Late this afternoon Milwaukee Admirals Governor & CEO Harris Turer went on the Mark Belling Show on News/Talk 1130 WISN and the conversation centered around a simple question. Will the proposed new Milwaukee Bucks arena include hockey? As of right now that appears to be a question that hasn’t been answered.

Turer said on his radio appearance that he has had two meetings with the Bucks. One of those was with new Bucks owner Marc Lasry and another one with President Peter Feigin.

“While the meetings were very cordial, and were an opportunity to get to know one another, at no time was I told we’re definitely in or they want us in,” said Turer. “It’s sort of a wait and see attitude.”

“I think for us here at the Admirals there was the recent press conference where the unveiling of the drawings of what the arena would look like as well as the ancillary development around the new arena came out,” continued Turer. “And at the end of the press conference someone asked if the Admirals would be part of the new arena and, at that point, I don’t want to say the question was blown off but it wasn’t answered.”

This all paints a very interesting picture and one that makes me realize something. Have we taken this new arena for granted? Did we assume that if there is a new arena that not only were the Bucks the main tenants but the Admirals were joining along in the fun?

“When I’ve spoken to people they’re like, “Oh, you’re just going to be a part of the new arena,” no not necessarily,” said Turer.

If the new arena goes through it would mean an end for the BMO Harris Bradley Center is very likely. Should a new arena go through with hockey not in the plans what does that then mean for the Admirals as far as their playing facility is concerned?

“We have to look at our options,” said Turer. “The most obvious option would be coming down and playing at the UW-M Panther Arena. That’s something we have to look at and we have to protect ourselves and look at our future.”

The Admirals possible new playing destination could would be a trip down memory lane at an old playing destination. The UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, formerly the MECCA and US Cellular Arena, was the site of Admirals hockey up until 1987 during the franchise’s International Hockey League (IHL) era.

“There are many rinks in our league that are far smaller than that,” said Turer in regards to the Admirals legitimately playing at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. “There would be improvements done to the arena but we definitely think it would be more than large enough.”

This also acts as an answer to another question. What happens if the new arena does not go through and the Bucks leave Milwaukee entirely? The Admirals wouldn’t be financially viable of being the main operating tenants of the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Alternative? UW-Milwaukee Panthers Arena.

The news in regards to this new arena having Admirals hockey involved is just about as murky as the actual logistics of the new arena actually coming to fruition. What I really love to hear is how committed Turer is to keeping the Admirals in Milwaukee as well as his excitement of new arena for the Bucks and what it could mean for the community.

“I’m in support, personally, of a new arena whether it includes the Admirals or not,” stated Turer. “I think not only the arena but the development around it would be a great thing for our city. If we’re not a part of it there is nothing I can do. I’m not going to be putting $150 million into the arena much like the new Bucks owners have or Herb Kohl’s put $100 [million]. I’m not going to be doing those things. Would we like to at least have a discussion to be part of a new facility? Sure. We’d certainly entertain that, look at what the economics mean of being a part of the arena and being a tenant there, but we’re not going to be putting in huge dollars. At the same time I have said publicly would I at least have a discussion of putting something into the pot, sure. I would definitely talk to them about it.”

Lots of questions. Not too many answers. This is a story that I’ve been following the moment the Bucks ownership change happened a year ago and it has been continental drift slow. I don’t entirely expect that to change too much in the foreground but the background chatter of getting things in-place is happening. Whether any of that chatter includes ice in the new arena doesn’t quite seem to be the case though.

What are your opinions on the new Bucks arena? Should hockey be part of this new arena’s plans or is it entirely on the Bucks and the sport of basketball seeing as it is their project? Would a move across the street to the UW-Milwaukee Panthers Arena be something you would be alright with? 

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The Nashville Predators have just taken the first steps in regards to the goaltending prospects conundrum. Marek Mazanec has just signed a new one-year two-way contract to remain with the organization for the 2015-16 season. The deal is worth $575,000 at the NHL level and $100,000 at the AHL level.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (May 6, 2015) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Wednesday that the club has signed goaltender Marek Mazanec (MAIR-ehk muh-ZAN-ehk) to a one-year, two-way contract worth $575,000 at the NHL level and $100,000 at the AHL level for the 2015-16 season.

Mazanec, 23 (7/18/91), played his second full season in North America in 2014-15, posting a 2.26 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in two appearances with the Predators during the month of January, and an 18-18-9 record with four shutouts, a 2.76 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage in 48 appearances for Nashville’s primary developmental affiliate, the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.

Nashville’s ninth choice, 179th overall (sixth round), in the 2012 Entry Draft, played the fifth-most minutes of any rookie NHL netminder (1,369:32) in 2013-14, appearing in 25 contests for the Predators and being named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for November 2013 after going 5-4-1 with two shutouts, a 2.00 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. The 6-4, 194-pound Mazanec also ranked second among AHL rookie goaltenders, and 10th overall, in point percentage after posting an 18-10-3 record (.629, min. 700 minutes) in 2013-14.

In his final season in the Czech League in 2012-13, he led Plzen to its first title by stopping 48-of-51 shots in a Game Seven double-OT victory in the league final. He ranked fourth in 2013 playoff goals-against average (2.13) and sixth in save percentage (.932), in addition to tying for second in shutouts (2). During the 2012-13 regular season, the Pisek, Czech Republic, native ranked sixth in the Czech Extraliga in goals-against average (2.49).

This now leaves the question as to what the Predators will do with pending restricted free agent Magnus Hellberg as well as if Juuse Saros will sign an entry level contract and make the leap to North America. That’s not to say Mazanec signing instantly pens him as the starting goaltender on opening night for the Milwaukee Admirals 2015-16 season opener or anything. For all we know he could still get moved. Still, it is the first action taken of many possible from the Nashville brass when it comes to the goaltending situation behind Pekka Rinne.

Thoughts on this news? Is this bad news for Hellberg? How will the goaltending shape out in Milwaukee next season?

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After a year filled with rumors on where the Winnipeg Jets would relocate its American Hockey League affiliate, Chairman of the Board for True North Sports & Entertainment Mark Chipman announced today that there would be no place like home for the club, as the Manitoba Moose are returning to the AHL four years after a successful 15-year run in the province.

The Moose will also be returning to their old rink as the MTS Centre will play host to the team, along with its parent club, the Jets. Manitoba becomes the second AHL to carry that arrangement, with San Jose as the other team which will house it’s primary development club (Barracuda) in the same rink. Toronto’s AHL Marlies are located in the same city as the Maple Leafs (and also share a practice facility), but play just down the road at the Ricoh Centre.

The biggest change for the Moose compared to its former incarnation is the color scheme, as the team will take on the same blues and grays to match Winnipeg, while essentially retaining its former logo. The Moose averaged 8,404 fans per game in their final season prior to relocating to St. John’s when Jets returned to Winnipeg in 2011-2012.

St. John’s which is losing the IceCaps, will gain the franchise formerly known as the Hamiliton Bulldogs, as Montreal’s primary affiliate will play in Newfoundland during the 2015-16 AHL season and another year beyond at minimum. The IceCaps name will carry over to the new team. Thunder Bay, Ontario was originally rumored as a destination for Winnipeg’s AHL franchise, but True North announced that it was moving the IceCaps to Winnipeg in March.

The addition of Winnipeg, means that further geographical redistribution of the AHL will be required this summer by the league.

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The last of the opening round series came to a close yesterday. Of note, the Grand Rapids Griffins came all the way back from 2-0 hole to defeat the Toronto Marlies in the best-of-five series. The Griffins weren’t alone in getting pushed heavily in the opening round, either. The Chicago Wolves forced a Game 5 against the top seeded Utica Comets before bowing out. Said it once and I’ll say it again. That Midwest Division is the toughest in the AHL. It would have been impressive if Jordan Binnington and company pulled off the upset.

Now that the opening round is done and dusted the semifinals are all set. I think that each conference has a whopper of a match-up this round. The Midwest Divisional battle between the Grand Rapids Griffins and Rockford IceHogs, who traded blow for blow down the stretch to decide the division crown, should be brilliant. And I’m expecting the top seeded Eastern Conference squad, the Manchester Monarchs, to face a stiff test from top AHL netminder and rookie this season Matt Murray and his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Here is the full slate of games and their schedules:

~Eastern Conference~

(1) Manchester Monarchs vs. (4) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Game 1 – Wed, May 6 – @ Manchester, 6pm CST
Game 2 – Thu, May 7 – @ Manchester, 6pm CST
Game 3 – Sat, May 9 – @ W-B/Scranton, 6:05pm CST
Game 4 – Mon, May 11 – @ W-B/Scranton, 6:05pm CST
Game 5 – Tue, May 12 – @ W-B/Scranton, 6:05pm CST
Game 6 – Fri, May 15 – @ Manchester, 6pm CST
Game 7 – Sat, May 16 – @ Manchester, 6pm CST

(2) Hershey Bears vs. (3) Hartford Wolf Pack
Game 1 – Wed, May 6 – @ Hershey, 6pm CST
Game 2 – Fri, May 8 – @ Hershey, 6pm CST
Game 3 – Sun, May 10 – @ Hartford, 2pm CST
Game 4 – Mon, May 11 – @ Hartford, 6pm CST
Game 5 – Wed, May 13 – @ Hershey, 6pm CST
Game 6 – Fri, May 15 – @ Hartford, 6pm CST
Game 7 – Sun, May 17 – @ Hershey, 4pm CST

~Western Conference~

(1) Utica Comets vs. (6) Oklahoma City Barons
Game 1 – Thu, May 7 – @ Utica, 6pm CST
Game 2 – Fri, May 8 – @ Utica, 6pm CST
Game 3 – Mon, May 11 – @ Oklahoma City, 7pm CST
Game 4 – Wed, May 13 – @ Oklahoma City, 7pm CST
Game 5 – Thu, May 14 – @ Oklahoma City, 7pm CST
Game 6 – Mon, May 18 – @ Utica, 6pm CST
Game 7 – Wed, May 20 – @ Utica, 6pm CST

(2) Grand Rapids Griffins vs. (4) Rockford IceHogs
Game 1 – Wed., May 6 – @ Grand Rapids, 6pm CST
Game 2 – Fri., May 8 – @ Grand Rapids, 6pm CST
Game 3 – Wed., May 13 – @ Rockford, 7pm CST
Game 4 – Thu., May 14 – @ Rockford, 7pm CST
Game 5 – Sun., May 17 – @ Rockford, 4pm CST
Game 6 – Tue., May 19 – @ Grand Rapids, 6pm CST
Game 7 – Wed., May 20 – @ Grand Rapids, 6pm CST

Of note, Game 3 and Game 4 of the Bear/ Wolf Pack series will take place in Worcester and not the home confines of Hartford. I assume that is some sort of scheduling issue that impacted Hartford. Hopefully their fans turn up in numbers to still make that seem like a home ice advantage.

Randoms of the opening round: The lone lower ranked seed to advance were the Oklahoma City Barons who swept their divisional foes and division winning San Antonio Rampage. The Rampage were 9-1-2-0 against the Barons in the regular season before getting swept. There were three Game 5’s in this year’s opening round – two of which involved the top seeds from each conference. There were three three-game sweeps in the opening round – Rockford IceHogs over the Texas Stars, Oklahoma City Barons over the San Antonio Rampage, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins over the Syracuse Crunch. The Stars elimination means there will be a newly crowned Calder Cup champion this season. The Stars elimination was the first time a previous year’s Calder Cup champion was swept in an opening round series the following season in eleven years. In what will be Worcester’s final AHL game, due to the Pacific Division coming to fruition, they lost 10-4 to the Bears.

Also, the ECHL semifinals are already underway. Scott Ford and his South Carolina Stingrays are up 2-0 over the Florida Everblades. Gary Steffes and the Allen Americans are tied 1-1 with the Rapid City Rush. I am really pulling for a Stingrays/Americans 2015 Kelly Cup Finals. At least it would be fun if one of our two Admirals from this season get that far.

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The entire Nashville Predators organization is currently in off-season mode. And, thanks to their cracking staff, have provided a schedule full of the important dates ahead on the off-season calendar.

2015 Nashville Predators Offseason Schedule

As you’ll have seen atop the list, the IIHF World Championships started today in Marek Mazanec‘s native Czech Republic. The newest Predators signing Steve Moses made an immediate impression by scoring a ridiculous backhander on soon-to-be teammate Pekka Rinne. I’m sure that will provide an instant laugh once he joins Nashville camp.

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The Milwaukee Admirals and Cincinnati Cyclones didn’t make their respective playoffs. Meanwhile, the Admirals parent club the Nashville Predators concluded their season following an opening round playoff defeat to the Chicago Blackhawks in a tight six-game series.

To get some perspective on the Predators season and some insight on the off-season to come I reached out to Penalty Box Radio’s Justin Bradford to do a Q&A with Admirals Roundtable. I had some Q’s on the mind. He was kind enough to provide some A’s!

Continue reading “Q&A with Penalty Box Radio’s Justin Bradford” →

You know what the Milwaukee Admirals lacked this season? Finns. There was only one player from Finland on the roster this season and that was Miikka Salomäki. He was surrounded by a gaggle of Swedes with last names ending in berg. Well, good news Miikka! The Nashville Predators may have just added a second Finn into the fold for next season by signing free agent defenseman Kristian Näkyvä to an entry level contract.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tennessee (April 24, 2015) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Friday that the club has signed free-agent defenseman Kristian Näkyvä to a one-year, entry-level contract.

Näkyvä, 24 (11/18/90), played his first season with Lulea of the Swedish Hockey League in 2014-15, tying for the league lead among defensemen in goals (10), tying for fifth at the position in points (29) and ranking eighth in assists (19).

Prior to joining Lulea, the 6-0, 190-pounder spent three seasons with JYP of the Finnish Elite League, ranking among the Top 10 blueliners in points in both 2012-13 and 2013-14 while winning a league title in 2011-12.

A native of Helsinki, Finland, Näkyvä played his junior hockey in the Espoo Blues organization, captaining the club to a junior league title in 2008-09 while winning the Raimo Helminen Award for having the best plus/minus (+32).

I would have wagged my finger and made mention that not all entry level contracts guarantee that the player will jump the pond and arrive in North America, Max Görtz, but this is a one-year deal. That pretty much tells me he’s an Admiral next season. When you think about what that means for everyone else it makes competition for an AHL spot potentially even tougher than it was this season… or does it?

Jonathan Diaby, Garrett Noonan, Johan Alm, Jaynen Rissling, and Mikko Vainonen are the only guaranteed defensemen that will be back next season. The signing of Näkyvä could signal the end of the road for Anthony Bitetto, Joe Piskula, Taylor Aronson, or Jimmy Oligny. Now, when reading those names, who would you pick as the odd man out? I’d hate to speculate (so allow me to speculate) but Oligny is the odd man out in this situation with Näkyvä, also a left-handed shooting defenseman, now in the mix. This being pretty much the first of many off-season moves to be made system wide I suppose we should all just kick back and wait to see what happens next.

Thoughts on the signing of Kristian Näkyvä? What does his inclusion to the organization mean to some of the defensemen in Milwaukee or Cincinnati? Who do you think ends up getting let loose as a result?

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Firstly, a massive cheers to the Milwaukee Admirals and Buck Bradley’s for last night’s Nashville Predators viewing party. Lot of good fans were on-hand. Favorite of mine included someone wearing a Darren Haydar Predators #54 jersey that was autographed. I cut loose after the second period and, needless to say, that was a good call. That game almost lasted as long as the pub was scheduled to be open until. Shame that the Predators are now down 3-1 in the series but I still am optimistic about things. I feel out of all opening round series they’re currently playing the biggest and closest chess match there is.

Alright, let’s just point out the obvious. This is not “Season in Review” material. In fact, this isn’t even Predators organization related. Instead I want to ask you folks a question that struck me the moment the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery went down.

Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel will be the prizes of the 2015 NHL Draft but it’s pretty clear that McDavid is the favored of the two. When the Edmonton Oilers lucked out on winning their fourth draft lottery in five years it poses a question that should have other teams in the NHL looking into their proverbial wallets.

Would you be willing to trade the number one overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft or part ways with one of your recent first overall selections?

When the lottery was decided the name Eric Lindros was trending on Twitter for quite awhile. While most pointed to his decision stand off on the Quebec Nordiques in the 1991 NHL Draft I instead thought of the repercussions of what trading him away did for the Nordiques franchise. Look at what became of the eventual franchise known as the Colorado Avalanche after the Lindros trade and look at what became of the team that had acquired him.

While supposed generational talents come along every so often, McDavid has been hyped for some time now, it poses a question of value and quantity over quality. The Oilers haven’t had much of either in a long time despite their top draft selections which could mean a haul for either Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, or Nail Yakupov won’t give you the kickback as a trade for McDavid would. Could it be possible for the Oilers to pass on this year’s top pick, settle on those aforementioned named, but better their team by claiming a big time price tag attached to McDavid’s name? Highly unlikely, but -if they did- the right package back could set their ship pointed in a direction they’ve not been pointed in for decades.

The more likely alternative here is the one I look forward to actually seeing play out. If McDavid is in who should be on the move and where’s that kid going to go? If you look at the names above the likely man McDavid would directly replace would be Nugent-Hopkins as a center. Last season he produced 56 points (24 goals, 32 assists) in 76 games for the Oilers. I’d go as far to say he is the most consistent member of their first overall selection club and should be worth the most on the trade market. To boot, his contract isn’t all that bad and carriers into the 2020-21 season. He could bring in some nice pieces to the Oilers mix to make them better in the long run as well. The question is who would be gunning for him and what sort of ransom would the Oilers be asking in exchange?

I was mystified when the Oilers won yet another draft lottery but it does present an interesting situation in which I feel someone will need to jump ship and the Oilers are the guys holding all their cards as a result of this position of draft power. Recent history has shown that they simply don’t have a clue at structuring a team for success but the ability to change that is there with the right move. The question is, do you trade that first overall pick or send one of your former first overall selections away? I’m pretty sure at least one of those could become a reality. And, as Oilers assistant general manager Bill Scott said at the draft lottery, you never know what can happen.

Put yourselves in the Edmonton Oilers camp for a moment. What would you do in their position? What deal would you make and what would you be looking to acquire for either the top overall pick in this year’s draft or one of your former top draft selections?

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The 2014-15 AHL regular season officially came to an end today and now the first round playoff matches are set. The Manchester Monarchs and Utica Comets are the top seeds of their respective conferences. As far as what was decided Sunday night the Portland Pirates survived a thriller of a game to secure the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Toronto Marlies took down the Chicago Wolves to claim the seventh seed and push the Amtrak Rivals down to the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

With all things in order, and the dust neatly settled from the regular season, here is the opening round match-ups for the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs.

~Western Conference~

(1) Utica Comets vs. (8) Chicago Wolves
Game 1 – Apr. 22 – Utica @ Chicago, 7pm CST
Game 2 – Apr. 24 – Utica @ Chicago, 7pm CST
Game 3 – Apr. 29 – Chicago @ Utica, 6pm CST
Game 4 – May 1 – Chicago @ Utica, 6pm CST
Game 5 – May 2 – Chicago @ Utica, 6pm CST

(2) Grand Rapids Griffins vs. (7) Toronto Marlies
Game 1 – Apr. 25 – Grand Rapids @ Toronto, 2pm CST
Game 2 – Apr. 26 – Grand Rapids @ Toronto, 2pm CST
Game 3 – Apr. 29 – Toronto @ Grand Rapids, 6pm CST
Game 4 – May 2 – Toronto @ Grand Rapids, 6pm CST
Game 5 – May 3 – Toronto @ Grand Rapids, 4pm CST

(3) San Antonio Rampage vs. (6) Oklahoma City Barons
Game 1 – Apr. 23 – San Antonio @ Oklahoma City, 8pm CST
Game 2 – Apr. 25 – San Antonio @ Oklahoma City, 8pm CST
Game 3 – Apr. 29 – Oklahoma City @ San Antonio, 8pm CST
Game 4 – May 1 – Oklahoma City @ San Antonio, 8:30pm CST
Game 5 – May 2 – Oklahoma City @ San Antonio, 8pm CST

(4) Rockford IceHogs vs. (5) Texas Stars
Game 1 – Apr. 24 – Rockford @ Texas, 8:30pm CST
Game 2 – Apr. 25 – Rockford @ Texas, 8:00pm CST
Game 3 – Apr. 29 – Texas @ Rockford, 8:00pm CST
Game 4 – May 1 – Texas @ Rockford, 8:00pm CST
Game 5 – May 2 – Texas @ Rockford, 8:00pm CST

~Eastern Conference~

(1) Manchester Monarchs vs. (8) Portland Pirates
Game 1 – Apr. 23 – Portland @ Manchester, 6pm CST
Game 2 – Apr. 25 – Portland @ Manchester, 6pm CST
Game 3 – Apr. 26 – Manchester @ Portland, 4pm CST
Game 4 – Apr. 30 – Manchester @ Portland, 6pm CST
Game 5 – May 2 – Portland @ Manchester, 6pm CST

(2) Hershey Bears vs. (7) Worcester Sharks
Game 1 – Apr. 24 – Hershey @ Worcester, 6pm CST
Game 2 – Apr. 25 – Hershey @ Worcester, 6pm CST
Game 3 – Apr. 29 – Worcester @ Hershey, 6pm CST
Game 4 – Apr. 1 – Worcester @ Hershey, 6pm CST
Game 5 – May 3 – Worcester @ Hershey, 4pm CST

(3) Hartford Wolf Pack vs. (6) Providence Bruins
Game 1 – Apr. 22 – Providence @ Hartford, 6pm CST
Game 2 – Apr. 25 – Providence @ Hartford, 6pm CST
Game 3 – Apr. 26 – Hartford @ Providence, 6:05pm CST
Game 4 – Apr. 28 – Hartford @ Providence, 6:05pm CST
Game 5 – May 1 – Providence @ Hartford, 6pm CST

(4) W-B/Scranton Penguins vs. (5) Syracuse Crunch
Game 1 – Apr. 24 – Syracuse @ W-B/Scranton, 6:05pm CST
Game 2 – Apr. 25 – Syracuse @ W-B/Scranton, 6:05pm CST
Game 3 – Apr. 29 – W-B/Scranton @ Syracuse, 6pm CST
Game 4 – Apr. 30 – W-B/Scranton @ Syracuse, 6pm CST
Game 5 – May 2 – Syracuse @ W-B/Scranton, 6:05pm CST

There you have it! The opening round is a best-of-five format before shifting to a best-of-seven in the conference semifinals. One thing that is bugging me while looking at these fixtures is… isn’t the opening round format meant to be the choice of the top seed either playing the first two games at home or last three games at home? What’s up with Monarchs/Pirates, Wolf Pack/Bruins, and Penguins/Crunch?

Well, per the AHL press release, the phrase “unless building availability dictates otherwise” is the key there. If I’m the lower seed in any of those match-ups I’d be fairly frustrated if there is a game five scenario because there is a massive advantage given to the high seed to start and end a playoff series on home ice. While that doesn’t sound like anything that new, it’s how any best-of-seven works, the team selection of home ice for two games to start or three games to end the series can play a big role in how a series plays out. Interestingly, as you can see in the schedule, some teams elected to get those home games first and take the risk of three road games to end the series. Most tend to elect for the final three games of the series on home ice. Is that any different than having two games to start the series and one game for the crucial deciding game five? To me it is because you get home ice momentum at the start and for the finish which otherwise wouldn’t be the case – and isn’t for teams who can actually use their playing facility on a scheduled date for a game.

That was a weird things for me to see and I’d love to see some of those series go the distance to see some of the banter that gets raised from such questions I posed above. Could be a difference. Could be no difference what so ever. Either way it should be fun to kick back and see if it actually has an impact.

I’m not sure who you folks have taking the Calder Cup this season but I’ve got my mind made up already. I think the 2015 Calder Cup Finals will be between the Griffins and Monarchs with the Midwest Division leaders from Grand Rapids taking their second championship in three seasons.

Who do you see advancing from the opening round? Do you have any favorites to win it all now? What is your predictions for the Calder Cup Final and pick to win?

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