With all the scrambling going around topside this news shouldn’t come as too much of a shock. The Nashville Predators were stricken by food poisoning last night and it should mean several Milwaukee Admirals getting recalled ahead of tonight’s game with the same being said out of the team’s ECHL affiliate the Cincinnati Cyclones.
The major notable here would be Kirkland who should be expected to make his AHL and Admirals debut in tonight’s game. Kirkland was reassigned by the Admirals to the Cyclones in order to log some playing time while the numbers at forward in Milwaukee were stacked against him. He did manage to get his pro debut out of the system this past Tuesday. The Cyclones lost at home to the Toledo Walleye 5-0 in the contest but all signs pointed to an active and good performance by Kirkland in his debut.
As for what this all means for the Admirals and Predators? It’s a wait and see process right now. There have already been a number of current Admirals spotted arriving to the Bridgestone Arena ahead of the Predators game against the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight: Frédérick Gaudreau, Austin Watson, and Matt Irwin. With Visentin, and especially Grumet-Morris, being brought in it would be extremely safe to say both Juuse Saros and Jonas Gunnarsson are in the group brought in to assist during Nashville’s food poison woes as well.
(Photo Credit: Marissa Baecker // Shoot the Breeze)
The first proper roster move of the season has been made. And it isn’t one that sees a member of the Milwaukee Admirals heading to the Nashville Predators. The Admirals are sending forward Justin Kirkland to their ECHL affiliate the Cincinnati Cyclones in order to log playing time. Kirkland is expected to make his pro hockey debut with the Cyclones tonight in Cincinnati when they face-off against the Toledo Walleye.
Kirkland was the Predators third round selection in the 2014 NHL Draft out of Kelowna (WHL). In his three full seasons with the Kelowna Rockets he produced 168 points (71 goals, 97 assists in 187 games. He split time between Kelowna and the Notre Dame Argos Midget setup between the 2011-13 seasons.
At the very least Kirkland is expected to make his pro hockey debut tonight with the Cyclones at the ECHL level. Past that? It isn’t certain how long he will remain with the club. The Admirals weren’t anticipating he would play a part in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Wolves and, should the same be said of this weekend, Kirkland could find himself playing Saturday for the Cyclones as well. It’s a wait and see process for now with the goal in mind to have Kirkland being active rather than stationary in Milwaukee.
The news today from the Nashville Predators camp was a sad one. Both Anthony Bitetto and Miikka Salomäki are expected to miss extended time with upper-body injuries. The time tables at this point have Bitetto out for four to six weeks and Salomaki out for six to eight weeks. Bitetto was injured in a fight on opening night against Jordin Tootoo while Salomäki injured his hand blocking a shot the following night.
It would seem possible then to expect reinforcements to get brought up from the Milwaukee Admirals now that the depth topside is already being tested. While the short term fix of playing Cody Bass and Yannick Weber work fine enough the potential need for optional fits are likely. The question now, so early into a season for both the NHL and AHL outfits, who are those options?
The first thing you look to is the defensive depth option with Bitetto down. Weber, the other Weber, fills in for now but a more natural lefty for lefty plug in would work. It’s only been two games for the Admirals this season but already Matt Irwin has shown exactly why he was brought in as a veteran defensive option. He played incredibly well for the Admirals and was utilized in all situations and was basically the first choice d-man for those situations. He played on a defensive pairing with another possible recall option in Petter Granberg and both were great together in the Admirals weekend sweep of the San Antonio Rampage.
Of the two, while Granberg just cleared waivers and could easily be brought back into the mix, Irwin would be the guy you’d rather have playing in Bitetto’s role. At 28-years old he still moves around really well. He is polished and has 155 games of NHL experience. And, much to the way the Predators enjoy having active offensive defensemen, is more than capable of joining the rush if required to chip in on the offensive opportunity at hand.
The defensive area then is easy. There are really two top candidates with one very well suited to the role vacated for the here and now. As for the hole left when a Salomäki-type of player leaves your lineup? That creates a few different choices.
I feel Bass for the present time can fill the role alright. He’s more than just an enforcing presence on the ice. He is a terrific penalty killer and is so due to his abilities in the face-off circle. Yet, if you are looking for some added skill to the role you look no further than Frédérick Gaudreau.
You can find many items around this website about the terrific story of Gaudreau’s rise but the simplest summary of it is that he’s an undrafted talent that is getting to this near NHL opportunity because of a relentless work ethic paired with great all-around ability on the ice. He certainly won’t thump the opposition with hits like Salomäki would but don’t mistake his lack of hitting for a lack of defensive ability. His speed and pressure of the puck carrier is a joy to watch – especially when he’s out penalty killing with Félix Girard. Gaudreau’s offensive abilities started to really shine last season and did so right around the time when the Admirals decided to slot him in Colton Sissons‘ top line center spot after the then Admirals recall to the Predators. He did as good, possibly even better, than the now Predators fourth line center.
Other options in the mix stay out on the wing with candidates such as Pontus Åberg or Austin Watson. Åberg made his NHL debut with the Predators in the playoffs last season and is right on the edge of being an NHL talent. When comparing Åberg with Gaudreau you’re looking at a lack of defense for Åberg versus Gaudreau, sure, but Åberg has a much better knack for the net than Gaudreau. And then there is the Watson option. He just cleared waivers to reach the AHL but could easily be turned back around in favor of rotating alongside Bass. Yet, versatility of skill set of the four names mentioned favors Gaudreau and Åberg that little bit more.
Who should the Nashville Predators call up to fill the current Bitetto and Salomäki void? If the Admirals lose a defensemen while Bitetto is injured are you comfortable or concerned with Jonathan Diaby plugging into the third defensive pairing?
TORONTO, ON- OCTOBER 15 – Trevor Smith celebrates his first goal as a Leaf in first period action as the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Minnesota Wild at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. October 15, 2013. (Photo Credit: Steve Russell // Toronto Star)
The Milwaukee Admirals have announced that Trevor Smith will be serving as team captain for the 2016-17 season. In Smith’s previous two AHL seasons he was the captain of the Toronto Marlies. The Admirals also announced that Matt Irwin and Mike Liambas were named as the team’s alternate captains.
In Smith’s AHL career he has logged 453 games while amassing 346 points (153 goals, 193 assists). The 31-year old Ottawa native also has 106 games of NHL level experience where he has 20 points (9 goals, 11 assists) to his name in spurts with the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Last season he ventured to Europe for the first time in his career playing for SC Bern in Switzerland.
The process for who becomes the Admirals captain has always been the same way under head coach Dean Evason. The locker room gets to vote for their candidate and the coaching staff gets the last say. There hasn’t been an alteration from who the players chose to what the coaching staff feels is right since Evason has been behind the bench.
To go along with the alternate captain selections of Irwin and Liambas the team also has named a list of players in reserve that will wear an “A” in the event of injuries or call-ups. Those players were: Harry Zolnierczyk, Adam Payerl, and Félix Girard.
This is the final week of the Milwaukee Admirals Training Camp. Frankly though, Training Camp is already over and this week has the look and feel that it should. The 2016-17 AHL regular season begins this weekend and the Admirals have two games against the San Antonio Rampage on Saturday and Sunday. So, it isn’t as much Training Camp anymore as it is prep for competitive game action.
I attended this morning’s practice with the excitement surrounding the fact that all of Sunday’s roster moves should have pretty much cemented the Admirals roster to what it should be come opening night. There might still be some moves down to the ECHL to be made but even in saying that the group is rather set. So, how would this team shape up? Especially now that Austin Watson and Petter Granberg are here after clearing waivers from the Nashville Predators.
This is how the lines looked at today’s practice. It’s important for me to state however that just because the lines are listed as they are doesn’t necessarily mean Line 1, Line 2, and so on. Especially in the AHL I think you find the difference in what line is which doesn’t matter all that much. This year’s prospective Admirals forwards group sort of speaks to that. Essentially you have three lines there that can easily pass as the Admirals top line so it is more Line 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, and a grind line.
Of note, both Matt White and Justin Kirkland were flex options today that cycled in and out of different drills with different lines. When they did feature as a line Anthony Richard rotated in as the right winger with Kirkland at center. Additionally, Jonathan Diaby seemed to only rotate in and out with Jack Dougherty to play alongside Trevor Murphy. While the lefty playing left and righty playing right set-up is straight forward for Murphy-Dougherty the Diaby rotation meant shifting Murphy over on the right side of the ice.
The practices today went about as I expected them to go after two 4-1 defeats in sloppy exhibition games this past weekend. It was primarily passing drill heavy with an emphasis on firm tape-to-tape passes getting connected and connected at pace. It’s no mystery that this year’s Admirals team is going to be featuring a good combination of speed and skill. Making sure that the high level of speed the Admirals possess doesn’t get stunted by your own ineffective passing is kind of a no brainer. The crisper the better and added time for everyone getting on a better page with each other will go a long way.
No interviews were conducted on my part today. The team has a golf outing today so I just assume let them race over to the links where they’d rather be anyways. Tomorrow will be a better day for interviewing and Media Day is on Thursday. Plenty of interview content will be on the way. And I’m aiming for a few added stories before we get rolling with Game 1 of the Admirals season this weekend.
Thoughts on how the Admirals lines look from today’s practice? Which two forwards do you feel are the odd men out? Could Jonathan Diaby manage to stick around as the Admirals seventh defensive option or would he be better suited to staying active and playing in the ECHL until needed?
Milwaukee, WI– Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has assigned forwards Pontus Aberg, Frederick Gaudreau, Felix Girard and Mike Liambas, and defenseman Petter Granberg to the Admirals.
In addition, the Admirals have assigned forward Eric Robinson, defenseman Jaynen Rissling, and goalie Mark Visentin to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. The Ads have also released forwards Kenny Ryan, Gabryel Boudreau, Shawn O’Donnell, Tylor Spink, Tyson Spink, and Dominic Zombo and defenseman Eric Knodel from their try-out contracts.
Milwaukee heads to San Antonio next weekend to open the regular season on Saturday, October 15 at 7 pm against the Rampage. The Ads commence their home schedule on Saturday, October 29 at 6 pm when they host the Iowa Wild at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
The biggest news here is that Jonas Gunnarsson appears to have won the back-up job in net for the Admirals out of Training Camp. Juuse Saros is the clear cut first choice goaltender for the 2016-17 season but the back-up battle was extremely tight between Gunnarsson and Visentin. For all we know this position could flip about a few times as the season progresses.
At the moment the Admirals roster stands at 24 players (14 forwards, 8 defensemen, 2 goalies). I suspect the last bit of roster trimming will be completed by the team before Thursday’s Media Day.
Petter Granberg’s 2015-16 season started with a conditioning assignment with the Milwaukee Admirals. He will now begin the 2016-17 season as part of the AHL roster. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Nashville, Tenn. (October 9, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has assigned forwards Pontus Aberg, Frederick Gaudreau, Felix Girard and Mike Liambas, and defenseman Petter Granberg to Milwaukee (AHL).
Nashville’s training camp roster is now at 22 players – 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders. An updated roster is available here.
Nashville opens the regular season with a doubleheader against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, October 14, and Saturday, October 15. Friday’s contest will be played at Bridgestone Arena and shown live on NBCSN.
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That sets the Predators for opening night but it only makes filling out the Admirals roster before their regular season begins this coming Saturday. By adding Granberg to the mix the defense could likely see the return of head coach Dean Evason‘s favorite mixture which sees three left-handed defensemen paired with three right-handed defensemen. So, that’s no bother.
Where the real challenges are come at the forward position now where the roster is completely loaded. Decisions for final cuts are going to be tough. And the biggest beneficiary will be the Admirals ECHL affiliate the Cincinnati Cyclones. I have to believe some high quality players will be arriving there to start the season by sheer volume of players in Milwaukee.
If you were to fill out an opening night roster for the Milwaukee Admirals right now – who ends up off your roster? How will Austin Watson and Petter Granberg add to this year’s Admirals?
The Nashville Predators placed Austin Watson on waivers yesterday. With the waiver process complete he has been assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals. That wasn’t the only move made, either. The Predators also reassigned Vladislav Kamenev to the Admirals while recalling three from their AHL affiliate: Pontus Åberg, Félix Girard, and Mike Liambas.
Press Release via Milwaukee Admirals:
Milwaukee, WI– Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has recalled forwards Pontus Aberg, Felix Girard and Mike Liambas from Milwaukee (AHL). In addition, the team assigned Vladislav Kamenev and Austin Watson to Milwaukee.
Watson spent parts of four seasons with the Admirals, most recently in 2014-15 when he led the team with 26 goals and was second with 44 points. He is fourth in Admirals AHL history with 68 goals and is one of only three players since the team joined the AHL in 2001 to have 20 or more goals in each of his first three seasons with the team. In 2015-16 the Ann Arbor, MI native tallied 10 points (3g-7a) in 57 games with the Predators.
Kamenev posted 15 goals and 22 assists for 37 points in 57 games with the Admirals last season, his first in North America. The Orsk, Russia native was selected to play in the AHL All-Star Classic and also captained Team Russia to their second consecutive silver medal at the World Junior Championships.
The Admirals will finish off the pre-season Saturday night when they travel to Chicago to take on the Wolves.
Milwaukee heads to San Antonio next weekend to open the regular season on Saturday, October 15 at 7 pm against the Rampage. The Ads commence their home schedule on Saturday, October 29 at 6 pm when they host the Iowa Wild at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
The Watson move down seems to reflect both where Watson is right now in his career but even more so how the rest of the prospect group has performed this Pre-Season. Watson played 229 games as a member of the Admirals and produced 127 points (68 goals, 59 assists) in that time. His last AHL season (2014-15) saw him produce a career high and team best 26 goals. He spent all of last season with the Predators where he logged 57 games and scoring 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists).
The Milwaukee Admirals have announced that they have signed forwards Eric Robinson and Justin Florek have signed AHL contracts for the 2016-17 season.
Press Release via Milwaukee Admirals:
Milwaukee, WI–The Admirals have signed forwards Eric Robinson and Justin Florek to American Hockey League contracts.
Robinson had three goals and an assist in five games with the Admirals to go along with nine points (5g-4a) in just eight contests with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL before his season was cut short by a knee injury. The Foxboro, MA native played four years of college hockey at Dartmouth and made his pro debut with the Ads in 2015.
Florek joins the Admirals after tallying seven goals and nine assists while playing in all 76 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Marquette, MI native posted career highs in goals (19), points (38), and plus/minus (+17) with the Providence Bruins in 2013-14. He has four games of NHL experience, scoring a goal and adding an assist with Boston in 2014.
Milwaukee heads to San Antonio next weekend to open the regular season on Saturday, October 15 at 7 pm against the Rampage. The Ads commence their home schedule on Saturday, October 29 at 6 pm when they host the Iowa Wild at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
This is a solid depth move for the Admirals which strengthens the forward position and should also give added pieces to the Cincinnati Cyclones at the ECHL level. The Admirals pre-season training camp concludes this coming Thursday and moves to cement the opening day AHL roster should be done and dusted by then.
The Nashville Predators have assigned goaltender Juuse Saros to the Milwaukee Admirals. That means the goaltending battle to back-up Pekka Rinne in Nashville for the 2016-17 season has gone to Marek Mazanec.
This was the most likely scenario. Mazanec was the tenured product of the system that’s worked the past three-seasons in the system for the opportunity. Saros is the now sophomore North American pro who can really become “the man” in net for the Admirals over the course of a calendar AHL season. The two literally split starts 50-50 a season ago in Milwaukee so the aim for Saros as the surefire number one choice goaltender would be to become the first goalie since Jeremy Smith in 2011-12 to log more than 50 games in net for the Admirals over the course of a single season.
Admirals Roundtable 