Scott Valentine’s face here is my spirit animal. (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)
Last night, the Milwaukee Admirals won 3-1 against the Rochester Americans. It was a really solid, start to finish, performance that saw them cap off their four-game road trip by taking five points out of a possible eight.
With this being yet another traveling based off day – I think we can go back into the well and find out some more gems from the pre-season player questionnaire. Let’s dive in.
Filip Forsberg is back from his latest NHL stint – and back in time for the Admirals game tomorrow night in Rochester. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
The Nashville Predators announced this afternoon that Filip Forsberg has been reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals. He was recalled under emergency conditions with Patric Hornqvist leaving the team to witness the birth of his first child.
Forsberg played in one game under these conditions, logged 7:59 minutes from 10 shifts, didn’t have a shot on goal, and picked up a hooking penalty in the second period in their 2-0 road shutout of the Chicago Blackhawks.
In the NHL this season Forsberg has now played in 13 games, scored 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists), has a plus/minus rating of -8, and 4 penalty minutes.
With the Admirals he has appeared in 36 games, scored 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists), has a plus/minus of +6, and 12 penalty minutes. He’ll be rejoining the team just in time for the final stint of their four-game road trip as they face the Rochester Americans tomorrow night.
UPDATE: It was just announced that Zach Budish will be sent to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. Recently, the Admirals added Josh Shalla and Paul Crowder from Cinci – but both are set to remain with the Ads for the time being.
Budish has been healthy scratched during recent games. This marks his second stint playing in the ECHL – both coming this season. He has 2 assists in 6 games with the Cyclones. With the Admirals he has played in 41 games while scored 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists).
It was only under emergency conditions – but how do you feel Filip Forsberg is utilized in Nashville? Is his time truly best served here in Milwaukee right now?
When tonight’s Nashville Predators game ends they will have nine games remaining in their 2013-14 season. Additionally, there are four home games remaining in Smashville. They are third from the bottom of the Western Conference and are set to miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
While the campaign has been a swing and a miss thanks to injury woes and offensive inconsistency – the optimism should be very high thanks to young talent that is surfacing to the NHL in the form of Colton Sissons, Calle Jarnkrok, and Filip Forsberg. Even players such as Marek Mazanec, Taylor Beck, and Simon Moser have had NHL time this season.
With players such as Miikka Salomaki, Brendan Leipsic, and Pontus Aberg also on the future radar – there should be plenty of reasons to feel happy with the years ahead in this organization. And that’s what makes me want to pose the following sentiment.
While plenty of attention is given to the future names above – names such as Scott Ford and Mark Van Guilder feel lost. Between the two of them they have played in 1018 games in their professional hockey careers. Neither of them has played a single shift in the NHL.
Van Guilder has played 385 professional games and 302 games as a member of the Admirals over the course of six professional seasons. Ford has played 633 professional games and 357 games as a member of the Admirals over the course of ten professional seasons. Both began their tenures with the Milwaukee Admirals during the 2008-09 season and have since become pillars of the team on and off the ice.
So here is what I want to ask you readers: why not them?
I suppose the cold, hard, and blunt answer to that question is that they’re not as talented, young, or as exciting as the likes of a Sissons, Jarnkrok, or Forsberg are. They’re window has passed and, despite their development within the organization, it just isn’t NHL caliber.
Here is the thing that makes them deserving of that one chance to play an NHL game: knowing this – they certainly never stopped working to get there.
This season, the Admirals had a defenseman by the name of Teddy Ruth who retired following a reassignment to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. Rather than stay in the game, work his way back into the fold, or seek a chance elsewhere in the AHL – he retired from the game of hockey at the age of 25-years old.
Compare that to fellow defenseman and Admirals team captain, Ford, who is now 34-years old and in his sixth professional playing season in Milwaukee. Prior to that, he played with: 2004-05, Cleveland Barons (AHL), Fresno Falcons (ECHL)… 2005-06, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL), Trenton Titans (ECHL), Providence Bruins (AHL)… 2006-07, Dayton Bombers (ECHL)… 2007-08, Utah Grizzlies (ECHL), Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL).
After that, he joined the Admirals and played for four-straight seasons before taking a chance with the Peoria Rivermen (AHL) in hopes of a St. Louis Blues future. It didn’t happen. And, a trade involving Jani Lajunen later, he re-joined the Admirals.
Ford’s motor to play the game of hockey has never gone away. Even at the age of 34 he remains a strong defensive player at the AHL level. He has played 57 games this season, scored -not really his thing- 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists), has a plus/minus rating of +5, and has 79 penalty minutes with five fighting majors to his name. He hasn’t given up. And he hasn’t exactly slowed down much with age, either.
Van Guilder is a rather similar story of someone whose motor just keeps going. Having played four-seasons at the University of Notre Dame, and going undrafted, he found himself with Milwaukee and Cincinnati in his first professional season after college in 2008-09.
It seems as if Van Guilder gets better with each season he puts under his belt – something that the Nashville Predators organization did recognize with his efforts last season. During the 2012-13 campaign he had season highs in every major category in his AHL career log: 73 games played, 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists), +15, and only took 9 penalty minutes throughout the season.
Having enjoyed that new level of success – the Predators gave him his first career NHL contract this last off-season. It was a two-year, two-way contract that will come to an end following next season.
This season Van Guilder’s scoring total seems on pace to finish up rather well: 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 64 games with 12 games remaining in the Admirals season. He is one of the most versatile centermen on the entire team – and it’s shown even better this season considering how many different wingers he has been paired him.
The most recent acquisition to the team, Francis Wathier, was put directly on Van Guilder’s line. It didn’t take long for Wathier to provide high praise of him.
3/14/13, Francis Wathier on Mark Van Guilder:
With forwards fluctuating between the NHL and AHL being the more often trend this season between Nashville and Milwaukee – I don’t see why a situation such as Van Guilder getting recalled doesn’t take place (if even for one game).
When Forsberg was recalled this past weekend – he played on the fourth line and played 7:59 of ice time. Prior to that, he played even less. During three-games for Forsberg in the month of October he averaged 7:12 of ice time. During these four game situations – he has more penalty minutes, 2, than points.
If playing Forsberg in the NHL means limited minutes while operating on a lower defensive line basis, why not Van Guilder? Van would provide a no-nonsense two-way veteran touch to those limited playing minutes – and the 19-year old Forsberg could continue sharpening up his game, playing double to triple those minutes in different capacities, until the right time for him to replicate a top-two-line role is available.
The case for Van Guilder is there. Yet, the case for Ford is a tough one to crack. Something even he joked about when we talked for his feature story back in January.
1/24/14, Scott Ford on what it would take to make it in the NHL:
Sadly, he might be right. If there is anything more gold than the Predators home jerseys it is their young and talented defensive core right now.
How does Ford get his one game? I could only imagine seeing him swap out forward roles with Richard Clune for one game – not much else. The likelihood of that happening is about the same as the Predators making the playoffs this season. And, hearing what it would mean to the long-time leader of the Admirals, makes that all the more sad to think about.
1/24/14, Scott Ford on what it would mean to get one game in the NHL:
The best qualities of Ford aren’t something that you’re going to get out of a stat sheet or a game log. While that may sound cliche, because it is, it is so very true with the incredible leadership values that he possesses. He is as humble as they come. And someone who still works hard, despite that limited window to make the NHL from Milwaukee to Nashville, because he is committed to his team and teammates.
I understand completely that the Predators are in a transition phase of sorts right now. The youth movement is underway. With that in mind, a nod to the likes of Van Guilder and Ford for their service time within the organization would provide a boost to so many people I feel like it would be a bright spot at the end of a roller coaster season for the Predators.
(Photo Credit: Nashville Predators)
It’s great seeing Sissons, Jarnkrok, and Forsberg get their dues at such a young age. But, seeing guys such as Ford and Van Guilder get there for the first time in their careers, would be even better.
Filip Forsberg is set to rejoin the Nashville Predators for the first time since before his MVP performance at the 2014 World Juniors. (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)
Remember a few weeks ago when it felt like the Milwaukee Admirals were finally spoiled for choice with our forwards? That was nice.
The Nashville Predators have just announced that they will be recalling Filip Forsberg from the Admirals. Having looked stellar alongside fellow Swede Calle Jarnkrok while the two were in Milwaukee – they’re now set to re-create the Bork Line at the NHL level.
Forsberg’s season began with the Predators. This season he has played in 12 NHL games and scored 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists), has a plus/minus of -8, and tallied 2 penalty minutes.
During his time with the Milwaukee Admirals he has played in 36 games, scored 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists), has a plus/minus of +6, and recorded 12 penalty minutes. Of those 10 goals – 5 were scored on the power-play.
He also earned MVP honors in this year’s World Junior Championships held in his native Sweden. During that tournament he produced an impressive 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in 7 games en route to a silver medal – only coming up short to Team Finland in overtime of the Gold Medal game.
UPDATE: In addition to this news, the Admirals have officially recalled Josh Shalla and Paul Crowder from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
What does this move mean for the Milwaukee Admirals? What must they do from here to find offense? How successful do you think Calle Jarnkrok and Filip Forsberg can be playing together at the NHL level?
Calle Jarnkrok is set to make his NHL debut tomorrow night in Calgary. (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)
A day ahead of the Admirals opening tilt in a four-game road trip we have a roster move to announce. This afternoon Calle Jarnkrok has earned his first career NHL recall and is heading up to the Nashville Predators.
Having watched last night’s Predators game against the Canucks I noticed two pretty good knocks in the game. Paul Gaustad left the game after Alexander Edler landed on top of him in the first period. And Nick Spaling also seemed to get dinged up later in the game.
With some possible injury woes in the mix – Nashville will give Jarnkrok his first taste of the NHL. This season in the AHL he has an overall scoring total of 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) from 62 games between his time with the Grand Rapids Griffins and Milwaukee Admirals. Since being acquired in the David Legwand deal – Jarnkrok’s offensive output has been fantastic: 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists) in 5 games in Milwaukee.
Per the Roundtable’s Jason Karnosky: Jarnkrok was a member of Team Sweden’s 2013 World Championship squad where he played with current Nashville Predators Patric Hornqvist and Viktor Stalberg.
The importance of patience is one thing. When injuries start to kick up, and you already have the likes of Colton Sissons in camp, you might as well give him a glimpse of things to come.
Thoughts on the move? How do you think Calle Jarnkrok’s game will fit or not-fit in the NHL? How badly does this impact the Admirals heading into the road trip?
Yesterday we had the great news that Magnus Hellberg has officially been given the green light to return to game action. We didn’t know where – but now we do. Hellberg has been reassigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
This was a move that always made the most sense to me. Considering he has missed two months worth of games he needed to get back up to speed at the ECHL level rather than be thrown right into the fire with the Admirals.
This season he has played in 21 games and sports a record of 5-8-5-1 from games where he has earned a decision. He has a 2.82 goals against average, 0.911 save percentage, and is the lone Admiral outside of Scott Darling to have recorded a shutout.
This will not be the first trip to Cincinnati for Hellberg. Last season, in an effort to get him some time in net, he played in 2 games: 11/30/12 vs. Evansville… and 12/1/12 @ Toledo.
There’s no real time table as to when we should expect the decision between Hellberg versus Darling for the back up spot in Milwaukee. My guess is that road will be crossed once the four-game road trip ends. That would mean Hellberg would get 3 games with Cincinnati: 3/21/14 vs. Elmira… 3/22/14 vs. Elmira… and 3/26/14 @ Orlando.
The Admirals next home game is a week from this coming Friday and is against the Lake Erie Monsters. If I had to place a bet – my money is on Hellberg sitting on the bench in Milwaukee with Darling playing for the Cyclones that day.
This was the smart move to make right? Would you have preferred Magnus Hellberg to remain up with the Admirals? Do you think this return signals the end of Scott Darling’s time as an Admiral?
This morning I went to practice at the MSOE Kern Center to catch the Admirals before the set sail for the four-game road trip. There were plenty of things to talk about, hence this being a Blender issue, so let’s jump in!
~Admirals sign Michael Young to an ATO~
If phones could work in the Kern – I’d have known exactly who the newbie was thanks to you readers commenting about him ASAP. Instead, I got the “watch the movie without watching the trailer” experience. All I saw was a rather tall lefty-shot wearing a black “defenseman” practice jersey and a helmet with Teddy Ruth’s ol’ #5 on it.
Michael Young is a 25-year old defenseman who recently finished up his playing time at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. During his time there he played in 148 games, scored 68 points (13 goals, 55 assists), and recorded 109 penalty minutes.
As far as his play, he looked incredibly crafty on his feet. Pretty impressed with his skating ability. He worked typical drills out there but, interestingly, was paired the entire time alongside Scott Ford. I can only assume that’s a way of pairing the new recruit with the captain – who can talk him through systems.
He was also out there today running drills on the penalty kill and seemed to handle himself rather well. It was only practice, but it was a decent study on how he handled the run of play in front of him.
Last bit of information from watching him today. The team runs a shootout drill where every skater on the team steps up. You miss your shootout attempt – you’re out. You make it – and you remain in the mini-competition. The final duel today came down to… Francis Wathier and, the newbie, Michael Young. Wathier did beat him. Still, all d-men were eliminated after the first round except for Young.
~Joonas Jarvinen and Taylor Beck Injury Update~
When I arrived at the rink I turned up just in time to spot a red practice jersey being worn by Joonas Jarvinen. The big Finn hasn’t played in a game since 2/28/14 vs. Iowa. In that contest he recorded his first multi-goal game but picked up what has only been described to me as an upper body injury.
As you’ll hear later on from Dean Evason in the Chatterbox section – Jarvinen will not travel with the team on the upcoming road trip.
Taylor Beck was also someone that skated prior to practice and didn’t participate in the main practice. Beck blocked a shot with his hand in Friday’s shootout victory over the Rockford IceHogs. After that game, I talked with him and he gave me a thumbs up… of course his thumb was bandaged up, lost a nail off of it, and his other fingers had a pretty neat-o outline of where the puck stung him. He played the rest of that game and scored in the shootout. He also played in the follow-up game Saturday against the San Antonio Rampage.
Beck is going to travel with the team on the road trip but is considered questionable in terms of Friday’s game in Rochester.
~The Mitch Korn Experience~
The Nashville Predators played last night in Edmonton and have the Vancouver Canucks tonight. Meanwhile, their brilliant goaltending coach Mitch Korn is with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Mitch Korn provides instruction to Scott Darling and friends. (Photo Credit: Daniel “that’s me” Lavender)
He worked with the entire group (Marek Mazanec, Magnus Hellberg, and Scott Darling) very extensively. He was especially working hard with Hellberg at the tail-end of practice. That work comes with the additional news that follows.
~Magnus Hellberg Cleared For Game Action~
He has been skating and practicing hard for weeks and has felt better with each session. Today he received the news that he has been cleared for game action after missing two-months with a high ankle sprain.
Mitch Korn and Magnus Hellberg working one-on-one at the end of practice. (Photo Credit: Daniel “I use my iPhone for these” Lavender)
Having watched him practice these last few weeks – I can say Hellberg looked really sharp today. I caught coach Korn running a skating drill for him and that was something he seemed to grasp well. The big bug for him with this injury was the stinging effects associated with the ankle sprain. To see him moving around that well during that drill tells me he’s more than capable should he get called upon during the road trip.
I haven’t heard an official account of this or not, but I do wonder what this means in terms of Hellberg, Darling, and who ends up going to the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. I’ve expected Hellberg, having missed so much time, to get some games under his belt in the ECHL before making his return at the AHL level. Still, things have never been so cut and dry in regards to that possibility whenever I talked to Evason.
Once I have an update related to that matter – expect a new story or an update to this one.
~The Chatterbox~
Following practice I spoke with head coach Dean Evason, Mark Van Guilder, Austin Watson, and Scott Ford. Here is what everyone had to say before hitting the road.
Ben Vanderklok has instructed many of the products in net for the Milwaukee Admirals – including Marek Mazanec. (Photo Credit: Sara Stathas)
Chances are if you’ve come to a game, listened to enough interviews from the coaching staff or players, you will have heard the name Ben Vanderklok.
His name can fly under the radar somewhat but the products we’ve seen in net over the years should speak volumes of his work. Marek Mazanec, Scott Darling, Magnus Hellberg, Jeremy Smith, Atte Engren, Anders Lindback, Mark Dekanich, Chet Pickard, and many more have all been students of his during his five seasons in the Nashville Predators organization as assistant goaltending coach.
To get an idea of just what Vanderklok does and how he has helped current goalies in camp, such as Mazanec and Darling, I had a chat with the group to find out what our resident goaltending coach does and how the goalies benefit from his coaching.
Vanderklok gets the chance to work the entire organization of the Nashville Predators. That means spending his time with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL, the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, and with a rather photogenic group of goalies up in Nashville with the likes of goaltending coach Mitch Korn.
Traditionally, Vanderklok would be using his time making trips throughout the organization. Yet, with the amount of injuries this season in net, it meant the trip to Cincinnati wasn’t needed because Darling was already in Milwaukee. That mean he was able to spend more time with the Admirals – who also had Mazanec and Hellberg around camp.
Scott Darling on Ben Vanderklok:
Darling has been a major benefit to Vanderklok’s services this season. Prior to joining the Milwaukee Admirals, Darling had never had a full-time goaltending coach to work with him during the course of a season. Vanderklok has allowed him to focus his game, bounce ideas off one another, and apply the tutelage on ice.
“It’s nice to have someone to keep me honest,” said Scott Darling. “I’d like to think I am accountable for goals that I let in and know what I did wrong. But, just in case I’m not being real with myself, [Ben Vanderklok] is there to tell me you could have done this or you should have done this.”
With this being his first time working with a full-time goalie coach such as Vanderklok, as well as his longest stint in the AHL level, Darling has responded. He has played in nineteen games this season for the Admirals, winning nine games, recording four shutouts, and has a team best goals against average (2.09 GAA) and save percentage (0.931 SV%) for anyone on the team not named Pekka Rinne.
“Everywhere I’ve ever been it has been – use my size,” said Darling. “Don’t play like I am five-foot five. Smaller guys have to have lots of movement. They get caught scrambling all over the place because they have to. Sometimes I would get out of position. I would make the first save and it would be a free-for-all after that. [Ben Vanderklok] and Mitch Korn, the big focus has been finding the medium between a guy like Ben Bishop -who likes to get a little bit scrambly- and then a guy like Mike Smith – who just stays on the goal line. That’s been our biggest thing.”
While finding the balance can be tricky – for others – just settling into the North American game has its radical adjustments. Mazanec is playing in his first professional season in the States and has already made the leap from the AHL to the NHL and back again – finding success at both levels. That success doesn’t come lightly. There has been plenty of adjustments on making that leap from the Czech Republic to the North American game.
Marek Mazanec on the adjustment from the European game:
Mazanec began the season off with five wins from five starts with the Admirals before getting a look in Nashville. He responded with a Rookie of the Month performance in November and flashed off his capabilities at the top level.
In the NHL, Mazanec played in twenty-five games, won eight games, picked up two shutouts, had a 2.80 GAA, and a 0.902 SV%. With the Admirals in the AHL he has been able to shoulder the load with a team high twenty-three games played, team high twelve wins, a 2.68 GAA, and 0.907 SV%.
The man who is sadly getting lost in the season picture, following his injury in January, is Hellberg. Like Mazanec, he too went through the transition from Europe to North America last season and was able to make really remarkable strides despite all the challenges being thrown at him. In his 2012-13 season he managed to play in thirty-nine games, win twenty-two games, earn six shutouts, and have team bests in GAA (2.14) and SV% (0.924).
This season started off on a shaky note for him, losing ten out of his opening thirteen starts, but he reminded everyone just how sharp he could be with a phenomenal forty-save shutout of the Oklahoma City Barons on 12/12/13. Sadly, just as a window opened from yet another goaltending injury – this time to Darling, Hellberg was also injured in the month of January – denying him a chance to carry the load in net moving forward.
“With his injury these last two months have been tough on him,” said Ben Vanderklok. “[Magnus Hellberg] had a little bit of a slow start. Obviously struggled to get some wins but I didn’t think it was as bad as his win-loss record seems.”
The good news for Hellberg has been that he’s progressing more and more every day. And has been heavily involved in team practices for quite some time now. That has meant a very unique challenge for Vanderklok. Not only are all three goalies in camp – but they aren’t exactly similar netminders.
Ben Vanderklok discuses the differences of Mazanec, Hellberg, and Darling:
When I asked Vanderklok if that meant more work he told me it wasn’t. If anything, it keeps him on his toes when it comes to the different playing styles and philosophies that the current crop of students have to offer.
The names of past students of his should say a lot of what his wisdom brings to the table in Milwaukee. The fact that he has been able to spend the extra time in Admirals camp this season only helps the current trio of goaltenders.
Audio, Full Interview with Ben Vanderklok (5:32):
How have the goalies all looked this season? Who has made the biggest strides?
Calle Jarnkrok and Filip Forsberg are a part of the Nashville Predators future. Should they be a part of their present? (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch)
With the Milwaukee Admirals at a wee bit of a break, and a four-game road trip in the cards, I think it is time for a great little discussion piece for us to engage on. With so many young and talented commodities in Milwaukee, such as Filip Forsberg and Calle Jarnkrok, should the Nashville Predators be testing them in the NHL right now?
It’s a hot-button issue that comes up plenty when I hear discussions about some of the top prospects that we have in Admirals camp right now. The names mentioned above come up quite frequently – and with great reason when you consider what was exchanged for their services. What I feel many miss in those recent trades over the past two seasons is the age difference in those trades.
One better than the age difference is the sheer experience drop off in terms of North American professional playing experience.
At the time of this season’s trade, Jarnkrok was in the run of his first-full season of North American hockey with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He had a late season cameo with the Griffins, playing in nine-games, but didn’t really sink his teeth into it until this current campaign.
When Forsberg was acquired at last season’s trade deadline – he was still a member of Leksands of the Swedish Elite League. He did get to cross the pond and play five-games in Nashville by season’s end, scoring his first career NHL point from an assist, but he was still an 18-year old experiencing a whirlwind of fast and new.
With that in mind – let’s then cut to the chase of the “play them in the NHL now” debate.
Currently, Forsberg is tenth on the Admirals in scoring with 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists). He’s made a splash on the power-play by scoring five of his nine goals on power-play. As his season has gone on his maturity level has become more and more evident on the ice.
No longer does Forsberg sit back on defense and await the Admirals defense to get the puck back to him and so he can start up the offense. Now, he engages and pressures puck carriers and maintains puck pursuit to the point he’s made the team’s penalty kill. The more he contributes in the killing role the more he continues to look the part as he sharpens up his defensive skills to go along with that well known flair on offense.
Jarnkrok has an overall total of 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) in his time with the Admirals and the Griffins this season. Since his acquisition his points production has been outstanding: 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists) in five-games with the Ads.
It has been a a small sample size of Jarnkrok in an Admiral uniform but a good one at that. It seems no matter what game situation gets thrown his way he’s up to the task. Even in his first game as an Admiral, with plenty of bodies out of the game, head coach Dean Evason saw fit to play him as a defenseman in the game’s final seconds.
Here is the important part to all of that AHL information in regards to the “play them in the NHL now” debate. In what possible way do either of those two players even remotely play to the same standard as they do in the AHL, with a multitude of ice time and game situations, as they would with the Nashville Predators as they currently stand?
A very good example of this exact same situation comes with 20-year old stand out for the Admirals this season, Colton Sissons. He has 41 points (24 goals, 17 assists) in fifty-six games in the AHL this season. In eight games with the Nashville Predators he has 2 assists from 9:17 minutes of average ice time as a member of the fourth line.
Is his experience in those minutes of game action, practicing with NHL talent, traveling with the team, and learning day-to-day life at the NHL level beneficial? Of course. But, is his development stunted by not experiencing the amount of different game situations that he would see with the Admirals?
In my opinion, it’s a case of quantity (AHL) versus quality (NHL) – and there isn’t much of a point for the quality when the quantity of playing time isn’t there to be fully experienced.
That is precisely the exact same way I feel about players such as Forsberg and Jarnkrok. There are high ceilings on both of their futures. And that is just precisely the thing that I feel everyone needs to take grasp of here in the present. With them, Sissons, and more in Admirals camp right now – it is all about the future.
At the present, the Nashville Predators are third from the bottom in the NHL’s Western Conference with a record of 29-29-10 (68 points). They trail the Dallas Stars for the final Wild Card spot by seven-points.
Long story short, they probably will not make the playoffs this season. This again stirs up that “play them in the NHL now” debate in the sense of, if the season is a loss anyways, why not play them now to see what they’ve got?
While a quick look up top for a guys like Jarnkrok or Miikka Salomaki, who have yet to taste the NHL, could be beneficial. It again under-utilizes their development time and could, given the status of the team, set them off on the wrong foot.
I’m not trying to knock the Predators team down a peg in saying that. But, of the two teams playing right now, the Admirals stand a better chance at a deep playoff run than the Predators do. If you’re Nashville, do you think time spent kicking about at the tail-end of a season is better use for an 18-year old like Forsberg – or – is playoff hockey, and the circumstances that come with it, more of an attractive option than just displaying future talent to the fans?
The key word for Predators fans when it comes to these players right now is patience. It’s a word that you often hear thrown around in the AHL because it is a development league. Right now I feel the Predators are in the middle of a development mode as an organization. The defensemen and goaltending are all squared up in the system. It’s those flashy forwards who all are eager to see. Problem is, they are still incredibly young and the usage of time playing on the third or fourth line in a much different capacity than they should be used – just doesn’t cut it right now.
Patience, Nashville Predators fans and readership. The future looks pretty good from where I see things and the right moves are being made from general manager David Poile. If the forward group, as young as it is, plays together and comes up together – it might lead to something rather unique. Not to mention, if they come up together at the right time to join Pekka Rinne, Shea Weber, Seth Jones, and friends… we could be looking at something special in the seasons ahead.
How would you play GM in this situation? Should the young forwards see the NHL or remain at the AHL level?
This is Zach Budish. He has a big head. Come see it tonight in action as the Admirals take on the Iowa Wild. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
It was hinted about by Dean Evason in yesterday’s Chatterbox and it has been worked out just in time for tonight’s game against the Iowa Wild. Zach Budish has been recalled by the Milwaukee Admirals from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
Budish has played in 39 games with the Admirals and produced 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) while taking 22 penalty minutes and displaying a plus/minus of +5. Just about two weeks ago he was reassigned to Cincinnati. He has played in 6 games with the Cyclones of the ECHL and has 2 assists, 2 penalty minutes, and a plus/minus of -4.
Should he fit into place with yesterday’s line combinations – it would mean playing on the right wing on a line with Francis Wathier that is centered by Mark Van Guilder. Sounds like a rather shibby checking line with the addition of Big Head.
Audio, The Origin of Big Head:
How do you feel Zach Budish will fair playing up on the third line with Van Guilder and Wathier?
News & Discussion Site For Your Milwaukee Admirals
Admirals Roundtable 