This celebration happened six times last night. The Admirals were only able to do it four times in three games against Drew MacIntyre in last year’s playoffs! (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The Milwaukee Admirals season started with a bang. They won 6-3 and plenty of the new guys looked right at home in their debuts. The second period may have been rough for the Ads. It became a 3-3 games. But the response in the third period speaks highly to what team could be on our hands this season. Instant answer. Quick team defense. And keeping the throttle down when skating up ice for offensive chances.
This might be the youngest team in the AHL but it didn’t show in the opener. Some areas in the defense will need improvement but this is a team that can only get stronger with games played together as a unit. The talent level spoke volumes over the woes of inexperience. And I think that things can be really special with this team in 2014-15.
After the game I spoke with head coach Dean Evason. I also had the chance to talk to Anthony Bitetto, Pontus Åberg, Viktor Arvidsson, and Zach Budish. Here is what everyone had to say after the victorious season opener.
Former Admirals Ryan Ellis and Pekka Rinne helped the Predators defeat Ottawa 3-2 in Nashville’s season opener. Photo via Predators.NHL.com by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images
One night before the Milwaukee takes the ice for their first game of the season against Charlotte, the Admirals NHL Affiliate Nashville opened its 2014-2015 campaign with a 3-2 home victory against Ottawa.
Several ex-Admirals made the Predators’ opening night lineup, include three, Filip Forsberg, Calle Järnkrok and Pekka Rinne, that dressed in games with Milwaukee last season. Forsberg got off to a terrific start in Nashville, picking up a pair of assists in 15:11 of ice time. The 20-year-old Swede’s first point came on a beautiful setup of Craig Smith‘s power play tally, while his second on a forced turnover contributed to Eric Nystrom‘s third period game winner.
Forsberg’s fellow Swedish countryman Jarnkrok had a much slower night, going pointless in 13:07. Meanwhile, Rinne looked like his old self on a relatively quiet night, stopping 18 of 20 shots to pick up his first win of the season.
Other former Admirals in Nashville’s opening night lineup, included Ryan Ellis, Shea Weber, Mattias Ekholm, Colin Wilson, Gabriel Bourque, Roman Josi and the earlier mentioned Madison, Wisconsin native Smith. Therefore, half of the Predators dressed skaters (10 altogether) enjoyed at least one stop in Milwaukee during their careers.
One longtime former Predator, David Legwand, suited up for the Senators in the debut contest. Nashville’s first-ever draft pick enjoyed this inglorious moment when he was called for a tripping penalty in the second period.
Jarnkrok and Forsberg’s ex-Admirals mates take to the ice tonight in Milwaukee’s 2014-2015 debut at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. You can read my season preview on MilwaukeeAdmirals.com.
So Roundtable . . . What did you think of Nashville’s first game of the season? Do you think we’ve seen the last of Calle Jarnkork and Filip Forsberg in Milwaukee? When Nashville comes calling for a forward or a defenseman, who do you think is going to be the Predators first call up?
Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.
Magnus Hellberg’s 2013-14 season was one to forget. Can he find the success he displayed in his rookie season this year? (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
It was Media Day for the Milwaukee Admirals. This meant getting a good look at the team prior to tomorrow night’s opener and plenty of opportunities to speak with coaches and players.
Let’s start first with what I saw of the team in practice. It currently seems as if Mike Liambas and Patrick Cehlin will start the season out of the lineup as both have injury setbacks. In addition, the forward lines have been given a bit of a shake up.
Pontus Aberg-Colton Sissons-Brendan Leipsic
Miikka Salomaki-Mark Van Guilder-Austin Watson
Viktor Arvidsson-Felix Girard-Triston Grant
Josh Shalla-Frederick Gaudreau/Joe Pendenza-Zach Budish
The bottom line was working between two centers. My gut instinct says Frederick Gaudreau gets the go-ahead of Joe Pendenza for tomorrow night. As for the defensemen. They were all there. All eight of them. As you could imagine that meant pretty static lines during practice. It seemed as though the one that didn’t get rattled much was Anthony Bitetto on the left with Garrett Noonan to his right. Not so cut and dry as to who pairs with who on defense. I think it will become a bit more clear in the first few weeks of the season.
Antigo native. UW Badger. Admirals captain. What a proper Sconnie this Joe Piskula is, eh? (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
This morning the Milwaukee Admirals announced their official captains for the 2014-15 season. Joe Piskula will serve as team captain with the alternates being Mark Van Guilder and Colton Sissons.
Milwaukee, WI—The Milwaukee Admirals announced today that defenseman Joe Piskula has been selected as the team’s captain for the 2014-15 season. Piskula, a native of Antigo, WI and a University of Wisconsin alum, is entering his third season with the Ads and served as an Alternate Captain last season.
A veteran of over 480 games in the AHL and NHL, Piskula posted 23 points (3g-20a) in 73 games with the Ads last season. His +20 rating was best on the team and it made him just the second Admiral to finish the season +20 or better in the past 10 years.
Acquired from the Calgary organization on February 28, 2013, Piskula has scored four goals and added 23 assists in 96 career games with Milwaukee. He has played in 12 career NHL contests, including two with the Predators last season, and helped UW capture the 2006 NCAA Championship.
Forwards Mark Van Guilder and Colton Sissons will wear the “A” on their jerseys as the team’s alternate captains.
Piskula is coming off of a very strong pre-season camp in Nashville. He, along with Johan Alm, was in the final roster cut. At 30-years old Piskula appears to be playing his best hockey. He has 12 games of NHL experience and 466 games of playing experience at the AHL level. Last season he played 73 games for the Admirals and scored 23 points (3 goals, 20 assists) whilst being a +20 defender. He earned an NHL call-up in 2013-14 as well that saw him play in 2 games for the Predators.
In addition to the alternate captains Van Guilder and Sissons, head coach Dean Evason also cited that Triston Grant, Mike Liambas, and Austin Watson are also candidates to wear an “A” should players shuffle in an out of the lineup.
What do you think of the Admirals choice for captains? Happy to see a Sconnie as captain? What do you make of the selection of Sissons as an alternate captain?
Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.
Hockey season is finally here, Milwaukee. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Friday night is the start of what should be a fascinating season for the Milwaukee Admirals. Per Elite Prospects, the team will be the youngest in the entire AHL with an average age of 22.75 years old. Thirteen players will be enduring their first full-season of professional hockey in North America. Yet, the story of the season will be whether or not that maturity factor will even matter. This could well be one of the most talented Admirals teams we’ve seen in Milwaukee in a long time.
~The Forgotten Man~
If there was any beneficiary to the Nashville Predators off-season acquisitions it was the Milwaukee Admirals. When the Predators landed James Neal in a trade that sent Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling to the Pittsburgh Penguins. When the Predators signed free agents Olli Jokinen, Mike Ribeiro, and Derek Roy. It meant a a log jam effect was in place for centers and wingers on the cusp of cracking the NHL roster.
Colton Sissons had an outstanding rookie campaign for the Admirals in 2013-14. He played in 62 games and recorded 44 points (25 goals, 19 assists). Not only that, but he also played 17 games in the NHL where he scored 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists). If there were any one player that lost out the most to the off-season moves the Predators made it was Sissons. The centers mentioned above are ahead of him. As is Calle Jarnkrok. In addition, Mike Fisher and Matt Cullen are each still with the team – both are out with injury – and both will return this season.
So where does this leave the soon to be 21-year old Sissons? Exactly where the Admirals would love to have him. Front and center. It might be a disappointment for him to not have NHL hockey right out of the gate this season but he has the chance to do anything and everything at the AHL level. Something that, as a fourth-line center, he just wouldn’t be afforded to do in Nashville. This could be a season that Sissons looks back on as the one where he learned the most in his career before solidifying himself as an NHL regular. So much of what the Admirals will be in the AHL this season is going to be dependent on having Sissons be a focal point of the team. If he avoids a dreaded sophomore slump it will mean great things, not just for Sissons, but the Milwaukee Admirals 2014-15 season.
~The Other Guys~
Fun Fact. Who lead the Milwaukee Admirals in scoring last season? Miikka Salomaki, 50 points (20 goals, 30 assists) in 75 games. Additional Fun Fact. Salomaki is among eight other returning faces to the forward group. There will be another year in Milwaukee for Mark Van Guilder, Austin Watson, Mike Liambas, Patrick Cehlin, Zach Budish, Josh Shalla, and even Joe Pendenza gets a chance for a full campaign this season. We know plenty of what these guys can do. It’s the other guys that have entered the team this year that gets me all the more excited. Forwards suiting up for their North American professional debuts this season include: Brendan Leipsic, Pontus Åberg, Viktor Arvidsson, Frédérick Gaudreau, and Félix Girard.
Of those names, I feel the one that can have the biggest impact for the Admirals this season is Åberg. He has already played in 100 games as a professional in the Swedish Hockey League. This will be his transition year to North American ice. It appears as though he will be slotted on the team’s top line as a left winger to Sissons at center and Watson on the right wing. He very much reminds me of a Filip Forsberg-Lite. He’s not quite as tall, he’s not quite as flashy, and he’s not quite as talented on offense. What he is, similar to his fellow countryman, is fast. He sees the ice very well and processes things extremely quick. I wouldn’t be surprise me to see Åberg be the top scoring rookie of the Admirals come season’s end. It also wouldn’t surprise me if he led the Admirals in scoring either.
~The Post-Scott Ford Era~
One of the larger talking points heading into this 2014-15 Admirals season is the absence of longtime leader and team captain Scott Ford. When the team was swept by the Toronto Marlies in last season’s playoffs it left plenty of doubt as to his return to the Admirals in 2014-15. He, for the first time in a long time, really looked like a 34-year old defenseman. Add that to a think tank that already includes six new defensemen stepping in for their AHL debuts this season and you are exactly where we are today. A Milwaukee Admirals team without Scott Ford.
Who will be the new leaders of this team? Believe it or not, for the youngest team in the AHL, there are many of names on the roster who have strong leadership qualities.
Jonathan-Ismael Diaby was an alternate captain with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL. Garrett Noonan was an alternate and then team captain at Boston University. Jimmy Oligny was an alternate captain with two different teams in the QMJHL – most recently with Rimouski Océanic. Jaynen Rissling was an alternate and team captain of the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL. Frédérick Gaudreau was the alternate captain last season for the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL. Félix Girard was a team captain the last two-seasons with Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL. Joe Pendenza was an alternate captain at UMass-Lowell.
And that’s really just the new guys we’ll add to the deck this season. There are also leaders such as Joe Piskula, Mark Van Guilder, and Triston Grant who will be on the Admirals. Not to mention Sissons – who was a team captain in juniors as well as the Predators recent rookie tournament team. And Watson – who also was a captain at the junior level.
Leadership and the lack of it in the absence of Scott Ford really is a zero issue here. It might be a sentimental issue for some, but the inevitability of time has come for the two to end. Ford is no longer the captain, is no longer an Admiral, and is no longer under contract as a professional hockey player. What he still is though in so many ways is an influence to players within the Nashville and Milwaukee teams through players that have been around him. That influence is still in the Admirals locker room. And, in that sense, the torch has been passed for the next Sheriff to emerge.
~Between The Pipes~
One season ago I was really excited by the prospect of having Magnus Hellberg and Marek Mazanec push one-another to be “the guy” in net for the Admirals. As the story went instead: Pekka Rinne suffered a setback in his recovery process from hip surgery when he had an E. coli infection that made him miss four-months of hockey. Then the goaltending scramble started. Carter Hutton to starter, Hellberg as back-up, Hellberg down, Mazanec up, Scott Darling wins at life, Hellberg gets hurt, Darling gets hurt, trade for Devan Dubnyk, Mazanec down, ditch Devan Dubnyk, Hellberg to Cincinnati, and so ends 2013-14.
Wild, right? How about we try this again in 2014-15 but with a little less brain tearing agony?
What seems to be a boost so far to all involved in the goaltending battle this season is this: no injuries. Even this time last season Hellberg was fighting off an injury he sustained in Nashville camp. Now? Everyone is healthy. Even the man who could prove to be this year’s version of Darling, Rob Madore – who will start his season off in Cincinnati of the ECHL – like Darling did last season – hint, hint, wink.
Should all stay healthy it simply becomes a matter of who is best for the job and wins the majority of playing time in net. I want to say the Admirals are looking at a 1-A and 1-B rather than a 1-2 at the moment but it is still rather early. Should Madore start his season in the ECHL the way he finished it, where he took home the Kelly Cup Finals MVP honors despite being on the losing side of the ECHL Finals, I have to think a move could easily be made to stir the well. Hellberg was on the bench during those exact same Kelly Cup Finals as Madore worked his stuff. The battle for the Admirals net will be hotly contested. It should bring out the best of all three of these goaltenders. Who establishes their authority as the number one choice goaltender? I’m sure that will be a talking point we bash the daylights out of over the course of this season.
~The Green Defense~
In no easier way can you point out the youth of the 2014-15 Admirals than by looking at our defensive core. Regulars that are returning from last season. Anthony Bitetto and Joe Piskula. That’s it. The rest are all fairly fresh names. Some were able to catch the tail end of last season here in Milwaukee but the full slate starts now.
When I think back to last season’s playoff exit I think about a defense that looked stiff, slow, and old. That will be given a swift upgrade this year by the Predators prospects that have moved on from their junior playing career to the AHL: Diaby, Rissling, Vainonen, Noonan, and Oligny. Not to mention there will also be a 22-year old Swede entering the mix with a great weight of professional playing experience already under his belt in Johan Alm.
It could take a little bit of time before we start viewing distinct partnerships formed for defensive pairings. The reasoning for that all comes down to the group at hand. Should Taylor Aronson not make the roster – the Admirals will not have a single right-handed shooting defensemen on the team. Not one. So who slots on what side? Is having a balance or righties and lefties on defense all that important? The Admirals are going to find that question out for themselves by the looks of it. No matter what. This should be a quicker team defense. And that could play out well for the men in net.
The Milwaukee Admirals “Media Day” takes place tomorrow. I will be on hand to interview coaches and players. Expect a follow up on that tomorrow afternoon. The very first “Scouting the Enemy” of this season will appear on Friday morning – followed by opening night gameday coverage on our assorted social media.
Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.
Rob Madore was stellar for the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs last season. Despite being on the losing side of the final he earned the playoff MVP honors. (Photo Credit: Cincinnati Cyclones // Facebook)
The trifecta of goalies that the Milwaukee Admirals had in camp has just been put into perspective. The Admirals will start the season with Magnus Hellberg and Marek Mazanec in net with today’s news that Rob Madore will be assigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
Press Release via Milwaukee Admirals:
Milwaukee, WI–The Admirals announced today that the team has assinged goaltender Rob Madore to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
Signed to an AHL deal in the off-season, Madore led the Clones to the 2014 Kelly Cup Finals, where he was selected as the playoff MVP after posting a 14-7-3 mark with a 2.29 goals against average and .930 save percentage. He became the first player in ECHL history to win the award as a member of the losing team.
The 26-year old Pittsburgh native played a combined eight games with the San Antonio Rampage and Charlotte Checkers last year, including three against the Admirals. In those three contests he went 1-1 allowing five goals on 51 shots. In 17 career AHL games Madore has a 6-7 record while posting a .933 save percentage and allowing 2.32 goals per game.
The Admirals open up the 2014-15 season on Friday, October 10th at 7:00 pm versus the Charlotte Checkers at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
In talking with head coach Dean Evason following Friday night’s pre-season contest I had the impression that this was no easy decision to make. Madore finished so strongly last season and appeared to show very well in Predators and Admirals pre-season camps. Could we be looking at this year’s Scott Darling? We may well be.
Did the Admirals send the right goalie to the ECHL? Was this a move protecting Nashville Predators property more than selecting the best man for the job? Which goalie would have been more likely to go to Cincinnati, Hellberg or Mazanec?
Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.
The 2014-14 Milwaukee Admirals season started in the chilly confines of the MSOE Kern Center. The hot chocolate was about as superb as the 3-1 Admirals victory.
The Admirals won 3-1 against the Rockford in Friday night’s pre-season opener from the MSOE Kern Center. Despite giving up the opening goal off of a shorthander – the Milwaukee Admirals never looked the lesser of these two teams. It was a good controlled effort for the Ads first competitive outing of the season.
“We’re very happy with a lot of guys,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason. “There’s still jobs up for grabs and playing time. A lot of guys showed very well.”
Milwaukee came out of the gate with two early penalty kills. The opening shift from the line of Pontus Aberg, Colton Sissons, and Austin Watson had a slow exchange on the bench that resulted in a too many men on the ice penalty. That was followed up by Zach Budish flipping a puck into the stands for a delay of game.
It wasn’t until the midway point in the period until the Admirals really started to sustain offensive pressure against the IceHogs. Mike Liambas was decked at center ice by Ildar Telyakov which drew an interference penalty to give the Ads their second power-play of the period. It was then an unfortunate puck that skipped along the boards to the tape of Alex Broadhurst on a shorthanded breakaway. He flew in off the right wing, suckered Magnus Hellberg with a forehand, and scored on the backhand.
Liambas was able to respond in kind. A poor turnover in front of Kent Simpson allowed for a clean took up close. Liambas wripped a wrister on the shortside for an equalizing goal in the first period.
The Admirals took their first lead of the game after some great combination work around the net by Josh Shalla and Budish. The two worked around Simpson for a loose puck that was flung into the net by an on-rushing Sissons. Rockford had more numbers around the cage and missed Sissons coming off the bench. I’d have to imagine the IceHogs didn’t know he was charging towards the net.
Just over the halfway mark of the second period, both Hellberg and Simpson gave way to their back-ups on the evening: Rob Madore and Mac Carruth. Madore was greeted into the game with a five-on-three penalty kill that the IceHogs failed to capitalize from. They had thirty-seconds to work the three man kill of the Admirals only to have Anthony Bitetto and Triston Grant link up and get the clear.
In the third period the Ads managed to score the final goal of the game from a power-play. Jamie Wise sent a puck up into the Kern Center girders for a delay of game. This set the stage for Aberg’s first Admiral goal. It wasn’t the prettiest. It was a clunky effort in net from Carruth that left Aberg a wide open net to redirect a skipping puck into. It made it a 3-1 contest.
“I didn’t see where the puck went,” said Pontus Aberg. “It came right to my stick and went up in the air. I scored with like a volley.”
Wise would figure into this game right before action concluded. He hit Miikka Salomaki from behind and into the boards by the penalty box. Felix Girard instantly grappled Wise, looked as though he landed at least one good punch, and both were given minors: boarding and a roughing call. All things told. Not a bad roughing penalty.
“I think anyone watching could tell who the better team was tonight,” said Rob Madore. “For the first time really playing together as a team I thought we were awesome defensively.”
Ramblings: After scoring his goal, Mike Liambas did not return to the game – possibly due to the hit he sustained in the first period. In his absence it appeared as if Colton Sissons did a lot of double shifting on that line combination that lost Liambas. The lines were as follows: Aberg-Sissons-Watson, Salomaki-Girard-Arvidsson, Shalla-Pendenza-Budish, Liambas-Gaudreau-Grant, Bitetto-Vainonen, Aronson-Rissling, Noonan-Oligny.
Thoughts on the pre-season opener? Were there any certain players tonight that stood out to you? What will the addition of Joe Piskula and Johan Alm mean for the rest of the defensemen on-board right now?
Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.
Could Joe Piskula become the next captain of the Milwaukee Admirals? (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The Nashville Predators have made three more roster cuts that include Joe Piskula, Johan Alm, and Kevin Fiala. The two defensemen are set to join the Milwaukee Admirals while the young winger is heading back to his previous team HV-71 of the Swedish Hockey League.
This news comes just ahead of tonight’s pre-season opener for the Milwaukee Admirals as they take on the Rockford IceHogs at the MSOE Kern Center. It’s uncertain as to whether or not either Piskula or Alm will be inserted right into action tonight. With so many defenseman in camp right now I would be surprised to see a rush job versus utilizing the d-men that have been practicing these last two days in Milwaukee.
As for Fiala, this news doesn’t entirely surprise me. He is 18-years old and this move is not unlike what Filip Forsberg did when he stayed with Leksands IF. It allowed Forsberg one more year to mature and he produced 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) from 38 games in the SHL. I feel the Predators have a great talent in Fiala. I also feel there isn’t a need to throw him right into the fire just yet. It will be worth monitoring his progress in Sweden this season to see how he develops and handles his season overseas.
With the amount of defensemen in Milwaukee right now – who do you see missing out on the AHL roster? Was it the right move for the Nashville Predators to send Kevin Fiala back to Europe this season?
Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.
The calm before the storm. The season officially starts with a pre-season game at the MSOE Kern Center tomorrow night. (Photo Credit: Milwaukee Admirals)
The Admirals training camp shifted from Nashville to downtown Milwaukee today. I was on hand to get my first looks of the 2014-15 squad. Here’s what I saw.
When I arrived at the MSOE Kern Center I turned up 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled practice time of 1pm. That meant seeing Patrick Cehlin and Brendan Leipsic‘s lone involvement for team practice today. Both were working light shooting and skating drills with the goaltending trio of Magnus Hellberg, Marek Mazanec, and Rob Madore. Cehlin and Leipsic did not take part in the more than hour long practice that followed.
As far as line combinations were concerned, there was a lot of mixing and matching on the defensive side of the puck. Example, I saw Jaynen Rissling play on three different combinations. The forwards were a little less strenuous on the eyes.
Plenty of line hopping going on later in practice as well but these were the combinations I saw on the ice together the most frequently. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a lineup close to this for tomorrow night’s pre-season opener. You can view the full roster details from today’s practice here.
Following practice I spoke with head coach Dean Evason. I actually talked with him long enough for all the players to escape the Kern before I could pull them aside as well (whoops). That being said, there was a lot to ask the man going into his third season as the Admirals head coach. Here’s what he had to say after practice.
Dean Evason on all the new faces on the roster:
Evason speaks about the high skill level of the forwards:
Evason’s thoughts on Taylor Beck earning a one-way contract:
Evason discusses what it has been like with Peter Laviolette in charge of Nashville so far:
Evason’s feelings in regards to Scott Ford no longer being with the team:
Evason on how to fill Ford’s leadership and veteran presence on the team:
Evason on team leadership, continued:
The team will have a practice yet again at the MSOE Kern Center tomorrow from 10am until 11am. That will be followed by the first pre-season contest at 7pm against the Rockford IceHogs – again, at the Kern Center.
Thoughts from practice? What do you make of the line combinations? How will the team function defensively with so many left handed shots on the point? Who becomes the next captain of the Milwaukee Admirals?
Be sure to follow Admirals Roundtable on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and see our photos on Instagram.
With a one-way contract penned today. Taylor Beck is officially an NHL talent with the Nashville Predators. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The man who came to pre-season camp without a deal in place with the hopes of earning a one-way contract has pulled it off. Taylor Beck has just signed a one-year one-way contract with the Nashville Predators. The deal is worth $550,000.
Nashville, Tenn. (September 30, 2014) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed restricted free-agent forward Taylor Beck to a one-year, $550,000 contract.
Beck, 23 (5/13/91), has 23 career NHL games with Nashville to his credit over the past two seasons, amassing seven points (3g-4a). The 6-2, 206-pound right wing led the 2013-14 Milwaukee Admirals in assists (32) and power-play points (7g-16a-23pts), ranked second on the team in points (49), and fourth in goals (17). The St. Catharines, Ontario native also paced the Admirals in points during the 2012-13 season despite appearing in only 50 of the team’s 76 games (11g-30a-41pts), and ranked among the Top 20 AHL rookies in goals and points in 2011-12 (16g-24a-40pts).
Nashville’s fourth choice, 70th overall (third round), in the 2009 Entry Draft, Beck played 246 games for the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm from 2007-11, amassing 267 points (110g-157a). He ranked seventh in the OHL in points (95) and assists (53), and eighth in goals (42) in 2010-11, and won the 2010 Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the OHL’s top scoring right wing after tying for fourth in the OHL in points (39g-54a-93pts) in 2009-10. You can follow him on Twitter @taybeckone9.
This deal comes after Beck’s best season as a professional. He may not have managed to get much time topside in the NHL last season, playing in only 7 games, but his AHL production saw his best numbers to date: 49 points (17 goals, 32 assists) in 65 games. He was one of the most consistent and reliable Admirals forwards last season. Whether he was being tasked with being on the power-play, penalty kill, or even double shifting for an entire night with the team dressing an extra defenseman. With a one-way contract signed – he now has his chance to make that same impression at the NHL level.
Thoughts on Taylor Beck? Has he earned an NHL contract? What can he achieve for the Nashville Predators this season? Will he log a decent amount of games or be scratched out of the lineup a fair amount? What does his signing mean for Filip Forsberg?
News & Discussion Site For Your Milwaukee Admirals
Admirals Roundtable 