Tonight is the 2015 AHL All Star Skills Competition that will feature Milwaukee Admirals Magnus Hellberg and Brendan Leipsic. Unlike the NHL format of two team captains and a fantasy draft the AHL is simply a matter of Eastern Conference versus Western Conference. So, sadly, we will not get to have Brian Elliott and Vladimir Tarasenko type moment between Hellberg and Leipsic.

For those that do not know when and where to watch, the entire broadcast availability and schedule can be found right here. In Wisconsin tonight’s Skills Competition and tomorrow’s All Star Classic will be broadcasted on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. The Skills Competition starts at 7pm tonight and the game itself starts at 6pm tomorrow night.

The players and events for tonight’s Skills Competition have all been wired together. Here is what to look out for.

Event 1 – Sher-Wood Puck Control Relay
EAST	WEST
Race #1
Shane Prince (BNG)	Ty Rattie (CHI)
Alexander Khokhlachev (PRO)	Brad Hunt (OKC)
Matt Taormina (WOR)	Charles Hudon (HAM)
Winning team earns one goal
Race #2
Joe Whitney (ALB)	Connor Brown (TOR)
Tim Kennedy (HER)	Stefan Elliott (LE)
Chris Wideman (BNG)	Brendan Leipsic (MIL)
Winning team earns one goal
Race #3
Aaron Ness (BRI)	Phil Varone (RCH)
Winning player earns one goal for team
Race #4
Jonathan Marchessault (SYR)	Cal O’Reilly (UTI)
Winning player earns one goal for team

Event 2 – CCM Fastest Skater
EAST	sec.	WEST	sec.
Heat #1
Austin Madaisky (SPR)		Andrew Miller (OKC)
Heat #2
Colin Miller (MCH)		Emile Poirier (ADK)
Heat #3
Vladislav Namestnikov (SYR)		Ryan Murphy (CHA)
Individual with fastest time earns one goal for team
Fastest team average time earns one goal

Event 3 – AHL Live Rapid Fire
EAST	WEST	Saves	Goals
Heat #1
Chris Bourque (HFD)	Magnus Hellberg (MIL)
Brendan Shinnimin (POR)
Heat #2
J.F. Berube (MCH)	Mark McNeill (RFD)
	Teemu Pulkkinen (GR)
Heat #3
Tom Kostopoulos (WBS)	Richard Bachman (OKC)
Derrick Pouliot (WBS)
Heat #4
Philipp Grubauer (HER)	Drew Shore (ADK)
	Maxime Fortunus (TEX)
Heat #5
Chris Wagner (NOR)	Jacob Markstrom (UTI)
Jordan Weal (MCH)
Heat #6
Connor Hellebuyck (STJ)	Brendan Leipsic (MIL)
	Bobby Sanguinetti (UTI)
Team with the most total saves earns one goal

Event 4 – CCM Hardest Shot
EAST	mph	WEST	mph
Connor Carrick (HER)		Alex Petrovic (SA)
Brandon Manning (LV)		Matt Dumba (IA)
Austin Madaisky (SPR)		Brad Hunt (OKC)
Colin Miller (MCH)		T.J. Brennan (RFD)
Team with the higher average speed earns one goal
Player with hardest shot earns one goal for team

Event 5 – Turning Stone Resort Casino Accuracy Shooting
EAST	hits	att	WEST	hits	att
Paul Thompson (ALB)			Stefan Elliott (LE)
Shane Prince (BNG)			Emile Porier (ADK)
Tom Kostopoulos (WBS)			Mark McNeill (RFD)
Chris Bourque (HFD)			Maxime Fortunus (TEX)
Player with most hits in fewest attempts earns one goal for team
Team with most total hits in fewest attempts earns one goal

Event 6 – Turning Stone Resort Casino Pass and Score
EAST	WEST	goals	saves
Heat #1
Chris Wideman (BNG)	Magnus Hellberg (MIL)
Brendan Shinnimin (POR)
Alexander Khokhlachev (PRO)
Heat #2
J.F. Berube (MCH)	Connor Brown (TOR)
	Charles Hudon (HAM)
	T.J. Brennan (RFD)
Heat #3
Paul Thompson (ALB)	Richard Bachman (OKC)
Joe Whitney (ALB)
Derrick Pouliot (WBS)
Heat #4
Philipp Grubauer (HER)	Teemu Pulkkinen (GR)
	Ty Rattie (CHI)
	Matt Dumba (IA)
Heat #5
Jonathan Marchessault (SYR)	Jacob Markstrom (UTI)
Vladislav Namestnikov (SYR)
Matt Taormina (WOR)
Heat #6
Connor Hellebuyck (STJ)	Phil Varone (RCH)
	Cal O’Reilly (UTI)
	Bobby Sanguinetti (UTI)
Each individual goal scored counts toward overall team score

Event 7 – Panasonic Breakaway Relay
EAST	goal	save	WEST	goal	save
Round #1
Chris Wagner (NOR)			Andrew Miller (OKC)
Aaron Ness (BRI)			Brendan Leipsic (MIL)
Shane Prince (BNG)			Ryan Murphy (CHA)
Connor Carrick (HER)			Alex Petrovic (SA)
Jordan Weal (MCH)			Drew Shore (ADK)
Tim Kennedy (HER)			Emile Poirier (ADK)
vs. Magnus Hellberg (MIL)			vs. J.F. Berube (MCH)
Round #2
Brendan Shinnimin (POR)			Connor Brown (TOR)
Derrick Pouliot (WBS)			Brad Hunt (OKC)
Joe Whitney (ALB)			Charles Hudon (HAM)
Brandon Manning (LV)			Mark McNeill (RFD)
A. Khokhlachev (PRO)			Maxime Fortunus (TEX)
Chris Bourque (HFD)			Bobby Sanguinetti (UTI)
vs. Richard Bachman (OKC)			vs. Philipp Grubauer (HER)
Round #3
Paul Thompson (ALB)			Teemu Pulkkinen (GR)
Chris Wideman (BNG)			T.J. Brennan (RFD)
Matt Taormina (WOR)			Matt Dumba (IA)
J. Marchessault (SYR)			Ty Rattie (CHI)
V. Namestnikov (SYR)			Phil Varone (RCH)
Tom Kostopoulos (WBS)			Cal O’Reilly (UTI)
vs. Jacob Markstrom (UTI)			vs. Connor Hellebuyck (STJ)
Each individual goal scored counts toward the overall team score

Going to be seeing Hellberg early and often in these competitions. The Rapid Fire segment is really the one last season that showcased goaltending more than any other event. With the big Swede first tendy to work for the West it might allow him a bit of an advantage to just let the instincts take over.

It would have been a blast to see Leipsic involved in the Fastest Skater event. No matter, he should be a lot of fun to watch in all the events he has been listed in. I’ll especially be looking forward to his efforts in the breakaway relay.

Excited to have two Admirals involved in this year’s AHL All Star festivities? How do you think they’ll fair? Who will win the Skills Competition tonight?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.

I had pondered how Zach Budish remained up with the Milwaukee Admirals when talking about the recent reassignment of Joe Pendenza, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Garrett Noonan. Apologies for the oversight -but- it turns out he is also part of that same group making their way to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

Budish has only played in 13 games with the Admirals this season. Ironically the team has won all games that he has played. He has 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) in the AHL this season. The better part of his 2014-15 campaign has been with the Cyclones of the ECHL where he has 21 points (7 goals, 14 assists) in 23 games.

With Budish now on the move the Admirals have 13 total forwards in their ranks. Mike Liambas was a scratch last night so it kind of becomes a matter of picking your spots as to when you want to rotate him in and for who.

Would you prefer to see Budish stay? How would you work Liambas in and out of the forward group and is there room for another bruiser like him with this current lineup?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.

There were plenty of bodies in Admirals camp the day I attended practice on Tuesday. So much so there was an extra forward line plus an added forward and defenseman. Today the Admirals have cleared some of that up by reassigning Joe Pendenza, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Garrett Noonan to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

This move was sure to come when Kevin Fiala and Viktor Stålberg rolled into town. It’s the second stint down for Pendenza who has only played in one game for the Cyclones this season. It’s the first reassignment for Gaudreau who has been a healthy scratch for thirteen of the Admirals forty games played this season. As for Mr. Noonan, it is his second stint with the Cyclones. Similar to Pendenza, Noonan only logged one game before getting brought right back up.

I find it interesting to see that Pendenza and Gaudreau have been given the reassignment today over the likes of Zach Budish.It would appear the Minnesota native’s recent play has kept him around the AHL for a little bit. Though, for how the forward lines operate, Budish effectively is competing with Rich Clune, Triston Grant, and Mike Liambas for playing time at the moment.

Last night’s injury update on Johan Alm shed some light as to his current recovery. He is back to skating after missing the last nineteen games due to an “upper body” injury. There is no projected time table for Alm’s return, but the fact that he is back on the ice skating is a step in the right direction. Jonathan Diaby has really filled his role alongside Joe Piskula since Alm left the lineup and it has pushed Noonan on the outside looking in for minutes.

Thoughts on the roster moves? Correct choices? Surprised or not surprised that Budish is sticking around?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.

Before tonight’s game there are some goaltending moves in the organization. Marek Mazanec has been reassigned by the Nashville Predators to the Milwaukee Admirals and Rob Madore has been reassigned from the Admirals to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

NHL All Star Weekend runs from Janurary 24-25 and the Predators don’t play for another six days. The AHL All Star Classic goes from January 25-26. The move up top could be done to keep Mazanec going with games tonight and on Friday for the Admirals. It could also be a way for them to keep their options open after Magnus Hellberg finishes up his All Star duties.

Mazanec only played in one game during his recent call up. He relieved Carter Hutton in net in a 5-2 road loss against the Detroit Red Wings. Mazanec stopped 18/20 shots on goal. Both goals he allowed were scored by the Red Wings on the power-play. Meanwhile, Madore never had the chance to get an AHL game for the Admirals during his call up. He served on the bench for all three games of the recent road trip.

Thoughts on the roster moves? Do you think that Hellberg will be called up after all the NHL/AHL All Star extravaganza stuff gets finished?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.

Sometimes it a takes a seven-game winning streak for a team to get noticed. The Milwaukee Admirals and Brenden Leipsic earned some much deserved recognition when the forward was selected to join the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic.

Press Release via the AHL:

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today several rosters changes for the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino, set for this Sunday and Monday in Utica, N.Y.

Added to the Eastern Conference AHL All-Star roster are Hershey Bears defenseman Connor Carrick, Syracuse Crunch forward Jonathan Marchessault, Binghamton Senators forward Shane Prince and Albany Devils forward Paul Thompson.

Joining the Western Conference AHL All-Star roster are Milwaukee Admirals forward Brendan Leipsic, Rockford IceHogs forward Mark McNeill, Oklahoma City Barons forward Andrew Miller and San Antonio Rampage defenseman Alex Petrovic.

In addition, the AHL announced that Syracuse defenseman Nikita Nesterov, Manchester forwards Brian O’Neill and Nick Shore, Providence forward David Pastrnak, San Antonio forward Bobby Butler, Oklahoma City forward Anton Lander, Rockford forward Joakim Nordstrom and Grand Rapids defenseman Xavier Ouellet will all be unavailable for the event.
The AHL also announced the results of the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic Fan Balloting presented by CCM, as league fans voted to determine the starting lineups for Monday night’s 2015 AHL All-Star Game:

Eastern Conference
G – Anton Forsberg, Springfield
D – Austin Madaisky, Springfield
D – Derrick Pouliot, W-B/Scranton
F – Chris Bourque, Hartford
F – Tom Kostopoulos, W-B/Scranton
F – Vladislav Namestnikov, Syracuse

Western Conference
G – Jacob Markstrom, Utica
D – T.J. Brennan, Rockford
D – Bobby Sanguinetti, Utica
F – Connor Brown, Toronto
F – Cal O’Reilly, Utica
F – Teemu Pulkkinen, Grand Rapids

It has been a stellar first season for the Nashville Predators’ 2012 third-round draft pick. Leipsic leads the Admirals with 29 points and all league rookies with 25 assists. He ranks third among AHL first year players in points.

The Winnipeg native will join Milwaukee goaltender Magnus Hellberg at the team’s representatives in Utica for the two-day event beginning on Sunday with the skills competition and concluding with the game on Monday night. Neither player were named as starters. Three Comets earned that honor, including former Admiral/Predator Cal O’Reilly.

Riding the season-high seven game winning clip, Milwaukee currently stands in fourth place in the Western Conference and three points behind Midwest Division leading Rockford. Tonight’s opponent Utica, leads the North Division and is one point clear of the IceHogs.

So Roundtable . . . Has justice been served for Leipsic? Are you excited to see Leipsic take his place among the AHL All-Stars?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.

The never ending up down and around season for Viktor Stålberg today. The Nashville Predators have reassigned the Swedish forward to the Milwaukee Admirals. It is the fourth move down to the Admirals from the Predators this season for Stålberg.

It seemed like his latest move up to the Predators was going relatively well. Stålberg produced 3 assists in 5 games in his latest rodeo with the Predators and the team went 4-0-1 in those games. in his last game he played the least amount of ice time of any Predators forward and then sat out for the next three games before being reassigned to the Admirals.

With Kevin Fiala joining the team this week, and now Stålberg being reassigned, it would appear that the winger position has been massively overloaded for the Admirals. Perhaps that’s a reason for putting Austin Watson back at the center position last game. There has yet to be an announcement of corresponding moves that would place players to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL but I’d imagine that it would only be a matter of time before that takes place.

What’s your take on Viktor Stålberg? Has he lost what it takes to be an every day NHL player or is he simply in the wrong organization right now? Who gets sent to the ECHL?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.

Yesterday Anthony Bitetto received his first career NHL call up and made his debut in last night’s Nashville Predators game against the Detroit Red Wings. Now that the dust has settled from that game he’s coming right back to the Milwaukee Admirals.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (January 18, 2015) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the team has reassigned defenseman Anthony Bitetto to Milwaukee (AHL).

Bitetto, 24 (7/15/90), played 11:01 in his NHL debut on Saturday night at Detroit.

The Nashville Predators – who have an 8-1-2 record since the Christmas Break – play their final contest before the All-Star Break on Tuesday at Montreal (6:30 p.m. CT, FOX Sports Tennessee, 102.5 The Game). Following the All-Star Break, the Predators return to Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 27 to face the visiting Colorado Avalanche.

As mentioned in the press release, Bitetto logged 11:01 of ice time in his debut which was the lowest total by any defensemen in the game. He was a -1 on the night, delivered 2 hits, and recorded a giveaway. All things being said, I’m sure the result of the game doesn’t hinder the enjoyment for him having checked “playing in the NHL” off the bucket list.

Thoughts on the Nashville Predators calling up Anthony Bitetto for last night’s game? In your opinion was this a matter of the Preds rewarding Bitetto for his work or should they have called up someone else?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.

The Milwaukee Admirals will be short a defenseman tonight. The Nashville Predators have just recalled Anthony Bitetto for his first career call up and he is expected to make his NHL debut tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (January 17, 2015) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Saturday that the team has recalled defenseman Anthony Bitetto from Milwaukee (AHL). This is Bitetto’s first career recall.

Bitetto, 24 (7/15/90), leads Milwaukee defensemen in points (2g-17a-19pts) while appearing in all 38 of the team’s games in 2014-15. During the team’s current six-game winning streak, the Island Park, New York, native has six points (1g-5a), moving him into a tie for eighth among all AHL blueliners in assists, and into the Top 15 League d-men in points. A season ago, his first full campaign at the AHL level, the 6-0, 215-pounder tied for sixth among AHL defensemen in goals (11), and for ninth in power-play goals (6).

Nashville’s fourth choice, 168th overall (sixth round), in the 2010 Entry Draft, Bitetto did not miss a game during a two-year collegiate career at Northeastern University (Hockey East) from 2010-12, compiling 35 points (7g-28a) in 72 games, and helped the Indiana Ice win the 2009 Clark Cup as United States Hockey League champions. He is on Twitter @ABitetto7.

The Nashville Predators, who are in the midst of a five-game winning streak, take on the Detroit Red Wings tonight (6 p.m. CT, FOX Sports Tennessee, 102.5 The Game) and the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday (6:30 p.m. CT, FOX Sports Tennessee, 102.5 The Game), their final two games before the NHL’s All-Star Break. Following the All-Star Break, the NHL-leading Predators return to Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 27 to face the visiting Colorado Avalanche.

Bitetto has played 144 career games for the Admirals at the time of this call up and has 60 points (14 goals, 46 assists) over three seasons. He also played with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL during the 2012-13 season where he played 23 games scoring 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists). He joins Miikka Salomäki as the second Admiral to earn their first career NHL call up this season.

This news comes before the Admirals take on the Adirondack Flames later tonight. With Taylor Aronson and Johan Alm both seemingly out of the lineup with injury, and no recall from the ECHL, it looks as if the Admirals will have to roll with five defensemen tonight.

Excited for the NHL debut of Anthony Bitetto? What impact will this have on the Admirals game tonight? How do the Admirals work with five defenseman if Aronson and Alm remain hurt?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.

Hold on to your butts, Admirals fans. The Nashville Predators have just reassigned Kevin Fiala to the Milwaukee Admirals from HV71 of the SHL. The Switzerland native was the first round selection of the Predators in the 2014 NHL Draft.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (January 15, 2015) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Thursday that the club has assigned forward Kevin Fiala to the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals. The St. Gallen, Switzerland native played the first half of the 2014-15 season with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League.

“We would like to commend and thank former Nashville Predator and HV71 Head Coach Andreas Johansson for his mentorship of Kevin both on and off the ice over the past season and a half and wish them the best in their playoff push,” Poile said. “However, we feel that Kevin’s development into an NHL-ready player is best served by playing the duration of the 2014-15 season under the guidance of Milwaukee Head Coach Dean Evason and Assistant Coach Stan Drulia in the Predators system. By getting a head start on the acclimation process to the North American style of play and smaller rinks, we expect Kevin – like Filip Forsberg two seasons ago – will continue his growth as a dynamic offensive prospect.”

Fiala, 18 (7/22/96), posted 14 points (5g-9a) in 20 games for HV-71 this season, tied for the fourth-most goals and assists, and sixth-most points among SHL junior players. The 5-10, 180-pound winger also represented Switzerland at the 2015 World Junior Championship, being named one of the nation’s three best players for the tournament while tying for fifth among all skaters in goals (4g-1a-5pts, 6gp).

In 2013-14, Fiala was a finalist for the 2014 Swedish Hockey League Rookie of the Year Award after tying for the lead in points among all under-18 SHL players with 11 (3g-8a) in 17 games for HV71. The 13th overall selection in the 2014 Draft represented his homeland at the World Junior Championship, Under-18 World Championship and World Championship in 2014, becoming just the third player ever to participate in all three tournaments in the same year (Andrei Kostitsyn and Vadim Karagan, Belarus in 2003).

This news should come as yet another massive boost to an Admirals team that is trending upwards. The team is currently riding a five game winning streak and is seeking to hunt down the Rockford IceHogs for the lead of the Midwest Division. Fiala will add just one more flashy forward prospect to a rookie group that already has Brendan Leipsic, Pontus Åberg, and fellow 2014 NHL Draft selection with Fiala – Viktor Arvidsson.

Excited for the North American pro debut of Kevin Fiala? What will his addition do for the Milwaukee Admirals and who ends up being the odd man out?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.

In sort of a surprising move, the Nashville Predators have announced that Mikko Vainonen has been assigned to SaiPa of SM-Liiga. The defenseman had been playing for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL during the 2014-15 season prior to this assignment.

Press Release via Milwaukee Admirals:

Nashville, Tenn. (January 15, 2015) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has assigned defenseman Mikko Vainonen (MEE-koh vigh-NOH-nehn) to SaiPa of the Finnish Elite League (SM-Liiga).

Vainonen, 20 (4/11/94), has five assists in 31 games for Nashville’s ECHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones, in 2014-15. Nashville’s sixth choice, 118th overall (fourth round), in the 2012 Entry Draft helped Finland claim gold at the 2014 World Junior Championship, their first gold medal at the tournament since 1987.

Again, interesting decision by the Predators. I’m not too sure if this is being done because Vainonen needs a bigger test than the ECHL can provide or if they just feel that his development could use some home cooking in Finland. No matter the reasoning behind the move it means one less defenseman in North America for the Admirals and Cyclones.

Vainonen had 5 assists in 31 games for the Cyclones with a plus/minus rating of -8 and 16 penalty minutes. He made his North American pro hockey debut as a member of the Admirals after finishing up his junior playing career with the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL.

Thoughts on this decision for the Nashville Predators and Mikko Vainonen? Does this say something about the ECHL as a developmental league or is it simply a decision to have him play at home for a bit?

Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.