After a quick cup of coffee both Marek Mazanec and Corey Potter have been reassigned by the Nashville Predators to the Milwaukee Admirals.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (April 11, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Monday that the club has reassigned defenseman Corey Potter and goaltender Marek Mazanec to Milwaukee.

The Nashville Predators open the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the road on Friday, April 15 against the Anaheim Ducks for Game One of the seven-game series (9:30 p.m. CT). The series shifts to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for Game Three on Tuesday, April 19 at 8:30 p.m. CT and Game Four on Thursday, April 21, at 7 p.m. CT. Limited tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting NashvillePredators.com.

Potter managed to suit up and make his Predators debut in their regular season finale on Saturday night. The Predators lost 3-2 on the road to the Dallas Stars but Potter registered 19 shifts which amounted for 14:44 of ice-time. The Predators became Potter’s sixth career NHL team that he played for. As for Mazanec, the Czech goaltender spent his second game with the Predators this season sitting on the bench.

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The Milwaukee Admirals have yet another teenage prospect joining the ranks. The Nashville Predators have assigned Anthony Richard to the Admirals ahead of tomorrow night’s home game against the Chicago Wolves.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (April 11, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Monday that the club has assigned forward Anthony Richard to Milwaukee (AHL).

Richard, 19 (12/20/96), recently completed his fourth QMJHL season with Val-d’Or, tying for 11th in league points (25g-36a-61pts), ranking 12th in assists and tying for 14th in goals despite missing the final three weeks of the regular season due to injury. The Trois-Rivieres, Quebec native also tied for the league lead in shorthanded points (5g-3a-8pts), ranked second in game-winning goals (8) and third in shorthanded goals. A season ago, Nashville’s third choice, 100th overall (fourth round), in the 2015 Entry Draft ranked eighth in the QMJHL in goals (43) and tied for eighth in league points, then tied for third in the 2015 QMJHL Playoffs in goals (12) and ranked ninth in postseason points (22) as the Foreurs advanced to the league semifinals. In his first full season with Val-d’Or in 2013-14, he helped the club win the 2014 President’s Cup and advance to the Memorial Cup, ranking fourth on the team and tying for seventh among all skaters in postseason goals (10).

The Nashville Predators open the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the road on Friday, April 15 against the Anaheim Ducks for Game One of the seven-game series (9:30 p.m. CT). The series shifts to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for Game Three on Tuesday, April 19 at 8:30 p.m. CT and Game Four on Thursday, April 21, at 7 p.m. CT. Limited tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting NashvillePredators.com.

Richard was drafted by the Predators in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He is the first member of the Predators 2015 Draft Class to play pro hockey and is coming off of a junior playing season with the Val-d’Or Foreurs (QMJHL) in which he scored 87 points (37 goals, 50 assists) in 58 games with a plus/minus rating of +28 and 37 penalty minutes. In his four-seasons playing in the QMJHL he amassed 238 points (111 goals, 127 assists) in 232 games.

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After winning 4-2 this afternoon all the Milwaukee Admirals needed was a little bit of help tonight from the Rochester Americans. The Lake Erie Monsters were the last remaining team capable of matching the Admirals for the Central Division title but needed to win out for the rest of the season to do so with the Admirals not securing a single point from their next three games. The Americans shutout the Monsters 2-0. The Admirals have just been crowned the Central Division Champions for the 2015-16 season.

This is the first divisional title for the Milwaukee Admirals since they claimed the West Division in the 2010-11 season. That was back when the AHL held an 80 games regular season and the Admirals finished with a record of 44-22-6-8 (102 points). It wasn’t a thing needed to determine the who and what of the standings at the time but that season the Admirals had a 0.638 point percentage. The Admirals 2015-16 season features a 76 game regular season and, through 73 games played, they have a record of 47-21-3-2 (99 points) with a 0.678 points percentage.

To put it simply, this year’s Admirals team has been so special in the way that they have been consistent in earning results no matter who was featured in the lineup. It is a rare trait to have in the AHL but one required of a team to have this high level of success. The Admirals might not have certain individuals high up in the league scoring ranks but instead have a solid team with multiple players capable of contributing at any given attack.

The current run that the Admirals find themselves on sort of speaks to the strength of how good the team has been this season. They are currently on a twelve game point streak and a six game winning streak. That hasn’t come with necessarily any single player carrying the team but the team being able to cement their dominance over a full course of sixty-minutes night after night.

As far as what is left to play for the Admirals do still have a chance to knock off the Ontario Reign for the best record in the entire Western Conference. The Admirals 0.678 points percentage is lesser than that of the Reign’s 0.689. It will take some help with more Admirals success. The Reign have two more games remaining in their regular season while the Admirals have three. The Admirals also have a chance to win 50 games in a season for the first time in their history of playing in the AHL. They simply would need to win out and push this point streak and winning streak all the way until the playoffs.

The Admirals return home on Tuesday night to play against the Chicago Wolves and then get the Bakersfield Condors on Friday night in the last regular season Admirals game at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. They finish the regular season on the road against their prospective opening round playoff opponent the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday.

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According to AHL Transactions this morning both Marek Mazanec and Corey Potter have been recalled by the Nashville Predators from the Milwaukee Admirals. The Predators are playing their regular season finale tonight on the road against the Dallas Stars while the Admirals also are on the road this weekend with two games against the Charlotte Checkers.

This can end the speculation around why the Admirals recalled Brandon Whitney from the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) yesterday. As for the move for Potter going up, of anything, it provides room for Jack Dougherty to make his professional playing debut tonight with the Admirals while giving the veteran Potter a trip up to the team that traded for him on the NHL’s Trade Deadline Day. The Admirals have gone 12-2-0-2 since Potter’s debut with the Admirals on 3/3/16.

Mazanec is enjoying his best season since arriving to North America from his native Czech Republic. In 38 appearances this season he has 19 wins with a 2.33 goals against average and 0.916 save percentage. Those are all career highs for his work in the AHL as a member of the Admirals and his 4 shutouts recorded this season match that of last season as a personal best. He was recalled under emergency conditions earlier this season but did not get to log any ice time during his time up with the Predators.

Potter has yet to play a game in the NHL this season. At the time he was acquired by the Predators he was playing for the Arizona Coyotes AHL affiliate the Springfield Falcons who are sitting at the bottom of the AHL’s Eastern Conference standings. In his career Potter has 129 games of NHL experience as a member of the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, and Calgary Flames. He has scored 32 points (8 goals, 24 assists) at the NHL level while also having produced 170 points (33 goals, 137 assists) from 420 career games in the AHL.

UPDATE: Per the Nashville Predators, Mazanec’s recall is listed as an emergency conditions recall while Potter’s is a bog standard recall.

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The Cincinnati Cyclones have made note that the Milwaukee Admirals have recalled goaltender Brendan Whitney. As a result the Cyclones have added Jake Reed as an emergency backup for their final two regular season games tonight and tomorrow.

Perhaps this move comes down to sheer karma as I poked at the Admirals goaltending not having needed their third choice goaltender much the last two seasons. Whitney has made some trips to join the Admirals this season but both occasions were made on an emergency basis and he sat on the bench. Rob Madore did much the same thing last season as the Admirals third choice goaltender.

Whitney has played in 21 games this season in the ECHL where he holds a record of 9-8-1-0 in net with a 3.18 goals against average, 0.891 save percentage, and no shutouts. I had spoken with Dakota Johnson of Sin Bin Cyclones yesterday about Whitney’s season with the Cyclones and this is what he had to say:

“Whitney has had his fair share of bright and dark spots this season. He hasn’t seen a ton of action since Andy Iles was claimed off waivers back in January, only appearing in a handful of games. He definitely has some strengths. The obvious one being his size. But, his struggles have outweighed the good unfortunately. Rebound control has been his worst nightmare. I can safely say a good 80% of the goals he’s given up, have come off of humongous rebounds he left out that could’ve been prevented if he had been able to hold onto it. Sitting all this time hasn’t done him much justice either. When he had to relieve Iles in the 3rd period of a game in Indy a couple weeks ago, I noticed his reaction timing to shots was really slow, and he just seemed to be real stiff overall in goal. I know he’s under contract through the end of 16-17, so he’ll most likely be in Cincinnati again next season. I’m very interested to see how he’s able to work on things over the off-season and see if he comes back next season with the kinks worked out.”

I’m sure the question that comes with this news from everyone is why has Whitney been recalled and that is an answer I feel will be more thoroughly answered ahead of tomorrow night’s game. Right now, speculation is about as good as it gets and that’s something that I’ll do about now: (1) Whitney hasn’t been featuring much in the ECHL anyways so why not bring him up for the Admirals potential playoff run as a third goaltender (2) Marek Mazanec did take a knock not too long ago in practice that forced Dov Grumet-Morris out of the woodworks to sit on the Admirals bench as an emergency backup for a night – perhaps Grumet-Morris was too busy to travel as far as Charlotte… (3) this is why I don’t enjoy speculating all that much because your guess is as good as mine right now.

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As noted when the A.J. White signed his ATO contract. This is the time of year when several collegiate and junior teams are finishing up their playing seasons. The Portland Winterhawks of the WHL were eliminated from the opening round of the playoffs at the end of March. That opens up the door for the Nashville Predators to do what they’ve done this morning by assigning defenseman Jack Dougherty to the Milwaukee Admirals ahead of the team’s trip to Charlotte this weekend.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (April 8, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Friday that the club has assigned 2014 second-round selection Jack Dougherty to Milwaukee (AHL).

Dougherty, 19 (5/25/96), recently completed his first season of junior hockey with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, where he ranked second among WHL rookie defensemen in points (11g-41a-52pts), seventh among all rookies in points, tied for 13th among all league defensemen, and tied for 16th among all skaters in power-play assists (21). The 6-foot-1, 194-pound blueliner joined the Winterhawks after spending the 2014-15 season at the University of Wisconsin, and the 2013-14 season with the U.S. National Team Development Program. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Dougherty helped the United States win its fifth gold medal in a six-year span at the Under-18 World Championship in 2014, and led Team USA to a silver medal at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Tournament.

Nashville’s third choice, 51st overall (second round), in the 2014 Entry Draft, Dougherty played two seasons of Minnesota High School hockey with St. Thomas Academy in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and helped the Cadets capture their third consecutive Class A state title in 2013. Dougherty is on Twitter @jackdougherty2.

The Nashville Predators conclude the 2015-16 regular season tomorrow, Saturday, April 9, when they take on the Dallas Stars at 7 p.m. at the American Airlines Center (TV: FOX Sports Tennessee; Radio: 102.5 The Game). Tickets to Round One of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs are on sale now and available at Ticketmaster.com. Nashville’s opponent, as well as the date and time of each game in the series, will be announced at a later date. Fans are encouraged to visit NashvillePredators.com, or follow the team on Twitter (@PredsNHL) for the latest information on the playoffs.

Dougherty was part of the Predators 2014 Draft Class which included Kevin Fiala, Vladislav Kamenev, and Viktor Arvidsson. Dougherty was selected after Kamenev by the Predators in the second round. The 19-year old right handed shooting defenseman endured the Wisconsin Badgers rough 2014-15 season before making the leap to the junior hockey ranks as a member of the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL. He’s had a great 2015-16 season: 52 points (11 goals, 41 assists) in 68 games and had a pair of assists in the Winterhawks short playoff run when they were swept in the opening round by the Everett Silvertips. He has already signed his entry level contract with the Predators organization and will wear the number 15 when he suits up for the first time as a member of the Admirals.

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It has been awhile since scanning the Milwaukee Admirals ECHL affiliate the Cincinnati Cyclones. Good news, they have followed in the Admirals footsteps in clinching a playoff spot a year removed from missing out of playoff hockey.

Tonight and tomorrow night the Cyclones play on the road against the Quad City Mallards where they will be finishing off their regular season. The Cyclones are currently in second place of the Midwest Division and are seventh place in the Western Conference standings. The team trailing them in the conference at the moment? You guess it: the Mallards who they’ll be playing these last two-games. With the Tulsa Oilers still in pursuit of the Mallards it adds a heightened element to the Cyclones weekend.

To get more information on just how well the Cyclones have been doing, and hear an update on how a few familiar names have been performing in the ECHL, I reached out to Dakota Johnson of Sin Bin Cyclones for a Q&A. Here is what he had to say regarding the Cyclones season to date.

~Q&A with Sin Bin Cyclones~

Admirals Roundtable: The Cincinnati Cyclones joined the family of the Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals by making the playoffs this season. What’s been the story of the Cyclones turn-around from a season ago?

Sin Bin Cyclones: I think the biggest thing that’s made a difference has been with the guy behind the bench. Last season, when the Cyclones missed the playoffs, Matt MacDonald pretty much inherited the roster, playing his system with Ben Simon‘s guys after Simon took an Assistant Coaching role in the AHL in August prior to the 2014-2015 season. This season, MacDonald had a full off-season to piece together the team he wanted. These are his guys under his system, and I think that’s made a difference between last season’s and this season’s team.

AR: Zach Budish really only had his first full healthy season playing hockey last season and looked good in both the AHL and ECHL. This season for the Cyclones he’s looked to have really taken a leap forward. How has he improved this season?

SBC: Budish has been one of our biggest weapons this season. He was the recipient of this year’s “Sin Bin Award” for “Best Offensive Player”. It’s amazing to see how far he’s come since he first came to us back in 2013-2014 for that Kelly Cup Finals run. 2nd on the team in points with 55 in 67 games. Hard to complain about that kind of a season. Selfishly, I’d like him to come back to us again next season, but he more than deserves another AHL shot in 2016-2017.

AR: Garrett Noonan is tied for third among ECHL defensemen for scoring this season. He hasn’t quite had the opportunity to play in the AHL here in Milwaukee because of the numbers stacked on top of him. How has his all-around play been for the Cyclones and would you say he’s set to make an AHL leap next season similar to that of Taylor Aronson back in 2013-14?

SBC: Absolutely. Leads all defensemen on the team with 41 points in 53 games. Leads the entire team in the assists category with 33. The numbers-game situation was unfortunate, because back in September, I wasn’t even expecting Noonan to even be sent down to us. He’s one of those players where the fact that he is in ECHL and not the AHL just boggles my mind. I really hope he’s able to get a stable roster spot in Milwaukee next year. I firmly believe he’s made his mark at the ‘AA’ level, and he’s ready to move up.

AR: The Admirals haven’t really had the need for their third goaltender who is waiting in the wings at the ECHL level in Cincinnati. This is pretty much the second straight season that has happened with both Rob Madore (2014-15) and Brandon Whitney (2015-16) only going up to watch a game from the bench once or twice. What are you seeing from Whitney and do you feel he has improved at all over the course of the season?

SBC: Whitney has had his fair share of bright and dark spots this season. He hasn’t seen a ton of action since Andy Iles was claimed off waivers back in January, only appearing in a handful of games. He definitely has some strengths. The obvious one being his size. But, his struggles have outweighed the good unfortunately. Rebound control has been his worst nightmare. I can safely say a good 80% of the goals he’s given up, have come off of humongous rebounds he left out that could’ve been prevented if he had been able to hold onto it. Sitting all this time hasn’t done him much justice either. When he had to relieve Iles in the 3rd period of a game in Indy a couple weeks ago, I noticed his reaction timing to shots was really slow, and he just seemed to be real stiff overall in goal. I know he’s under contract through the end of 16-17, so he’ll most likely be in Cincinnati again next season. I’m very interested to see how he’s able to work on things over the off-season and see if he comes back next season with the kinks worked out.

AR: Jonathan Diaby was the poster boy for the new Milwaukee Admirals uniforms and logos this summer. He’s the man pictured in The Hockey News 50 Best Sweaters in Hockey History. For all the visual appeal he’s had from that he’s hardly seen the light of day in Milwaukee this season. What are you seeing of him in Cincinnati and is he improving as the season progresses?

SBC: Similar to Whitney, he’s had a few bright spots, but the bad has outweighed the good, unfortunately. He’s starting to learn that he can use his size to his advantage. He’s picked up his physical play a bit, even scored his first pro goal in Quad City a month or so ago. He has really struggled lately though. It’s come by just not making smart decisions on the ice. He’s been prone to turning the puck over a number of times in his own zone, a lot of times ending up in the opponent scoring. In his case, he just needs to make smarter decisions on the ice, and he’d be a high quality defensemen. What I said for Whitney can be said here again. I’d like to see Diaby come back to Cincinnati next season after working over the off-season and see what he’s improved upon.

AR: What have been some of the surprising storylines that have taken place in Cincinnati this season?

SBC: The biggest surprising storyline in Cincinnati has been the play of goaltender Andy Iles. Obviously, the Columbus Blue Jackets have had some injury troubles with goalies, so the Cyclones have been without the services of Brad Thiessen for a majority of the regular season. Iles was claimed off waivers in January and has just taken that #1 spot in goal and ran with it. He’s bounced around and struggled a bit with other ECHL teams. For him to come to Cincinnati, got named ECHL Goaltender of the Month for February, and be able to find his game has been huge for us. I can safely say if the Cyclones had never found Iles, they would not be playing playoff hockey next weekend.

AR: Outside of the crop of players that Admirals fans have come to know over time who are some of the players in the Cyclones lineup you feel could contribute nicely at the AHL level?

SBC: The obvious answer would be Andrew Yogan, who’s been back and forth between Cincinnati and a few AHL cities on PTO’s this season. I know ‘older guys’ aren’t necessarily favored in the AHL but I think guys like Jack Downing and Tommy Mele could do something to contribute offensively up there. Colin Mulvey is another guy who I think could hang around in the A.

AR: The ECHL’s regular season is nearly over. How do you see the Cyclones doing in the 2016 Kelly Cup Playoffs?

SBC: I really would prefer not to jinx it, but the Cyclones have been their own worst enemy lately and self inflicting mistakes have been what costs them games. This weekend in Quad City is their last chance to gain some last minute momentum heading into the postseason. If they can get their heads screwed on straight beforehand, I think they can make some noise. Of course, that’s easy for me to say from upstairs.

Cheers to Dakota Johnson for taking the time to provide an update on some usual suspects here to Milwaukee fans as well as insight on the Cyclones season. You can follow Sin Bin Cyclones on Twitter or at the website right here.

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The AHL’s year-end awards are already starting to trickle out. This first of these to be announced is the AHL’s 2015-16 All-Rookie Team and Milwaukee Admirals goaltender Juuse Saros has been named to the team.

Press Release via AHL:

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League has announced the 2015-16 AHL All-Rookie Team, as voted by coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 30 member cities.

2015-16 AHL All-Rookie Team (stats through Apr. 5)
Goaltender – Juuse Saros, Milwaukee Admirals (34gp, 26-7-0, 2.18gaa, .922sv%, 4so)
Defenseman – Brandon Montour, San Diego Gulls (63gp, 11+41=52pts., E, 29 PP pts.)
Defenseman – Robbie Russo, Grand Rapids Griffins (65gp, 5+34=39pts., +47)
Forward – Austin Czarnik, Providence Bruins (62gp, 16+40=56pts., +15, 5 PPG, 2 SHG)
Forward – Mikko Rantanen, San Antonio Rampage (47gp, 22+34=56pts., +20, 5 PPG, 4 GWG)
Forward – Frank Vatrano, Providence Bruins (33gp, 33+16=49pts., +17, 3 hat tricks)

Each player will receive a custom-designed crystal award in recognition of his selection to the 2015-16 AHL All-Rookie Team.

Previous selections to the annual AHL All-Rookie Team include Zdeno Chara (1998), J.S. Giguere (1998), Marc Savard(1998), Daniel Briere (1998), Dan Boyle (1999), Cory Sarich (1999), Barret Jackman (2002), Ron Hainsey (2002), Jason Spezza (2003), Brad Boyes (2003), Cam Ward (2005), Thomas Vanek (2005), Rene Bourque (2005), Kevin Bieksa (2005),Jimmy Howard (2006), Dan Girardi (2006), Mike Green (2006), Jaroslav Halak (2007), Troy Brouwer (2007), Ryan Callahan(2007), Bobby Ryan (2008), Teddy Purcell (2008), Brian Boyle (2008), Alex Goligoski (2008), Nathan Gerbe (2009), Justin Abdelkader (2009), John Carlson (2010), P.K. Subban (2010), Logan Couture (2010), Lars Eller (2010), Eddie Lack (2011),Brendan Smith (2011), Gustav Nyquist (2012), Tyler Johnson (2012), Justin Schultz (2013), Sami Vatanen (2013), Jason Zucker (2013), Tyler Toffoli (2013), Ryan Strome (2014), Teemu Pulkkinen (2014) and Matt Murray (2015).

The 2015-16 First and Second AHL All-Star Teams will be announced on Thursday.

2015-16 AHL All-Rookie Team

Juuse Saros, Goaltender (Milwaukee Admirals): A fourth-round draft pick by Nashville in 2013, Juuse Saros has shined during his North American debut with Milwaukee this season. Entering Wednesday’s action, the 20-year-old native of Forssa, Finland, is 26-7-0 with four shutouts in 34 appearances for the Admirals, ranking third in the AHL with a 2.18 goals-against average and seventh with a .922 save percentage. Saros, who won eight consecutive starts from Nov. 5 to Dec. 5, is currently 11-1-0 in his last 12 decisions and has helped lead Milwaukee to the top of the Central Division. Saros also made his NHL debut this season, starting for the Predators on Nov. 28 vs. Buffalo.

Brandon Montour, Defenseman (San Diego Gulls): Selected by Anaheim in the second round (55th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Brandon Montour is tied for third among all AHL rookies and ranks second among all defensemen in scoring this season, with 52 points (11 goals, 41 assists) in 63 games for San Diego. The 21-year-old native of Brantford, Ont., also leads the entire league in power-play scoring (29 points), anchoring a Gulls unit that ranks fourth in the AHL in efficiency. Montour, who turned pro last spring after completing his freshman season at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, has had 12 multiple-point games this season, including a four-point night vs. Bakersfield on Nov. 11.

Robbie Russo, Defenseman (Grand Rapids Griffins): In his first pro campaign after a stellar four-year collegiate career at Notre Dame, Robbie Russo has tallied five goals and 34 assists for 39 points in 65 games for Grand Rapids in 2015-16, while posting a plus-47 rating that is tied for the highest mark by an AHL player since 1993. Russo, who has been on the ice for only 28 even-strength goals by the opposition all season, has also contributed offensively, ranking third among AHL rookie blueliners in scoring and closing in on the franchise record for assists by a rookie (36, Gustav Nyquist). A 23-year-old native of Westmont, Ill., Russo was originally a fourth-round draft pick by the New York Islanders in 2011.

Austin Czarnik, Forward (Providence Bruins): Tied for the AHL scoring lead among rookies with 56 points (16 goals, 40 assists) in 62 games, Austin Czarnik is in the midst of a standout campaign with the Providence Bruins. Czarnik has registered two separate five-game scoring streaks, and he notched his first career hat trick in a 3-2 overtime victory over Bridgeport on Dec. 18. Signed as a free agent by Boston out of Miami University, Czarnik is tied for ninth in the overall scoring race, and his 25 power-play points – good for a share of fourth in the league – have helped the Bruins to the top-ranked power play in the AHL.

Mikko Rantanen, Forward (San Antonio Rampage): It has been a memorable season for Mikko Rantanen, who is tied for the AHL rookie scoring lead with 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) despite appearing in just 47 games for San Antonio. The 10th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Rantanen began the season in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche before joining the Rampage, where he has been held off the scoresheet just nine times in his 47 outings. A 19-year-old native of Nousiainen, Finland, Rantanen skated in the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic – where he was the second-youngest AHL participant in the event’s modern history – and won a gold medal while captaining his country’s team at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Frank Vatrano, Forward (Providence Bruins): Frank Vatrano has been nearly unstoppable during his time in Providence this season, scoring a league-leading 33 goals in 33 games for the Bruins. Poised to become just the fourth player in AHL history to average a goal a game while scoring at least 30, Vatrano has also peppered opposing goalies with 172 shots on goal (5.2 per game) and recorded three hat tricks, including tying an AHL record with three unassisted goals in a single game on Mar. 6 vs. Portland. The 22-year-old native of East Longmeadow, Mass., and UMass-Amherst product has also appeared in 37 NHL games with Boston this season, tallying eight goals and three assists.

With tonight’s game included there are still six-games remaining before the Admirals 2015-16 regular season comes to a close but the rookie class of the AHL this season has pretty well cemented itself.

Saros isn’t just among the league leaders in major goaltending categories with rookies but across the entire league itself. He has made 34 starts this season and holds a record of 26-7-0-0 in net with a 2.18 goals against average, 0.922 save percentage, and four shutouts. He has also participated in a total of four shootouts this season and has stopped all thirteen shootout attempts he has faced to help the Admirals in securing crucial points that see them atop the AHL’s Central Division.

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The Nashville Predators and Milwaukee Admirals are both in action tonight. Ahead of those games the Predators have reassigned Stefan Elliott to the Admirals with Ryan Ellis set to return.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (April 5, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Tuesday that the club has reassigned defenseman Stefan Elliott to Milwaukee (AHL). He was on recall under emergency conditions.

The Nashville Predators are celebrating the final week of the regular season, Fan Appreciation Week, with hundreds of giveaways and promotions during the two remaining home games. The Predators play their final games of the 2015-16 regular season tonight, Tuesday, April 5 against the Colorado Avalanche (FOX Sports Tennessee, 102.5 The Game), and Thursday, April 7 versus the Arizona Coyotes (FOX Sports Tennessee, 102.5 The Game). The first 15,000 fans attending the home finale will receive a pair of Preds sunglasses, courtesy of Hermitage Lighting Gallery. For tickets, fans can visit NashvillePredators.com or call 615-770-7800.

Elliott was recalled under emergency conditions following an injury to Ellis and, in his time up with the Predators, played in a pair of games. He logged just under fifteen minutes of ice-time in his last outing and didn’t register a point of offense. It’s unclear at this point if Elliott will make it in time to join the Admirals ahead of their game tonight in Manitoba.

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Ahead of tomorrow’s contests for both sides the Nashville Predators have recalled Cody Bass from the Milwaukee Admirals. The Predators will be playing against the Colorado Avalanche at home tomorrow night while the Admirals will be on the road facing the Manitoba Moose.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (April 4, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Monday that the club has recalled forward Cody Bass from Milwaukee (AHL).

Bass, 29 (1/7/87), has appeared in 14 games with the Predators in two recalls this season, his first in the organization (0 pts, 12 PIMs), and has 63 career NHL games to his credit with Nashville, Ottawa (where he was a teammate of Mike Fisher) and Columbus, posting five points (2g-3a) and 83 penalty minutes. The 6-foot, 205-pound winger has also played 39 games for the Division-leading Admirals this season, posting nine points (4g-5a) and 84 penalty minutes. The Owen Sound, Ontario, native was Ottawa’s third choice, 95th overall (fourth round), in the 2005 Entry Draft, and helped the Binghamton Senators win the 2011 Calder Cup as AHL champions, in addition to winning the 2011 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award as presented annually to the AHL’s man of the year for service to his local community.

The Nashville Predators conclude their home slate of regular-season games this week, playing the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday and Arizona Coyotes on Thursday (both on FOX Sports Tennessee, 102.5 The Game). Fans can still take advantage of the team’s Playoff Bound Pack. Under the promotion, fans can purchase tickets to the remaining two regular-season home games and guarantee seats for Round One of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. For more information, visit NashvillePredators.com or call 615-770-7800.

Bass has been every part the leader for the Admirals that you would expect out of a captain. With Colton Sissons enjoying an extended stay in the NHL Bass has reallt stepped up as part of the Admirals leadership group during the playoff push at the end of this season. The Admirals clinched a playoff spot with a 2-1 win over the San Antonio Rampage. This season with the Admirals the 29-year old Bass has produced 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 39 games. He has also played for 14 games with the Predators at the NHL level. He has 63 career games of NHL experience upon this recall.

If you are wondering where this recall leaves the Admirals the forward group is just fine. Kevin Fiala was left out of the Tuesday night showdown against the Grand Rapids Griffins due to a violation of team rules. The team then signed forward A.J. White from UMass-Lowell to an ATO contract. White made his professional playing debut on Saturday night over Fiala who was a healthy scratch on the evening. The expectation now would be to see Max Reinhart or Joe Pendenza return to center with Fiala rejoining his linemates of Vladislav Kamenev and Adam Payerl with White probably playing on the lower tier lines for the Admirals. With White’s UMass-Lowell history, playing on a line with Pendenza, it would be a fun sight to see that reform with both in Admirals colors.

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