test in regards to playing through adversity with a stretched roster and fatigue. Today the team had an off-day to rest. And now they are receiving some reinforcements. The Nashville Predators have reassigned Frédérick Gaudreau and Adam Pardy to the Admirals. The Predators have also assigned Reid Boucher to the Admirals on a conditioning assignment.

One of the true great stories of this season has been seeing Gaudreau log game time at the NHL level for the Predators. He was an undrafted talent out of the QMJHL that signed with the Admirals ahead of a 2015-15 season that saw him split time between the AHL and ECHL. He burst onto the scene this time last season for the Admirals by scoring 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) while assuming the exact role that Colton Sissons had. He earned an NHL contract and then was selected as a representative for the Admirals at the AHL All-Star Game.

Gaudreau made his NHL debut in what is now the notorious food poisoning game. It wasn’t any sort of a one-off appearance as he would go back up again on recall and has now played 8 games in the NHL this season and recorded an assist to notch his first career NHL point. With the Admirals this season he has played 15 games and contributed 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists).

Pardy is also a nice story given how his season started. He tried to earn an NHL contract in the Florida Panthers pre-season camp and came up empty. He signed an AHL contract with the Springfield Falcons but ended up never playing a game with them. He was acquired in one of those rare early season AHL trades that brought him into the Admirals fold shortly after the team saw veteran defenseman Matt Irwin go up and stay up. Pardy then signed the NHL deal that alluded him in Florida by signing with Nashville after having such a good run in Milwaukee. Pardy should provide some immediate relief to an Admirals defense that has been running nearly two defensive pairings and on an empty gas tank in recent games.

Boucher is an interesting story in his own right. The Predators had just claimed the 23-year old winger from the New Jersey Devils organization and he did get a game in with the Predators prior to this conditioning assignment. Boucher has been a point producer everywhere he plays whether it be in the US National Development system, Sarnia Sting (OHL), or Albany Devils (AHL). The last area he is looking to get going in is the NHL where he has 29 points (11 goals, 18 assists) in 83 games.That’s still a 0.35 point per game average. The talent is there. The all around play and consistency of it is what needs to turn up next to make him stay in the NHL. That’s where this two-week (fourteen consecutive days) conditioning assignment can serve him well to get minutes and a boost in a season where he only has played 10 games at the NHL level.

The Admirals play tomorrow night at 7:00 PM CST against the San Antonio Rampage at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. It will be the first trip into Milwaukee for the Rampage who the Admirals beat twice by 2-1 scorelines on the road to begin the season.

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If you remember last year’s All-Star Game competitions for both the NHL and AHL they were heading into uncharted territory. Both were seeking different but new ways to enhance they manner in which the entertainment of the game is played by creating a more competitive atmosphere. The NHL got it spot on. The AHL’s format a year ago was a bit more over the top. A year later, surprise surprise, the AHL is adopting the more successful formula.

Press Release via AHL:

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer David Andrews announced today the format for the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross, to be held January 29-30 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., home of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The event will begin on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET with the traditional AHL All-Star Skills Competition. All-Stars from the Eastern Conference will square off against All-Stars from the Western Conference in seven skills events, including hardest shot, fastest skater and accuracy shooting.

2017 AHL All-Star Challenge(Click to enlarge)
Then on Monday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. ET, the 2017 AHL All-Star Challenge will take place. The league’s all-stars will be divided into four teams, representing each of the league’s divisions (Atlantic, North, Central, Pacific), and the teams will participate in a round-robin tournament featuring six games of 10 minutes each, played entirely at 3-on-3. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin will face off for the championship, a six-minute game also played at 3-on-3. Last year’s inaugural All-Star Challenge was won by the Central Division.

Rosters for each team will be composed of 10 skaters and two goaltenders each. All 30 AHL teams will be represented by at least one All-Star player. The coach for each team will be the AHL head coach whose team has the highest points percentage in each division at the end of play on Dec. 31.

Starting at just $67, tickets for the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross are on sale now and include admission to Saturday’s Phan Fest & Tailgate Party, Sunday’s AHL All-Star Skills Competition and Monday’s AHL All-Star Challenge. To purchase event tickets, please visit www.phantomshockey.com or www.pplcenter.com.

The 2017 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Capital BlueCross will feature the top young talent in the American Hockey League: since 1995, more than 93 percent of All-Star Classic participants have gone on to compete in the National Hockey League, including Jake Allen, Artem Anisimov, Patrice Bergeron, Ben Bishop, Troy Brouwer, Ryan Callahan, Zdeno Chara, Logan Couture, Braden Holtby, Tyler Johnson, Martin Jones, Chris Kunitz, Zach Parise, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne, Bobby Ryan, Cory Schneider, Patrick Sharp, Jason Spezza, P.K. Subban and Mats Zuccarello, as well as former Lehigh Valley Phantoms representatives Nick Cousins, Brandon Manning and Anthony Stolarz.

In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League continues to serve as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, trainers, executives and broadcasters of all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 88 percent of NHL players last season were AHL graduates, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers. In 2015-16, over 7.1 million fans attended AHL regular-season and playoff games across North America, the highest total attendance in league history.

The short and sweet of it can best be understood by the following infographic that the AHL provided to explain the new All-Star Challenge format:

Again, it is basically what the NHL cooked up for the 2016 NHL All-Star Game that took place in Nashville and was met with tons of praise, excitement, and John Scott. It gets rid of the jumbled up four-on-four portion of the AHL’s version of the All-Star Game a year ago and should make for a more streamlined game.

Should things keep up as they are the Central Division All-Stars could have Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason behind the bench just as they did when they won the Inaugural AHL All-Star Challenge a season ago. If the Admirals have the best record in their division by the end of the month of December it will see Evason earn the All-Star nod as a coach for the second consecutive season.

What are your thoughts on the AHL’s change to their All-Star Game? Did you enjoy their version more last season or did the NHL’s version make more sense?

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The goaltending rodeo continues for the Nashville Predators organization. They have recalled Marek Mazanec from the Milwaukee Admirals and reassigned Juuse Saros and Pontus Åberg to their AHL affiliate. This move comes a day prior to both the Predators and Admirals playing games: Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche, Admirals @ Iowa Wild.

Mazanec’s most recent spell with the Admirals saw him make three starts in which he earned a pair of wins with a 0.907 save percentage. Saros managed to make two starts for the Predators during his latest NHL stint and lost both times out. It wasn’t for a lack of effort on his part. The young Finn in his three starts for the Predators this season now has a 1.70 goals against average and 0.940 save percentage. He returns to the Admirals after having been named the AHL/CCM Goaltender of the Month for November.

Åberg follows yesterday’s roster move that saw Mike Liambas also returning to the Admirals. This all should give the Admirals a boost at the forward position where the team required signing Derek Army on a PTO basis from the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) last game in order to help facilitate playing 12 forwards in their lineup. Åberg produced 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) in 9 games for the Predators this season. To this point he has actually played as many games for the Predators as he has the Admirals where he has been a point per game player at the AHL level with 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists).

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The Nashville Predators reassigned Mike Liambas to the Milwaukee Admirals ahead of their game this evening against the Philadelphia Flyers. The move comes a day after Liambas made his NHL debut as well as a day after the Predators claimed Reid Boucher off of waivers from the New Jersey Devils.

Liambas played 4:42 of ice-time over the course of eight shifts yesterday afternoon when making his NHL debut with the Predators. The team lost 5-4 in overtime after having a 4-1 lead entering the third period. Liambas had logged 201 games in the AHL, 87 games in the ECHL, and 50 games between the IHL and CWUAA before making his NHL debut yesterday. Liambas became the 607th player to play an NHL game after having played at the ECHL level – which he did for both the Orlando Solar Bears and Cincinnati Cyclones.

It should be expected for Liambas to join the Admirals who are traveling today to Iowa and then take part in Tuesday night’s road game against the Iowa Wild. As of yet the Admirals haven’t released any of the two players signed to PTO contracts yesterday, Derek Army or Blake Kessel, ahead of that game. Given just how stretched the Admirals are at the moment it could be safe to assume that says the case. The Admirals even with the inclusion of Liambas would be one forward over and needing to healthy scratch Army Tuesday night.

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The Nashville Predators have recalled Adam Pardy from the Milwaukee Admirals. The Predators recently signed the veteran defenseman to an NHL deal on Wednesday.

This is a rather good story in what had been a hectic 2016-17 season for Pardy. The 32-year old had attempted to win an NHL role with the Florida Panthers out of pre-season camp but lost out and ended up signing an AHL deal with the Springfield Falcons. He never suited up for the Falcons and was acquired by the Admirals in a trade that saw Eric Robinson, Teddy Doherty, and Brandon Whitney get moved in exchange.

It was quickly apparent that the move to the organization was great for all involved. Pardy had played incredibly well for the Admirals alongside first-year defenseman Alex Carrier and the defensive pairing has effectively been the first choice option. Pardy has 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) in 13 games for the Admirals this season with 10 penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of +1.

This move should see a follow up on the Admirals side of things. The team was already stretched to capacity last night but saw Miikka Salomäki leave the game midway through due to a lower-body injury. It isn’t clear what his status will be come tonight’s road game against the Cleveland Monsters. At the very least, right now, it would be safe to assume the Admirals are short a forward and defenseman due to all the injuries occurring topside for the Predators.

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He isn’t with the Milwaukee Admirals currently but he is still garnering AHL acclaim. Juuse Saros was named the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for his efforts during the month of November.

Press Release via AHL:

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Bakersfield Condors forward Taylor Beck, Tucson Roadrunners forward Brendan Perlini and Milwaukee Admirals goaltender Juuse Saros have been selected as the league’s award winners for November.

Beck, the CCM/AHL Player of the Month, skated in nine games for Bakersfield during November and posted seven goals and eight assists for 15 points, contributing on nearly two-thirds of the Condors’ 23 goals on the month.

Beck began the month with his first two goals of the season as part of a three-point effort in a 7-1 win over San Antonio on Nov. 2. He matched a career high with four points (one goal, three assists) to help Bakersfield past Texas, 5-3, on Nov. 5, earning a recall to the parent Edmonton Oilers. Back with the Condors on Nov. 12, Beck scored twice in regulation and assisted on the overtime winner in a 3-2 victory over Tucson. He scored again in a 3-1 win over San Jose on Nov. 22, and closed out the month with a goal and an assist in the Condors’ 3-2 overtime loss to San Diego on Nov. 26.

A sixth-year pro from St. Catharines, Ont., Beck is currently tied for fourth in the AHL scoring race with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 14 games for Bakersfield. He has totaled 68 goals and 116 assists for 184 points in 257 career AHL games with Bakersfield, Bridgeport, San Antonio and Milwaukee, as well as 11 goals and 12 assists in 88 National Hockey League contests with Edmonton, the New York Islanders and Nashville. Beck, who was selected by the Predators in the third round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, signed as a free agent with the Oilers on July 3, 2016.

Perlini, the CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month, scored nine goals and added three assists for 12 points in nine games during November, helping the Roadrunners stay atop the Pacific Division.

Perlini notched points in seven consecutive games from Nov. 4 to Nov. 27, including a six-game goal-scoring streak that matched the longest by an AHL rookie since Tyler Johnson scored in nine straight contests in March 2012. Perlini recorded his first two-goal game as a pro on Nov. 5, helping Tucson to a 5-4 overtime victory over Ontario, then had the game-winning goal in a 3-0 victory at Bakersfield on Nov. 11. He scored again as the Roadrunners erased a two-goal third-period deficit to earn a point in a 3-2 OT loss to the Condors on Nov. 12, and picked up two goals and an assist in a 5-2 victory over Manitoba on Nov. 18. Perlini notched a second straight two-goal outing vs. Stockton on Nov. 26, and finished his streak with a goal and an assist in a 5-4 win over the Heat on Nov. 27.

Perlini, a 20-year-old native of Guildford, England, was the 12th overall pick by Arizona in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He currently leads all AHL skaters with 11 goals and is tied for third among league rookies with 16 points in 14 games for Tucson. Perlini spent the previous four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with Barrie and Niagara.

Saros, the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month, was a perfect 5-0-0 in November with a 1.37 goals-against average, a .955 save percentage and one shutout for Milwaukee, allowing just seven goals on 156 total shots.

Saros began the month with a 27-save effort in a 3-2 shootout victory over Chicago on Nov. 4, then stopped 29 of 32 shots in a 5-3 victory over Iowa on Nov. 5. He earned his first shutout of the season with 35 saves in a 1-0 win at Cleveland on Nov. 17, and followed that up with 30 saves in a 2-1 overtime victory over the Monsters on Nov. 19. Saros made 28 saves as Milwaukee defeated Grand Rapids, 3-1, on Nov. 23, then earned his second recall of the month to Nashville where he allowed one goal and earned third-star honors in a game at Winnipeg on Nov. 27.

A 21-year-old native of Forssa, Finland, Saros (9-1-0, 1.59, .945) is tied for the AHL lead in wins and ranks first in both goals-against average and save percentage over 10 appearances with Milwaukee this season. He is also 1-1-0 with a 1.02 GAA and a .965 save percentage in two NHL starts with Nashville. Saros, a fourth-round pick by the Predators in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2015-16 and is now 38-9-0 with a 2.10 GAA, a .926 save percentage and five shutouts in 48 career AHL appearances.

Each monthly award winner will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming home game in recognition of his achievement.

Saros started half the games the Admirals played in November. He won every start and it came with some up-and-down time with the Nashville Predators, as well. All that activity didn’t throw him off because when he was in net he was solid: 1.37 goals against average, 0.954 save percentage, and earned his first shutout of the season while making his return to the Admirals after an eleven day long layoff between in-game appearances in a 1-0 win on the road against the defending Calder Cup champs – the Cleveland Monsters.

For those wondering. This isn’t the first AHL monthly award for Saros. In his North American pro debut season last year he won this very same award for his efforts in March. In that time he played in eight of fourteen games, held a record in net of 7-1-0-0, 1.61 goals against average, 0.936 save percentage, and 2 shutouts.

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I was beginning to question whether or not tonight’s game for the Milwaukee Admirals would be played one man short after all the roster moves that have taken place today. Thankfully, the final piece to the puzzle has just been found and found in a player who was around for Nashville Predators Pre-Season Rookie Camp and Admirals Training Camp: Tylor Spink.

Tylor, and his twin brother Tyson, were both on hand for pre-season activities within the organization but are under contract to the Toledo Walleye. This season in the ECHL Tylor has produced 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists) in 17 games.

This move is a loan deal between the Admirals and Toledo Walleye that should function in the short term as the Admirals primarily need his services for just tonight’s game. After tonight the Admirals next game is six-days away so one would hope the organization’s quick flare up of injuries would cool down. Tonight’s effort by the Admirals should be a true test of its coaching staff and veteran leadership group – all of whom thankfully weren’t recalled by the Nashville Predators today.

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According to AHL Transactions the Nashville Predators have recalled Kevin Fiala, Frédérick Gaudreau, Mike Liambas, and Petter Granberg from the Milwaukee Admirals. The Predators play tomorrow afternoon on the road against the Winnipeg Jets. Both teams AHL affiliates play tonight in Milwaukee.

This is the first career NHL recall for Liambas. The 27-year old Woodbridge, Ontario native has played 157 career games with the Admirals over the course of four seasons scoring 18 points (10 goals, 8 assists). He ranks third in the AHL era of the Admirals with 528 penalty minutes.

Fiala was assigned to the Admirals back on 11/8/16. He has since produced 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) in 7 games with a total of 16 penalty minutes. For Gaudreau this is his second career NHL recall. He was brought up during the food poisoning scene up in Nashville and ended up making his NHL debut with the Predators during a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. This season Gaudreau has scored 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) in 15 games while operating in all facets of the game at forward.

Granberg was acquired by the Predators last season off of waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. He started his 2015-16 season with a conditioning assignment with the Admirals but spent the rest of his time at the NHL level where he logged 27 games with the Predators. He started this season down at the AHL level and has played 16 games with the Admirals on a shutdown defensive pairing with Jimmy Oligny.

According to Adam Vingan of The Tennessean the Predators will be without James Neal, Colton Sissons, and Ryan Ellis due to upper-body injuries for their upcoming two game road trip that will see them play against the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow afternoon and the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. After today’s contest for the Admirals they will next play on Friday when they take to the road for the first of a four game road trip.

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The Milwaukee Admirals have recalled forward Anthony Richard and defenseman Jonathan Diaby from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. This news comes following a game in which the Nashville Predators saw both Colton Sissons and James Neal leave early due to injury. It is expected that moves from AHL to NHL are forthcoming.

Since both were most recently reassigned to the Cyclones both Richard and Diaby played a single game in the ECHL. The Cyclones lost at home to the Quad City Mallards 4-2.

For Richard the last week or so must feel like a whirlwind. He traveled with the Admirals from Milwaukee to Cleveland to take part in last Thursday’s 1-0 win over the Cleveland Monsters. The next day he traveled in state to join the Cyclones for their home game against the Atlanta Gladiators in a 6-5 overtime loss that saw him score a goal and an assist – both firsts in his pro career. Rather than join the Admirals in Cleveland the next day for the follow-up game against the Monsters he traveled back to Milwaukee only to be reassigned back to Cincinnati on Tuesday. He played in that lone contest during the recent ECHL stint on Wednesday and possibly received word of this recall back to Milwaukee while the Cyclones prepare to face the Reading Royals tonight in Reading, Pennsylvania. Such is the AHL/ECHL hockey life, eh?

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Firstly, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving from here in Wisconsin. As it so happens our appetizer for the day will not be a Detroit Lions game (that’s a positive) instead it will be a few roster moves to note made by the Nashville Predators this morning. The Milwaukee Admirals’ NHL parent club have peformed a goaltending swap that will see Marek Mazanec and Juuse Saros switch places. And, as I noted last night, the Predators have also recalled Anthony Bitetto from his conditioning assignment.

I suspect the goaltending move to be similar to what happened not too long ago. This gives Mazanec a prime opportunity to log consistent playing time as well as give Saros a nice look up at the NHL level. Saros showed off of the previous swap that he can handle a week or two off and jumping back into the AHL fire easily enough. Since returning from the Predators he has won three games from three starts with a 0.978 save percentage and earned a shutout in his first game back.

Saros and I spoke recently about his most recent visit with the Predators earlier this week. He had to say the following about both his time spent and getting to learn up close from fellow Finnish netminder Pekka Rinne.

Mazanec has not played in net since 11/15/16 when the Predators lost 6-2 on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to that was a game that saw him make a pair of gaffes in his last stint for the Admirals that meant conceding the first goal and last goal of the game in a 4-3 overtime loss at home to the Grand Rapids Griffins. That overtime loss sees the lone point dropped by the Admirals in their last nine-games played.

You’d suspect the similar approach for the organization as last time to play out. In fact, if not for an injury to Rinne during the last goaltending switch, I wonder if Mazanec wouldn’t have been recalled when he did after playing as he did against the Griffins. It’s all about getting Mazanec game time. The more he plays, the sharper he can get, and the sharper he can get should serve him just fine at the next level.

I spoke at longer length on Bitetto in this morning’s edition of Chatterbox but the short and sweet of it is he looked great last night. The ball is in the Predators court as to how they use him from here – break up their current third defensive pairing or just have him sitting out until required for rotation as the seventh choice defenseman.

These shouldn’t be the last roster notes of the day, either. Expect to hear soon enough whether or not Cody Bass and Matt Carle clear waivers. Should they, there is a chance both could suit up as early as tomorrow when the Admirals play on the road against the Rockford IceHogs.

UPDATE. Both Bass and Carle have cleared waivers yet only Bass has been assigned from the Predators to the Admirals.

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