Johan Alm has officially signed a two-year contract to return back to his hometown team Skellefteå in Sweden. The 24-year old defenseman spent his entire career in the organization’s youth academy and senior team until making the journey to North America when signing an entry level contract with the Nashville Predators two-years ago.
It has been a harsh time for Alm ever since making that journey. He played the last two seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals at the AHL level but during that time was ravaged by injuries. Of a 76-game regular season in the AHL he only managed to play 44 games in the 2014-15 season and then even less, 37 games, in the 2015-16 season. He suffered a wrist injury his first season which hampered his efforts and then a knee injury this season which stopped him in his tracks in late-February. He never returned to the ice.
Alm joins Kristian Näkyvä as European members of the Admirals defense that are returning back to the league where they made the best name for themselves in Sweden. Alm is now the third member of the Admirals defense from the past season to have left for Europe as Corey Pottersigned with German club Kölner Haie three-days ago.
One of the first real dominoes that could haven fallen either way has fallen and drifted away. Corey Potter has agreed to sign with Kölner Haie of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) on a one-year contract.
Potter was acquired by the Nashville Predators at the NHL’s Trade Deadline Day from the Arizona Coyotes organization where he had been playing for their AHL affiliate the Springfield Falcons. He quickly made an impact as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals as the team went on a run of 15-4-0-2 after he made his debut on 3/3/16 on the road against the Lake Erie Monsters. He scored 3 points (0 goals, 3 assists) in 18 games with the Admirals and also earned a late call-up to the Predators to participate in their regular season finale.
In the rumor mill department of Elite Prospects, Potter could quickly be joined at his new club in Germany by yet another member of this year’s Admirals team in the form of Max Reinhart. That’s just a rumor but that rumor also had the initial rumblings of Potter signing correct. I’d keep an eye out on that.
What would the Milwaukee Admirals 2016 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs have looked like if this scene, Taylor Aronson playing against the Grand Rapids Griffins, played out? (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
As first mentioned in my earlier report on the subject, Taylor Aronson had left the Milwaukee Admirals at the end of the regular season and never came back with a mention of receiving an offer from a team in Russia. Thankfully for that Aronson that team didn’t pullout of their commitment to him because now a deal is official. Aronson has just signed a one-year contract with HC Lada of Russia’s KHL. Although, the team hilariously is using a photograph of Taylor Beck in their press release announcing the signing. Perhaps that will cause another departure later down the road?
(Photo Credit: Christina Shapiro)
The word I keep coming back to in relation to this topic is avoidable. This was all insanely avoidable. Aronson opted to re-sign with the Nashville Predators last off-season. If he was already harboring resentment towards the organization for behind the scenes politics, while knowing how thick the glass ceiling is to break into that Predators defensive core, why not opt or request free agency then and there? Further more, as things continued to build and brew with the roster additions coming in as they did I’m sure a trade request could have even manifested itself and probably been able to be performed either by an actual trade or a Kevin Henderson-style AHL loan swap the likes of which happened 2013-14 and saw the Admirals get Francis Wathier in return on loan. Henderson wasn’t liking his position in the organization. It was rubbing some the wrong way. Problem solved – and it ended up working a treat for him as he won that year’s Calder Cup as a member of the Texas Stars.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The final area that could have been tapped into, that would have made this all avoidable, comes in the form of shutting up and playing out the contract. This was a career year for Aronson. He could have put a playoff stamp down on the end of it to have made signing him as a free agent all that more attractive. Not to mention, who is to say him doing that wouldn’t have made him being the bottom-six defensive option in Nashville next season? Rather than do any of that. Rather than play out the contract, be a professional, be a teammate, and seek job opportunities at the end of the season. Aronson deserted his organization, his coaches that were loyal to seeing him develop into an NHL name, his teammates that he played and fought alongside, and a team that had just clinched a division title and was three-games away from starting the playoffs. I can’t fathom the support group that Aronson has around him for that idea to have not been shot down on first mention much less his own personal psychology to think leaving a team at that point in a season was good for his image and career. No one in this game wants a “me” before “we” player. Aronson is going to have that label printed on his forehead for the rest of his career and its a label he created and tattooed Mike Tyson style to his face. It’s all anyone should ever see. Which brings me to the second word I keep coming back to in this story: unfortunate. Because this should never have happened at all.
Thoughts on the Taylor Aronson subject? Do you feel like he ever has a chance to return and play hockey in North America? This KHL team offered him a one-year contract. How do you feel that Aronson abandoned the Milwaukee Admirals the day of clinching a division for a one-year KHL contract?
There were three-games remaining in the Milwaukee Admirals regular season when they officially clinched the Central Division title. The team had just completed a power house of a four-game road trip that saw them sweep through Manitoba and Charlotte and riding a six-game winning and twelve-game point streak back to Milwaukee. Something that wouldn’t return to Milwaukee from that moment forward though would be defenseman Taylor Aronson. Why? Well, the simplest answer, he quit.
The Trojan Horse has been burned on the subject as to what the personal reasons were that ended with Aronson’s absence with the Admirals in their final regular season games and opening round playoff series. At the Nashville Predators end-season press conference that was conducted today General Manager David Poile stated the following when asked by Penalty Box Radio‘s Justin Bradford on the situation and whether or not he’ll be receiving a contract as a pending restricted free agent this off-season:
“It’s a grey area right now. I mean, it was a situation where we actually called someone else up, and he thought it should be him, and he left the team. So, we suspended him. And he is currently suspended. So, we need to have some discussions and see whether it makes sense that we bring him back, he wants to be back, that type of situation. It was an unfortunate.. probably little bit of an immature move on his part but that’s my opinion. So we’ll have to see in time whether we make up or not.” ~Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile
To figure out where this all starts is a long story but one that perhaps is best told as it happened. That four-game road trip that the Admirals had, Manitoba to Charlotte, is your starting point for the story and official end point for Aronson’s season. At the time the Admirals were flying back to Milwaukee from Charlotte Aronson was one of the Admirals top defenseman during the 2015-16 season. He had produced 40 points (4 goals, 36 assists) from 64 games with a plus/minus rating of +5 and 24 penalty minutes. It was the first time the Admirals had a defenseman produce 40 points since Roman Josi did it in the 2010-11 season and the most assists by an Admirals defenseman since Robert Dietrich produced 37 assists in the 2009-10 season.
What could cause someone at the height of such a highly successful team and individual season to abandon everything? There isn’t one specific item but rather a collection of circumstances. Some of which go untold and extend far beyond this past playing season.
During the Fifteeninterview that I conducted with Aronson at the end of the season I was taken aback by when he was critical of his time spent with the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL. During the time in which I asked what was the most embarrassing moment of his hockey career to this point he quickly responded with his playing time in the ECHL.
“When you come out of juniors or when you’re doing anything the [ECHL] is so frowned upon – looked so down upon. Once you go there you’ll never make it, you’ll never do anything apparently. That’s what the stigma is. So, that’s what I didn’t want and it happened.” ~Taylor Aronson (4/1/16)
That surprised me in the sense that many players have been able to utilize the extra time that the ECHL can afford them, that won’t be available at the AHL level at the given time, and use it to propel themselves. Anthony Bitetto‘s stint with the Cyclones during the 2012-13 season really made a positive impact in his development and saw him grow off of that spell in the ECHL to the point where he is now locked in with the Nashville Predators until 2018.
When Aronson was entering his 2013-14 season with the organization he had only logged 26 games at the AHL level with 3 assists and 12 penalty minutes to his name. The bulk of his time was spent as a member of the Cyclones. In his first pro season he played 40 games in the ECHL while scoring 18 points (6 goals, 12 assist). The following season he would log 38 games in the ECHL and score 13 points (1 goal, 12 assists). Those ECHL spells came interspersed with time in Milwaukee at the AHL level.
In Aronson’s 2013-14 season he never saw one breath taken at the AHL level. His entire season was spent as a member of the Cyclones where he exploded for 38 points (6 goals, 32 assists) in 65 games with a plus/minus rating of +28. This ECHL run included taking part in an amazing playoff journey for the Cyclones that ended in the 2014 Kelly Cup Finals where they would fall just short of glory losing 4-2 to the Alaska Aces.
The next season Aronson arrived to the Admirals as a completely rejuvenated player. He didn’t make the Admirals due to him being the lone right-handed shooting defenseman in pre-season camp he made it because he earned it. Aronson, a year after spending all his time in the ECHL, spent the entirety of the 2014-15 season as a member of the Admirals in the AHL where he scored 32 points (3 goals, 29 assists) from 73 games. From being the top scoring defenseman on the Cyclones one year to the top scoring defenseman on the Admirals the next. What’s to be embarrassed about?
“I think that if I would have got chances here beforehand it may have been a little bit different. There was also things going behind the scenes that people don’t know about. So, it’s a give and take thing. Some people may not see my first two years as doing anything but it was a lot different going on.” ~Taylor Aronson (4/1/16)
There is where you can find strike one for Aronson: behind the scenes politics leading to resentment. You would feel all of that would have been dropped by the time Aronson earned his first career NHL call-up during that fantastic 2014-15 season. He re-signed with the organization in mid-July last summer and did more than just go about his business for the 2015-16 season. He was doing everything for the Admirals on defense and special teams this past season. So, what could have damaged things? Probably that last sentence combined with acquisition of Petter Granberg (strike two) and the end-season recalls of mid-season acquisitions Stefan Elliott and Corey Potter (strike three) by the Predators.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
By all accounts, the Predators have to have one of the most difficult defensive groups to break into in the NHL. Their defense isn’t just loaded with talent but young talent at that. The proverbial glass ceiling is a thick one to break through but, given the injuries that crop up during the course of a hockey season, chances are there to make an impression given a recall opportunity. Aronson’s recall in February of 2015 came when Shea Weber was battling an illness, it was under emergency conditions, and Weber ended up playing while Aronson came and went without the NHL in-game experience. Earlier this past season the Predators claimed Granberg off of waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Granberg would go on to fulfill a role with the Predators as a depth option. Glass ceiling thickens. Then came the Admirals defensive shake-up that saw great impacts to the way the team performed moving forward. Of the three defensemen acquired from January to the NHL’s Trade Deadline only Elliott and Potter would log NHL time. All that happening while a 24-year old Aronson questioned whether his time would ever come. By the time Potter was recalled for the Predators last regular season game, a game that offered nothing of value and saw many key regulars sitting out, it was 4/9/16. That same night Aronson was with the Admirals in Charlotte for the first of two-games in two-days. Aronson completed the trip and wasn’t seen in an Admirals uniform for the rest of the regular season or playoffs.
By now, everyone knows how the Admirals season came to an end. Following Aronson’s desertion the Admirals played three more regular season games and featured in the 2016 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs with an opening round series against the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Admirals won their first game without Aronson, a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Wolves, but then proceeded to lose their last five straight games including a three-game sweep by the Griffins to send the Admirals, the second best team in the AHL’s Western Conference this season based on points percentage, out of the playoffs in the opening round.
If there is anything that should send chills down your spine it isn’t the fact that Aronson quit, it shouldn’t be his abandonment and parallel to team performance drop off, it should be this. At a time when everyone on the team, returning from Charlotte to Milwaukee, was celebrating the fact that they just clinched the Central Division title Aronson was thinking about how fast he could pack up and go home. Per sources close to the situation Aronson cited that he had an offer from a team in Russia, didn’t want to get hurt considering he wasn’t going to be playing in Nashville anyways, and left. The team and Aronson proceeded to not have communications from the moment he left to, at the best of my knowledge, season’s end for the Admirals.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
When viewing the Aronson story from a distance there is another former Predators defenseman that comes to mind: Jonathon Blum. While Aronson was a third round draft choice by the Predators in 2010 Blum was a first round draft selection by the Predators in 2007. The defensive core for the Predators might not have been as incredibly deep as it is now but the same story basically played itself out in the form of a glass ceiling too thick to crack and stay on top of. Blum’s time in the organization can get summed up in his last season where he split the deck between the NHL and AHL during the 2012-13 lockout season. Whether it be his own individual performance or being passed over in favor of other up and coming defensive talents the simple gist was that a regular role wasn’t there for him. What did he do? He became a free agent and signed with an organization where the path to get into the NHL on a more regular basis was available, the Minnesota Wild. That ended up being a two-year odyssey in which Blum’s NHL playing time still wasn’t coming. He gave it a fair go. He then set his sights, as most longer tenured AHL players do, to playing professionally in Europe. For those that haven’t kept track, Blum’s 2015-16 season as part of Admiral Vladivostok in Russia’s KHL was fantastic. He scored 30 points (8 goals, 22 assists) in 55 games with a plus/minus rating of +13 and 45 penalty minutes. His performance was such that the KHL outfit rewarded him with a two-year contract extension.
(Photo Credit: Christina Shapiro)
Where do the Blum and Aronson stories meet then you ask? Well, look at the way Blum went about his business. The place for Blum in Nashville, despite being a first round draft choice by the organization, wasn’t there for him to have and he just wasn’t earning it as perhaps others might have. Rather than stew over the situation he elected to give another NHL organization a shot. That didn’t work so he did what you’d expect by traveling to Europe and taking in the professional leagues overseas. That did work very well and he now has something called options. His first option he took which was to sign a contract extension with the team that he performed so well for in Russia. His next option is where Aronson comes in because it is something that Aronson will struggle to ever come across again: returning to play professional hockey in North America. Should Blum continue to put together structured and solid efforts in the KHL he is still someone who hasn’t burned any bridges, maintained a professional attitude, and can still provide teams in the NHL or even AHL with what would be a solid -now- veteran presence.
Aronson left the Admirals and has made playing in Europe his first and only option while abandoning the organization that drafted him, the team that coached him up to the professional hockey player he is today, and the teammates he shared a locker room with. There really isn’t a simple apology that can account for that. It’s selfish and, as the Predators General Manager stated, immature. It’s something of a rarity to come across in a sport that is all about the “we” over “me” approach. If the road back to North America for someone like Blum looks rough at this moment it is a freshly asphalted one in comparison to the Wisconsin-esque pot hole infested misery that Aronson just constructed for himself.
The first departure of the off-season has struck. Kristian Näkyvä will be returning to the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) after signing a two-year contract with Linköping HC.
This move isn’t entirely a surprise with Näkyvä just not being able to find either the offensive ability or chances that he was known for playing in Europe. In the 2014-15 season he had produced 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 55 games with Luleå HF in the SHL. He also contributed 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) in 9 playoff games for Luleå that season. It was that level of play that put him on the Nashville Predators map last off-season when they penned him to a one-year entry level contract. Consider that one and done.
I wouldn’t say that Näkyvä performed badly. His start to the 2015-16 season was shaky and he looked every bit the stereotype of a European skater getting overwhelmed by the North American game’s smaller rink and higher pace. With forwards this isn’t the worst issue or something that is so easily exposed. With defensemen it shouts mistakes into your face. Näkyvä was turned inside out frequently at the beginning of the season and was at times a slight concern to even see out on the ice defensively. The good news? He’s smart. He has a solid work ethic. And he improved. By the end of the season he looked far more comfortable and was settling down. The sad part is that he never truly got to show his full range as an offensive defenseman with power-play time extremely limited for the 25-year old Finn with those chances being handed to Taylor Aronson, Conor Allen, Trevor Murphy, Stefan Elliott, and then Patrick Mullen.
In the end, Näkyvä only managed to score 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) in 69 games for the Admirals. It’s unfortunate that he couldn’t get to show off more of what he’s capable of but, hey, some players are just best suited for European hockey. And that isn’t a bad thing. I feel the next domino to fall, with a fairly similar story and result, will be Johan Alm.
KELOWNA, CANADA – OCTOBER 23: Justin Kirkland #23 of Kelowna Rockets celebrates a goal against the Prince George Cougars on October 23, 2015 at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo Credit: Marissa Baecker // Shoot the Breeze)
The Nashville Predators have announced the signing of Justin Kirkland to a three-year entry level contract. The 19-year old forward becomes the final member of the Predators 2014 NHL Draft Class to punch his ticket for North American pro hockey with the rest of that draft having been with the Milwaukee Admirals or with the Predators by the end of the season: Kevin Fiala, Vladislav Kamenev, Jack Dougherty, Viktor Arvidsson, Joonas Lyytinen, and Aaron Irving. To put it simply, what a shockingly good draft class to be able to say something like that inside of two-years.
Nashville, Tenn. (May 16, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Monday that the club has signed 2014 third round selection Justin Kirkland to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Kirkland, 19 (8/2/96), amassed 67 points (31g-36a) in 69 games with the Western Hockey League’s Kelowna Rockets in 2015-16, his third season with the club. In 2014-15, the 6-foot-3, 183-pound left wing helped the Rockets claim the WHL regular-season and playoff titles and advance to the Memorial Cup Final, tying for sixth among all skaters in points (2g-3a-5pts, 5gp) at the tournament. The Camrose, Alta., native ranked eighth among Western Hockey League rookies in points (17g-31a-48pts) in 2013-14, and for his Kelowna career, has 169 points (71g-98a) in 199 games.
Nashville’s fourth choice, 62nd overall (third round), in the 2014 Entry Draft, Kirkland is on Twitter @Kirkland96.
Considering the Jimmy Vesey route seemingly died out this might not have just been your next best option but your better option if you are Nashville. Kirkland just finished playing his third and most successful full-season with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL in junior hockey where he scored 67 points (31 goals, 36 assists) in 69 games as well as contributing 15 11 4 in 18 WHL Playoff games. In total, Kirkland’s Kelowna career spanned 199 games where he amassed 169 points (71 goals, 98 assists) with 47 WHL Playoff games where he scored 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists).
Kirkland has been a frequent guest with our friends over on Penalty Box Radio. In the most recent story featured on him over there I can’t help but highlight a quote from Kirkland that should set him apart from the likes of Vesey:
“Next year, I want to be able to make that jump to the American [Hockey] League,” Kirkland said. “Everyone wants to prove that they’re ready to play with the pros, so that’s my goal. We just finished up, so whatever was going on in the background, my agent and parents are handling that right now. Hopefully, they can get something done and I can land in Nashville, because who doesn’t want to be a part of that organization? It’s just kind of waiting around right now, but like I said, there are people behind the scenes that are handling that.”
How about having a player call a shot for the AHL over the NHL? Sounds like a perfect player for the Predators organization given the way they love to develop players at their own pace starting in Milwaukee before eventually seeing them gravitate to Nashville.
With Kirkland now bound to become a member of the Admirals for the 2016-17 season they are instantly due to receive yet another big bodied and skilled scoring winger that could instantly make a positive impact. Citing a desire to start in the AHL shows he has a good head on his shoulders. I suspect really great times are going to begin once he suits up for his professional playing debut in the fall.
This story has been developing in the background rather quickly and today saw an official announcement. The AHL’s Board of Governors has unanimously granted conditional approval of the transfer of ownership of the Springfield Falcons AHL franchise to the Arizona Coyotes including the relocation efforts from Springfield, Massachusetts to Tucson, Arizona for the 2016-17 season.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … Convening today in Chicago for its Spring Meeting, the American Hockey League’s Board of Governors unanimously granted conditional approval of the transfer of ownership of the Springfield Falcons AHL franchise to the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes, as well as the relocation of that franchise from Springfield, Mass., to Tucson, Ariz., beginning with the 2016-17 season.
Should all conditions of the transaction be met, the Coyotes’ AHL franchise will begin play this fall at the Tucson Convention Center Arena.
The Board of Governors is also currently reviewing an application for the transfer of ownership and relocation of the Portland Pirates AHL franchise from Portland, Maine, to Springfield, Mass., for 2016-17. It is expected the Board will reconvene to vote on that request within two weeks.
Founded in 1936 and now with franchises in 30 cities across North America, the American Hockey League serves as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives and broadcasters of all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 88 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and for the 15th year in a row, more than 6 million fans have attended AHL games in 2015-16.
This likely sets the stage for another one of those lovely AHL realignment efforts with a new team joining the Western Conference’s Pacific Division. If I had to hazard a guess, considering the Springfield Falcons were an Eastern Conference team, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to finally kick the Charlotte Checkers out of the Western Conference and make the two AHL teams swap conferences.
As always, the AHL is an ever changing landscape so this probably isn’t going to be the last bit of news regarding teams moving around. This especially is becoming more and more true with many NHL teams wanting their AHL affiliates closer to home. Considering the Milwaukee Admirals and Nashville Predators have been paired at the hip since the Predators franchise came into existence it makes you wonder if that shift in business practices would ever see a change closer to Nashville. Could the Predators swap out the Admirals as the AHL affiliate for say the current ECHL affiliate the Cincinnati Cyclones down the road? The term “The Road To Nashville Goes Through Milwaukee” is spoken quite a lot from everyone topside in Nashville. I have to believe the long standing bond between the two is pretty safe… for now.
One of the real bright spots for last night’s Nashville Predators viewing party at Major Goolsby’s was the pleasantly surprising developments that took place in pre-game warm ups. Pontus Åberg was on the ice. Mike Ribeiro wasn’t. That wasn’t anything too special right away considering Åberg looked set to make his NHL debut in Game 1 against the San Jose Sharks only to be healthy scratched right at game-time. This time it was different. Ribeiro stayed a scratch. And the Predators second round draft pick from the 2012 NHL Draft, 22-year old Swede Åberg, was announced to the lineup for his NHL Debut.
As much of a shock as it might feel for some in Nashville, probably more so for the casual fans tuning in for the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it shouldn’t be. To make your pro debut in a playoff scenario where the team has their back up against the wall in a 2-0 series hole speaks volumes that far exceed the player himself. The foundation of the Predators is build upon by successful scouting, drafting, and developing. When you pause to look around the people Åberg suited up with it all makes sense. The profile of the game is bigger. The moment of making your NHL debut is huge. But, at the end of the day, Åberg found himself in a lineup with four players that he suited up with in Milwaukee last season or even this season. It just becomes the same old game at that point.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The confidence of the Predators coaching staff to make a lineup change of a veteran in Ribeiro for an NHL debutant in Åberg says an awful lot about their trust in the developmental process. Åberg has playoff experience but, when you look back on his professional or senior level playing career, the bulk of that has come in his native Sweden. Including last night’s 4-1 Predators win in which he debuted Åberg has played in a total of 30 playoff games since the 2011-12 season: 13 games with Djurgårdens IF (SHL and Allsvenskan), 13 games with Färjestad BK, 3 games with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL), and 1 game with the Nashville Predators (NHL). Prior to last night’s game his only North American playoff playing experience came in the recent weeks leading up to his debut when he and his Admirals teammates were swept in the first round of the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs by the Grand Rapids Griffins. So, if you were thinking the decision of Åberg over Ribeiro was a matter of big game experience – you would be wrong. It was less to do about that and far more to do about the player that Åberg has become in the space of his first two full-seasons of North American hockey playing in the AHL with the Admirals.
You would be hard pressed to make a bigger introduction to a new team, new fan base, or -simply- new country better than the way that Åberg did last season. In the first period of his North American playing career he scored a spectacular solo goal. He slashed through several members of the Charlotte Checkers before dusting off a goalie who almost single-handedly eliminated the Admirals in the first round of the playoffs the year prior – Drew MacIntyre. You could watch that goal over and over again and still make the same face that Brendan Leipsic is making as he goes to celebrate with Åberg in the corner. It was brilliant.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
It would have been fantastic if the debut season in North America could have shined that bright every night for Åberg and the Admirals in the 2014-15 season. It would have – but life at the developmental ranks isn’t without its immense learning curves and struggles. Åberg was off to a great start in his first season as a member of the Admirals. He scored 19 points (13 goals, 6 assists) in his first 27 games. He then proceeded to slow way down at the turn of the calendar to only muster up 15 points (3 goals, 12 assists) from his last 42 games of the season. The Admirals weren’t all that sharp around him either, mind you, as the team missed out on the Calder Cup Playoffs that season for the first time since the Admirals inaugural season in the AHL – a streak that spanned twelve consecutive playoff appearances – gone. The Admirals finished in last place of the Midwest Division with a record of 33-28-8-7 (81 points, 0.533 points percentage).
If there was any saving grace to the Admirals final few games of the 2014-15 season it was when head coach Dean Evason really started to challenge players to compete more at the finish line. Åberg rose to the challenge as he notched 4 assists in the Admirals last 4 games of the season including ripped 17 shots on goal in the final month. The precision of his shot wasn’t quite there, 1 goal from his final 31 games, but the fire from earlier in the season was reignited. That attitude carried into the off-season and followed into the 2015-16 season.
There could have been some early concerns, both on Åberg’s part as well as those watching him, that he again wasn’t quite finding the back of the net to start this season. October came and went without a goal to stretch his goalless drought in the AHL to 14 games. The first game of November comes and, with a primary assist from fellow Swede Max Görtz, that goal finally came. Now would be the fun opportunity to cheat time a bit and jump to the end of the regular season to cite that Åberg ended up being the Admirals top goal scorer with 25 goals from 74 games.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The goal scoring feat for Åberg was great but that alone isn’t something that sees a player elevated to debut in the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The precision element to his game this season was a very real element to his improvement. In 2014-15, he scored 16 goals from 158 shots on goal. In 2015-16, he scored 25 goals from 159 shots on goal. The precision spills across from shooting to other avenues of his game. His passing was smarter. His overall defense and work on the back-check was more attentive and provided a more detailed touch to his already talented offensive skill set. By the end of the season he was being double-shifted by Evason, à la Taylor Beck, and was eating up the minutes while providing the Admirals an absolute maximum on offense. In the Admirals last 21 games of the regular season Åberg scored 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) while being held without a point in only 5 games. He was becoming Mr. Everything and was the hottest Admirals forward entering the playoffs.
I already explained at length why the Admirals playoffs were what they were. It’s unfortunate that the Admirals 2015-16 season ended as quickly as it did. The team went from the bottom of the division to winning a division title for the first time in five-seasons and were the second best team in the Western Conference entering the playoffs. If you wanted to find a specific player that summed up the Admirals headache inducing match-up against the Griffins it would be Åberg. He had 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 10 games against the Griffins this season which includes them shutting him out offensively in the three-game playoff series. That doesn’t make Åberg bad. That doesn’t mean Åberg cooled off. That’s just another feather in the cap of a Griffins team that is supremely polished.
As Åberg arrived to join the Predators for the second round playoff series against the Sharks it was his first career NHL recall. There are now several “Black Aces” up with the Predators and for nearly all of them this time isn’t exactly about getting on the ice anywhere near as much as it is simply taking in the environment and experience. At the AHL level, you see so many college and junior playing kids turn up at season’s end to get that taste of what life at the pro level is about. That’s really what being a Black Ace is more than anything. It’s a look past that glass ceiling that so many players are knocking on repeatedly to see if anyone is still paying attention. Nashville pays attention and their developmental process screams it. All you need to do is look over their roster and count down all the players that are there that played in Milwaukee. Åberg did more than take in the environment last night. He participated in it. That shouldn’t be surprising. Look at that Predators team and look at those Admirals teams of the past. It truly is a play together, learn together, win together mentality. Åberg is just the latest example of that.
There have already been two members of the Milwaukee Admirals who joined the Nashville Predators during their second round playoff series against the San Jose Sharks. Both Pontus Åberg and Marek Mazanec were summoned ahead of that series and were with the Predators in San Jose in the first two games against the Sharks.
Fiala was the Admirals leading scorer this past season. He scored 50 points (18 goals, 32 assists) in 66 games. He played 5 games for the Predators this season and scored his first career NHL goal on 1/14/16 on the road against the Winnipeg Jets.
This past season was Kamenev’s first full campaign in North America. He spent the entirety of the 2015-16 season playing center and produced 37 15 22 in 57 games which puts him at the third highest points per game ratio of Admirals who played more than 50 games this season. He missed time due to his participation in the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships where he was the captain of Team Russia and earned silver while producing 6 points (5 goals, 1 assist) in 7 games.
Gaudreau was the true feel good story of this past season for the Admirals. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Admirals back in 2014-15 where he split time between the AHL and ECHL totaling a combined 18 points (9 goals, 9 assists) from 57 games between the Admirals and the Cincinnati Cyclones. This season Gaudreau performed so well that the Predators couldn’t ignore his abilities and signed him to a two-year entry level contract. Gaudreau scored 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists) in 75 games and represented the Admirals in the inaugural AHL All-Star Challenge where he won the championship game with the Central Division All-Stars.
Elliott and Potter were part of the Admirals major defensive shake-up at the middle stages of the season which also included Patrick Mullen being brought on-board. The three brought experience as well as right-handed shots from the back end for the Admirals that really boosted the team down the stretch as the team went 25-10-1-2 from their debut on 1/15/16 to the end of the regular season.
The entire Western Conference has its second round of the playoffs set. The Lake Erie Monsters will be hosting the Grand Rapids Griffins. And the Ontario Reign will be hosting the San Diego Gulls in a best of seven game series format that will laughably go 1-1-1-1-1-1-1. The second round officially gets underway this coming Wednesday when the Toronto Marlies host the Albany Devils.
Enough time has officially passed where it’s safe to really plunge back into how the Milwaukee Admirals 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs ended as quickly as it did. With the Admirals having such an incredible regular season, that saw them claim their first divisional title since 2010-11, expectations for a long playoff run were high. It instead came and went as quickly as it possibly could making the playoff experience something of a blur to the landscape of everything the regular season provided. What went wrong? It isn’t a one-sentence answer.
~Handshake Line~
For as much internal complaining as there could be done there isn’t enough credit in the world that could be given to the Griffins. The opening round playoff series was a microcosm of how the head-to-head series between the two teams went in the regular season. Combine what happened in the playoffs and the Griffins went 8-3-0-0 with the Admirals never once having won consecutive games against the Griffins and only once having won two out of three games. There couldn’t have been a worse opening round opponent for the Admirals than the Griffins.
Another item worthy of bringing up is experience. I made mention prior to the start of the series that there were going to be nineteen returning names from the Griffins 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs roster. That meant having a little under 60% of a team that nearly punched a ticket to the 2015 Calder Cup Finals squaring up with an Admirals team that would give the pro debuts to Anthony Richard and Yakov Trenin in the series. As much as the Admirals looked to be playing playoff hockey in the closing stages of the regular season the actual playoff experience that the Griffins had wasn’t anything to be taken lightly. The Admirals looked to get through the playoffs on talent alone. The Griffins looked to get through the playoffs as a team that previously went to the Western Conference Finals a year ago. That’s a very real thing that made a difference in the series.
~Missing Names~
Another area that was a slight issue for the Admirals that wasn’t really the case on the opposite side of the rink was the missing names of higher ranking players. It’s hard to say anything against when the Nashville Predators have a need for their cause in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It is, and that’s the slight unfortunate grey area of being the AHL affiliate that is also competing in a playoff run. But the lack of even someone such as a Cody Bass was a very real thing.
The Admirals captains at the start of the season went as follows: Colton Sissons (C), Cody Bass (A), and Conor Allen (A). Sissons would go up to the Predators. Bass would go up to the Predators. Allen would get traded mid-season to acquire Patrick Mullen. Your initial leadership group wasn’t available for the playoffs. This pushed the captains to be: Max Reinhart (A), Félix Girard (A), and Jamie Devane (A). The coaching staff has made mention that the leadership group of the room has been great, so you can’t really have any gripes with that, but there is something to be said of losing out on the on and off-ice abilities that a Bass or Sissons provides.
I’m very happy to see Bass taking part of the Predators playoff run. I’ve long been a proponent of calling up the veteran AHL talent to fill a lower line role than having one of your high energy scoring prospects be subjected to a lesser role where they are tasked with playing outside of their comfort zone and be mistake free and defensive. That’s why having a Bass up with the Predators, and not a Kevin Fiala, is a good thing. What I do question though is what’s going on in the head of Austin Watson when you’re technically that bridge gap and being superseded by Bass. You would think the two could be contributing to the NHL and AHL causes all the same during the playoffs but, instead, Watson -someone who wasn’t playoff eligible to the Admirals- is being kept low on the totem pole. He’ll be seeing his contract kick up to a one-way deal next season but is being treated less of a Black Ace than Pontus Åberg who, for a brief half-hour period, looked as though he would be making his NHL debut in Game 1 of the Predators playoff series against the San Jose Sharks. I’m not sure how that inspires confidence nor helps the entire organization be at their optimum.
Then there is “Mr. Elephant in the Room” Taylor Aronson who, according to Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason, left the team due to personal reasons with three-games remaining in the regular season. He never ended up returning for the playoff run so the Admirals were without their best defenseman this season against the Griffins. That was a massive loss considering how many situations Aronson contributes for the Admirals. In the Admirals last six-games of the season without him they went 1-5-0-0 with five straight losses to end the season. Aronson is always the first man over the boards for the Admirals power-play. In those six-games without him they were 5/31 (16.1%) on the power-play including 2/17 (11.8%) during the playoff series against the Griffins. The Admirals ended the regular season with the second best power-play in the entire AHL (21.2%). Losing Aronson, who provided 18 assists on the power-play from 64 games in the regular season games, was huge.
~Zebras and Rule Books~
It is 100% inescapable that this topic would come. In fact, this may have been the hardest pill for all fans to swallow as the Admirals were given the unceremonious exit from the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs. The chaos and drama of the Admirals and Griffins opening round series didn’t come entirely from the on-ice product that the two teams dished up as much as the embarrassing flaws and ineptitude of AHL officiating and rules were exposed in broad daylight.
79.1 Video Review – It shall be the Referee’s sole discretion as to whether the use of the video review system shall be utilized for any apparent goal or non-goal that takes place during the course of the game.
Any potential goal requiring video review must be reviewed prior to or during the next stoppage of play. No goal may be awarded (or disallowed) as a result of video review once the puck has been dropped and play has resumed.
When a team scores an apparent goal that is not immediately awarded by the on-officials and play continues, the play shall be reviewed at the next stoppage of play only at the sole discretion of the on-ice officials. If the goal is confirmed by video review, the clock
(including penalty time clocks, if applicable) shall be re-set to the time the goal was scored. If the goal is not confirmed by video review, no adjustment is required to the game clock time.
Only one goal can be awarded at any stoppage of play. If the apparent goal was scored by Team A, and is subsequently confirmed as a goal through use of video replay, any goal scored by Team B during the period of time between the apparent goal by Team A and the stoppage of play (Team B’s goal), the Team B goal would not be awarded. However, if the apparent goal by Team A is deemed to have entered the goal, albeit illegally, the goal shall be disallowed and since the play should have been stopped for this disallowed goal, no goal can be awarded to Team B on the same play. The clock (including penalty time clocks, if applicable), must be re-set to the time of the disallowed Team A goal and play resumed.
Any penalties signaled during the period of time between the apparent goal and the next stoppage of play shall be assessed in the normal manner, except when a minor penalty is to be assessed to the team scored upon, and is therefore nullified by the scoring of the goal. Refer to Rules 16.2 and 18.2. If an infraction happens after the first stoppage of play following an apparent goal (infraction after the whistle) by either team, it is assessed and served in the normal manner regardless as to the decision rendered by the video review.
79.2 Procedure – If the Referee determines the use of the video review system is necessary, the referee shall inform the off-ice official at ice level and the Public Address Announcer shall announce that “The play is now under review”. Once the play has been reviewed and deemed a goal, the goal will be announced in the normal manner. If the review reveals that the goal must be disallowed, the Public Address Announcer shall announce the reason for the disallowed goal as reported by the Referee.
When the Referee indicates there is to be a video review, all players (with the exception of the goalkeepers) will go to their respective players’ bench immediately. During the period of video review, no replay of the situation may be shown on the arena video
screen or any other public video monitor.
79.3 Situations Subject to Video Review – The following are the only situations subject to video review by the Referee:
(i) Puck crossing the goal line.
(ii) Puck crossing the goal line prior to the goal frame being dislodged.
(iii) Puck crossing the goal line prior to, or after expiration of time, at the end of the period.
(iv) Puck directed or batted into the net by a hand or foot or deliberately batted with any part of the attacking player’s body. With the use of a foot/skate, was a distinct kicking motion evident? If so, the apparent goal must be disallowed. A distinct kicking motion is one which the player propels the puck with his skate into the net. If the Referee determines that it was put into the net by an attacking player using a distinct kicking motion, it must be ruled no goal. This would also be true even if the puck, after being kicked, deflects off any other player of either team and then into the net. This is still no goal. However, a puck that enters the goal after deflecting off an attacking player’s skate or that deflects off his skate while he is in the process of stopping, shall be ruled a good goal. See also 49.2.
(v) To determine whether the puck entered the net by going through the net meshing.
(vi) To determine whether the puck entered the net from underneath the net frame.
(vii) Any situation in which the puck may have entered the net undetected by the Referee.
79.4 Coach’s Challenge – A team may request a formal Coach’s Challenge if they have their time-out available. The Coach’s Challenge must be effectively initiated prior to the resumption of play.
Only the situations subject to video review as outlined under
Rule 79.3 may be challenged.
If the Coach’s Challenge does not result in the original call on the ice being overturned, the team exercising such challenge will forfeit its time-out.
If the Coach’s Challenge does result in the call on the ice being overturned, the team successfully exercising such challenge will retain its time-out, which may be used for another challenge.
79.5 Video Review Assistant – The position of Video Review Assistant shall be recognized as an official off-ice officials position required for each League game to assist the Referee in the timely review of any situation subject to video review as outlined under Rule 79.3.
79.6 Logistics and Equipment – The video review monitor and controls shall be located at the scorer’s table positioned between the penalty boxes. The Referee shall have full control of the video review system at all times with the assistance of the Video Review Assistant.
79.7 Final Decision – If the Referee determines the use of video review is necessary, or it is utilized as a result of a Coach’s Challenge, the Referee shall not be required to consult with the Goal Judge. In determining whether to award an apparent goal, the video review must conclusively show the entire puck entered the net legally with regard to the situations subject to review as outlined above. After the play has been reviewed with the use of the video review system, the Referee shall make the final decision.
79.8 Reports – Following any game in which the video review system was utilized, the Referee must report to the League all video reviews conducted during the game.
You get all that? Great, because now we can rant a bit. There is a human element to the game of hockey. That shouldn’t mean that standard is limited to just the players. Officials get one real solid look to make a determination of a call on the ice in a game that happens at incredible speed and ferocity. Mistakes happen. They’re always going to happen. But when those mistakes happen in such a way they can drastically impact the game itself there is a problem that far exceeds an issue of on-ice officiating. The league itself must be held accountable.
Looking at how the series played out you’ll have no doubt been angry when seeing Rule 79.3 (v). It happened in quick succession during Game 3 in Grand Rapids and on both occasions saw the Griffins be awarded goals. Now comes the hard part to say that some might still be hot over: they were goals. Yes, they were goals. There is nothing wrong with saying that those were goals and video replay afforded the officials a chance to make what should have been right on the ice – right. That’s a good thing to have the game held accountable. It’s great that the officials have a chance to use the technology around them to see major points of a game be correctly handled if it wasn’t done appropriately in the moment when it happened.
Now comes the inexcusable parts…
For the AHL to not allow for video review of goaltender interference. For the AHL to have nothing in the rule book in connection to the maintenance of their goals and nets by teams or officials being obstructed to inspect goals and nets before a game, before a period, or after a game is inexcusable.
In Game 2, the Admirals were trailing 2-0 to the Griffins in the second period when Max Gortz deflected a shot by Corey Potter. The crowd finally had something to get loud about and the game was 2-1 with all kinds of momentum set to finally go the way of the Admirals. It was then waved off. Why? Goaltender Interference. It’s an unreviewable play by AHL standards yet the disallowed goal could have been quickly amended with something as simple as the jumbotron feed showing that not only was Tom McCollum not interfered with but that there wasn’t anyone within two feet of him.
What’s the point of video review if you can’t review something? What’s the point of the coach’s challenge if they can’t challenge a play on the ice? It’s as if the AHL has what they have in place to come across as professional as possible. Like looking at someone in the distance who looks to be wearing a tuxedo and a coat. Yet, the closer you get – the more you get into the details – all you’re looking at is a clown in a tuxedo t-shirt. You cannot have rules in place while ignoring other major points of conflict that can arise in the game of hockey. The AHL did. The officials made a mistake and then proceeded to stick to the letter of the rule book. And the victim of the situation, the Admirals, get nothing more than potentially being the sacrificial lamb to significant rule changes that should have been in place already. It’s inept. It’s embarrassing. And the worst thing of it all was that it was all avoidable.
~Closure~
I went into the BMO Harris Bradley Center the day after the Admirals playoff exit. It was the team’s last day together and I had the chance to speak with a great deal of the players. Time and time again I found myself saying that it wasn’t the end to the season that everyone wanted and hoped for but it doesn’t detract from how special of a season it was for the Admirals. It’s right, too. This season the Admirals were absolutely terrific. There were so many bright spots, great performances, unexpected stars, signs of great promise for the future of the Predators, and all of that is something that shouldn’t be lost on you – the fans. Even better, there is no reason why what you saw this season shouldn’t be just as good or better next season. The Admirals were an incredibly young team in 2015-16. That remains true for 2016-17. What should be exciting is the returning name talent that there will be coming back to the Admirals that took in the 2015-16 season. The close of the Bradley Center was special. The return to the Admirals original home next season will be too.
Admirals Roundtable 