We’ve got some time before the next Ads game, so let’s take a look at the guys in Nashville.

It’s been a decent start for the Preds. They’ve picked up nine points in their first eight games and are currently ranked fourth in the Central Division behind Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit.

They’ve been a bit pressed in the scoring department where with just 12 goals they sit in dead last in the NHL.

To make matters worse, last season’s lead scorer Patric Hornqvist is missing the next three to four weeks with a sprained knee.

That being said, the defense and goaltending have been up to snuff surrendering just 17 goals, ranking them 4th in the NHL.

Three guys that started the season in Milwaukee have played moderate roles in the 3-2-3 start.

Ryan Ellis and Gabriel Bourque each have two points, and they’ve helped add some depth to the Preds.

Two nights ago Nashville made headlines by handing San Jose its first loss in a shootout and Jon Blum saw his first action of the season. Blum didn’t pick up any points but he was active. He spent some time in the box for an interference call and shot the puck three times in 11 minutes 29 seconds on the ice.

Questions:

So Roundtable, have you been watching any of the guys up there and if so what have you seen?

Where do you see the Preds going this year? Will Rinne, Mason and the defense be enough to get this team to the playoffs or does something have to change with the offense?

Between Ellis, Blum and Bourque which guy do you see having the biggest impact this year?

Any speculation on what they might do to replace Hornqvist for the time being? Think we could see a call up soon?

So now we come to the glorious jersey history of our beloved Milwaukee Admirals. From Team USA tributes to Bob Uecker, we’re sure everyone has a favorite and we’d love to hear it.

I decided to leave out the current, everyday jerseys though I’d like to hear which of those you think is best. The blue? The black? The white?

For now, we’ll look at the themed and the classics. I’ll list my top 5.

So let’s dive in, Cowabunga!

5.  1997-2006

These will always be popular throwbacks. The Admirals enjoyed some of their greatest success as a franchise wearing them, hoisting the Calder Cup in 2004. You still see a lot of fans rocking these to games and for good reason. The logo is classic and the waves add a cool element.

4. St. Addy’s Day Special

I mentioned before that St. Patrick’s Day jerseys don’t always work, but these do. Rather than just slapping on the usual logo, the Ads did something with it, giving the skeleton a sporty green hat. The one thing I might’ve left out is the gold coins, but they still represent a unique twist.

3. Miracle on Ice tribute

The 1980 U.S. Olympic team will forever live in the hearts of American hockey fans everywhere. The Ads recognized this and created these simple, beautiful replicas to honor the men that staked their claim in hockey history.

2. Brew Crew Crossovers

While, as I said, I’ve always been partial to the powder blue, I still prefer the classic pinstripes. They just look sharp and they’re another fan favorite you see in the stands at almost every Admirals game.

1. 1979-80 Nordique throwback

Watching the Ads take the ice in these sleek duds is one of my favorite memories of last year. It’s not flashy, but the fleur de lis pattern and the red Admiral logo show that sometimes less is more.

Admirable Mention:

Bob Uecker is undoubtedly one of the great faces of Milwaukee sports and a fitting tribute is more than warranted. I personally can’t get past the idea of plaid on a hockey jersey, but it’s worth it to pay homage to the man, the myth and the legend.

Note:

Hope you’ve enjoyed our little retrospective of the plethora of AHL jerseys we’ve seen over the years.

Now, back to the present, the Admirals take on the Wolves at the Bradley Center tonight. Daniel Bang and Cam Reid are back in the lineup, so we’ll see if the rejuvenated roster can pick up where it left off heading into the All Star Break.

Yesterday we stomached the ugly, now let’s reward ourselves with some AHL eye candy. These are our favorite current, alternate and themed jerseys.

I prefer originality and classy throwbacks. There are a lot of jerseys I like, but didn’t include based on the fact that they’re just NHL jerseys with AHL logos.

You know, the ones that make you scratch your head and ask, “gee, I wonder what team they’re affiliated with…” I kind of skipped over those with this list with No. 1 being the exception.

(Note: Despite being numbered, these are really in no particular order from best to worst)

1. St. John’s IceCaps

Yes, the basic layout is the same as the Jets, but if I had my way I would switch this name and logo with the NHL name and logo. “IceCaps” just screams hockey to me, and that sharp looking logo works much better with the jersey itself than Winnipeg’s maple leaf jet does. Plus there’s already a Canadian team with a maple leaf in its logo.

2. Connecticut Whale

Pure nostalgia makes this jersey great. Hartford may have moved to Carolina, but the Whale ensured that green and blue scheme wouldn’t die. A nice/tacky touch depending on your point of view is the waves at the bottom and on the sleeves.

3. Manitoba Moose

Manitoba broke out these beauties to honor the Canadian military and man are they gorgeous. I don’t know why, but I’ve always been a sucker for the powder blue. The front looks nice, but its the back that makes it cool. The font is just classic.

And speaking of classic, check out their Winnipeg-inspired jerseys below. Would love to see the Jets wear something like this one day.

4. Norfolk Admirals

Norfolk wore these awesome threads for a jersey auction in support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Looking good for a good cause is always nice and these “old school Kings” lookalikes feature a better logo than the Admirals currently use, in my opinion.

5. Rochester Americans

I know I picked on Rochester a little bit in the last post, but these jerseys are the perfect example of how to make the Red, White and Blue work. Bold, yet subtle these jerseys employ a great blend of patriotism with a traditional hockey jersey.

Honorable mention: San Antonio Rampage

I’ve always been a fan of the silver-and-black San Antonio Spurs scheme and to see it carried over into a hockey jersey is really cool. I also love when towns make an effort to use the same colors with each of their teams. It’s a nice touch and really creates a strong unity factor.

Note there are no Milwaukee Admirals jerseys on this list. I find that having such a distinct history of themed and throwback jerseys the Ads deserve their own post and will be granted it in third and final installment.

So for now, what are your favorites of all time?

With some time off in the Admirals’ schedule, I thought it’d be fun to take a look some of the best and worst AHL jerseys of all time.

Jerseys are just as historic as the teams that wear them and the AHL has put forth some of the sleekest and weakest offerings in sports history.

When you bring up the topic of team attire everyone seems to have their own list of favorites and duds. We’d like to share some of our choices for the good, the bad and ugly and get some of yours as well.

Today let’s take a look at the ugly.

1. Rockford pays a “tribute” to Mexican Heritage.

You can call it picking on a rival, but it’s hard not to notice these duds the IceHogs donned last November on a themed Mexican heritage night. The color scheme offers a grim likeness of the early Phoenix Coyotes and in a world of increasing political correctness, the mustached Hog on the front might not fly with the easily offended.

2. Charlotte’s real knock offs

Note the K-mart logo on the top right. It’s fitting because this jersey looks like a cheap knock off that might be discovered on a K-mart clearance rack. On top of that, Smoky is far more intimidating than the cartoon bear in the middle.

3. Lake Erie’s Monstrous throw backs

One can only speculate what could’ve inspired these tie-dye-like nightmares from Lake Erie.

4. Rochester gets a little too patriotic

Hard to knock a celebration of the good ol’ red white and blue, but the Americans proved that in the wrong hands things can go a little over the top. I wonder if people felt it disrespectful when these jerseys touched the ice.

5. No luck of the Irish for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Sometimes its a great idea to have St. Patrick’s day themed attire (see the Boston Red Sox.) Other times you get attempts like this that clash horribly with the logo of the team. These jersey’s might’ve looked good after a day of celebrating St. Paddy’s at the local pub, but without beer goggles…

“Austin Watson & Taylor Beck are ready to play in the NHL right now. Are they ready to contribute on a nightly basis? Not yet.”

That’s a quote attributed to Barry Trotz, tweeted by Willy Daunic, who is the studio host for Preds Radio.  That quote came last night before the Preds were shutout by the Coyotes.

Before anyone gets to super-excited about that quote, re-read it.  It sounds like a backhanded compliment to me.  And it sounds vaguely familiar.

Remember Blake Geoffrion?  Sure you do.  Trotz said this as he was being sent down to Milwaukee for the last time…

“It was a pretty easy decision for me. Boomer hasn’t really had any production; he hasn’t scored in 31 games. There’s a lot of players that can play in the league. The difference between players that can play in the league and NHLers is that you have to produce. There was no production and there wasn’t enough impact in his game.”

So I don’t think his quote from last night suggested anything was imminent.  However….

Today, Trotz had more to say when talking to Josh Cooper of the Tennessean.

From Cooper’s blog post:  “Predators coach Barry Trotz listed three names as possible call ups from Nashville’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee, if the Predators decide to go that route to shake things up: forwards Austin Watson, Taylor Beck or Chris Mueller.”

Normally, I take the road-to-Nashville-goes-through-Milwaukee stance, and suggest that there’s more for a guy like Watson and Beck to gain here than there would be getting 5 minutes of ice-time with Brian McGrattan.

But if there’s ever a time to take a quick plunge on any of these guys….I say do it now.

We’re at a quirky part of the AHL schedule where the Admirals only have one game between now and Thursday February 7th (it’s this Friday against Chicago).  Meanwhile, the Preds play the 31st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th, before Milwaukee plays again on the 8th.

A guy or two can be called up to get some facetime with the coaching staff, maybe get some game action, and not miss too much stuff going on down here on the farm.

Maybe the quotes are meant to motivate the players already there.  Somewhat of a threat.  Maybe they are seriously considering bringing some guys up.  I’m inclined to lean towards the former, but because of the schedule, I won’t be surprised by the latter.

What do you think?

Ok, so Gabriel Bourque getting recalled….that’s old news now.  He’s in St. Paul tonight, he’s playing against the Wild.  Do us proud, Bourquey!

But the corresponding move is the interesting one.

Forward Brad Winchester was signed to a PTO contract, and should play for the Admirals tomorrow night against Houston.

Winchester brings 390 games of NHL experience and some muscle to a team that has been severely lacking both at times.

A second round draft pick of the Oilers back in 2000, Winchester spent four seasons at the University of Wisconsin (a 2nd generation Badger), before turning pro in the fall of 2003.  Last season, he played 67 games with the San Jose Sharks.

As an unrestricted free agent heading into the mini-camps this year, Winchester was invited to the Calgary camp, but was unable to break with the big club….perhaps his roster spot was given to former Admiral Steve Begin?

And now the 6-foot-5 31-year-old Madison, WI native will be suiting up for the team down the road in Milwaukee.  It’s just a PTO for now, but if things go well….there’s certainly room for growth in this organization. There always seems to be tenants in Barry Trotz’s doghouse.

What to expect out of him, outside of the veteran intangibles that we don’t get to see in the stands?  Maybe a bigger version of Ben Guite that will drop the gloves and drive to the net.

Welcome to Milwaukee, Brad. Hopefully you’re the spark that’ll get this team back on track.

Finally, it’s time to grade the guys who light the lamp. Here’s my take on Milwaukee’s forwards.

Kevin Henderson: B

32 games, 9 goals, 6 assists, 48 shots, +4

Henderson’s role has increased dramatically since last season. He’s played in two more games and scored five more goals than he did all of last year, and in his second season with the team he’s on track for his best statistical season by far. He’s been a solid second/third-liner and adds a lot of depth to the team.

Ben Ryan: C

32 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, 34 shots, -2

It’ll be nice to see what Ryan does in the second half as he’s been a lot more active of late. He scored his first goal of the season in last Sunday’s loss to Peoria, and jumped into the first fight of his career back on December 28 against the Rivermen. Before that, however, he hadn’t been heard from much.

Gabriel Bourque: B+

13 games, 7 goals, 5 assists, 21 shots, +7

Like Mike Moore, Bourque’s season so far has been marred by recurring injury. In the 13 games he’s played, however, he’s been the best skater on the ice for the Admirals. He’s taken good shots and made them count with a 23.3 percent scoring percentage. We’ll see how long he stays down with Milwaukee in the second half if/when he comes back.

Joshua Shalla: N/A

10 games, 0 goals, 3 assists, 5 shots, -3

Shalla’s another call-up who could play a big role in the second half with the lockout over. He’s made his presence known recently and hopefully his production will steadily improve. So far he’s show a lot of potential as a guy who’ll take advantage of his chances in the AHL.

Patrick Cehlin: C+

35 games, 6 goals, 10 assists, 75 shots, -1

Cehlin had a great first month of the season, but his production has fallen off considerably. With other guys trending up, he’s likely going to have to step it back up in the second half if he wants to stay in the mix as a big part of the offense.

Daniel Bang: B

22 games, 3 goals, 8 assists, 35 shots, -1

Bang is yet another guy who’s impressed in limited action. For the most part he’s made himself known when he’s been on the ice and shown he can be a solid facilitator. He’s speedy and opportunistic and he’s got good potential to be an important cog in the offense going forward.

Taylor Beck: ?

31 games, 6 goals, 20 assists, 85 shots, +4

Juuso Puustinen: C+

36 games, 3 goals, 8 assists, 72 shots, -8

What can you say about Puustinen? When he’s been good he’s been good, but when he’s been bad well…take a look at the +/-. His production hasn’t been as good as guys who’ve played in considerably fewer games, but the potential is always there for him. He can be a big presence out there and he’s shown the cliqued “flashes of brilliance” so he’ll need to build on that in the second half.

Michael Latta: B+

37 games, 5 goals, 17 assists, 61 shots, +7

Latta’s started quite a few games this year and for good reason. He’s filled the role of unofficial “fighter” and spent 110 minutes in the box this season, and that’s not a negative stat. He’s a guy who stands up for his teammates and rises to the task in the physical part of the game. Along with that he’s been a much better facilitator this season with four more assists now than he had all of last year.

Chris Mueller: A

34 games, 12 goals, 8 assists, 87 shots, -1

He’s one of the 35 greatest Admirals of all-time and he’s continued to play to that standard this season. Sadly there’s a good chance we might not see him in Milwaukee again. He’s done his time in the AHL and it’s looking an awful lot like he’ll be staying up in Nashville the rest of the season. He’s been a good leader and he’ll leave behind a big spot to fill.

UPDATE: Mueller will surprisingly return to the Admirals while Bartley, Blum and Ellis will remain in Nashville.

Jani Lajunen: C

35 games, 1 goal, 0 assists, 36 shots, -9

Lajunen’s played in a lot of games and hasn’t done too much with them. Add him to the list of guys who need to step it up in the second half.

Jack MacLellan: C

26 games, 0 goals, 1 assist, 34 shots, -10

(See above)

Mark Van Guilder: A

36 games, 7 goals, 9 assists, 44 shots, +6

MVG is the unsung hero of this squad and he’s the last person who’d tell you so. He’s more than made a name for himself over the last five years, and he’s been described as one of the best teammates a player could want by both current and past Admirals. He’s quietly the best facilitator on the team and he’s on track for another year of solid production.

Cam Reid: B

20 games, 0 goals, 5 assists, 27 shots, -1

Mr. Spin-o-Rama has been a nice call-up and another guy with a lot of potential. He’s one of the youngest guys on the team but has been quite an impressive passer. GM Paul Fenton said he plans to keep Reid around leaving room for more possible highlight reel flashes in the second half and beyond.

Austin Watson: ?

37 games, 13 goals, 7 assists, 71 shots, +2