A couple of curious moves for Milwaukee’s NHL affiliate today.

The Nashville Predators claimed forward Brandon Yip off of waivers from the Colorado Avalanche. The Boston University product was an effective player for the Avs during the past two seasons, but this year the third-year NHLer has yet to record a point in just 10 games of action while dealing with a pair of significant injuries.

Yip seems to fit right in with the usual crop at Nashville. The 26-year-old is a classic over achiever, entering the NHL after being drafted  in the eighth round. His current contract is a paltry $750,000.

The addition of Yip and the return of forward Jerred Smithson off of IR means internal movement for the Predators organization is just ahead with the necessity to clear out roster space.

Yesterday forward Chris Mueller was reassigned. Could Gabriel Bourque be next?

So Roundtable . . . Who else returns to Milwaukee?

We may have overlooked his struggles because we’ve been so fixated on others (cough Blake cough), but one could argue that one of the biggest disappointments of the season so far is Ryan Thang.

After a strong second half and even stronger playoff season last spring, Thang busted out of the gates this season with three goals and an assist in his first two games.  Through seven games in October, he had five goals and one assist.  Great start!

Then….he got called up to Nashville for a cup of coffee.  He played one game against the Chicago Blackhawks, and by most accounts, held his own just fine out there.

Upon his return to Milwaukee, the production has slowed down quite a bit.  In his 28 games since the call-up and consistently playing on the top two lines, Thanger just has four goals and eight assists.

And nothing yet in the calendar year 2012.  His last goal was 12/26.  His last assist was 12/28.  His pointless games streak sits at 8 games heading into Hamilton tonight.

Is he just snakebitten?  Thang leads the team in shots on goal, and he’s got a positive plus/minus number.  So he’s around when good stuff is happening.

Is he just a slow starter?  In his first 20 games last season, he had no goals and four assists….although it was his first full season as a pro.

At his current pace, he’d end this season in the same neighborhood of offensive production that he had last year.  But I think that the expectation coming into this year was a little loftier than simply holding that ground.

There are 41 games left, so there’s plenty of time for him to catch fire and make more of an offensive impact.  But if he doesn’t, his fate may be more along the lines of Andreas Thuresson, as he watches other guys pass him on the depth chart.

Last season, I kicked around the idea of Milwaukee being involved in an outdoor game at Miller Park as part of a double header with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Though nothing is imminent, rumors of a third Wisconsin outdoor game at Milwaukee have been discussed over the past few years. Considering the current trend of multiple games played at an outdoor rink, it would only seem natural that an Admirals game would be played at Miller Park as well.

But putting that speculative idea aside for another, the NHL is still crossing over some hurdles to put together next season’s Winter Classic–planned to be held in Ann Arbor at Michigan Stadium. The two teams involved will most likely be the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Plans for a second outdoor rink in Detroit’s Comerica Park are also being discussed in order to ensure the week long celebration around the game has its focus in the Motor City. However a tenant for the games to be held there remains a mystery.

The Great Lakes Invitational College Hockey tournament seems best suited for the plan, considering it is usually held at Joe Louis Arena every year around the same time. A couple of other options would be an AHL tuneup game involving Grand Rapids, or an OHL game involving one of the area’s local teams (Plymouth, Windsor, Saginaw or Sarnia).

The only reason why I bring this up is that this weekend marks the AHL’s Outdoor game involving Hamilton and Toronto. Considering the teams and the interest level in the area (NHL Network is now broadcasting it), this event should be a huge success.

So Roundtable . . . If Grand Rapids were to take the plunge and join the ranks of Outdoor Game teams (especially at a game held in Ann Arbor),  would Milwaukee fit as an opponent? Would you be willing make the trip east to go watch? What is your interest level in an Outdoor Admirals game at Miller Park?

AHL Commissioner David Andrews was in Milwaukee on Sunday for the Admirals’ game against the Lake Erie Monsters.  Mr. Andrews was very gracious with his time, and I borrowed about five minutes of his second intermission to talk with him about player safety, video replay, and more.

Admirals Roundtable:  With Brendan Shanahan in charge of discipline in the NHL, there’s been somewhat of a change of behavior up there.  Have you noticed a trickle down effect in the AHL?

David Andrews:  Well, I hope so.  We’ve worked closely with Brendan at the start of the year to make sure that we understood the standards that were going to be put in place in the National Hockey League for discipline, and we stay in touch with him on a regular basis.  I think when you look at our suspension record over the last couple months…through the first half of the season I think we’re about triple where we were a year ago.  So we’ve taken, I wouldn’t say a stricter stand… we’ve always taken a pretty strict stand on head shots in the American Hockey League…but with the rule changes it has opened up more opportunity for us to look at more plays.  So I think it’s having an impact.

But as I said to Aaron earlier (Editor’s note:  Mr. Andrews did a radio interview with Aaron Sims right before talking to me)…what we’re seeing in terms of concussions both in the NHL and the AHL, is that the vast majority of them are not happening from illegal plays.  Tougher disciplinary standard is important for player safety, and it’s important that our guys have the same standard in our league as what they’re going to find in the NHL as they go back and forth.  But it’s not the be all and end all of player safety, and we need get a better understanding of how these concussions are happening, and what the mechanism of the injuries are, because most of them that we’ve seen are not coming from plays that are illegal.

AR:  What has been the feedback that you’ve received so far from the realignment, schedule modification, and playoff settings.

DA:  First of all, our league was pretty much unanimous in favor of the realignment…it was something that we needed to do, not so much to look like the NHL, although it appeared that way, but because of the geography.  When we moved the Winnipeg team to St. Johns, Newfoundland, clearly they couldn’t stay in the Western Conference, and we needed to make some realignment there.  And when we tried to build it into four divisions, it just wasn’t a good fit.  When we went to six divisions, it was a very good fit.  So that’s how we got there.

The schedule modification has been well received by our fans, and it’s been well received by the players.  Obviously, it’s another factor for player safety, to get them more rest and more practice time.  We’ve extended our calendar by a week and reduced the number of games, so there’s not as much travel pressure on the players.  And our ticket sales are up 10% this year versus last year.  So I think it’s been very positive.

And so far we haven’t gotten to the playoffs where people can give us an opinion, but we think it’s a better format than we had last year.

AR:  Now this is your 18th year as commissioner of the AHL….what are some ways that the league can still grow, and can you see yourself as the commissioner in another ten years?

DA:  No, I don’t see myself as the commissioner in another ten years.  I have in my own mind a time limit on how long I’m going to stay in the position.  I’ve been here 18 years and in the league for 25, so it won’t be too much longer…a few more years I guess.  I think where we need to head is to continue to serve as the primary player development league for the NHL.  We’ve had great success with that model.  I think we’ll continue to see some evolution of markets, and we may see some migration further west with some our teams over time.  But for the most part, we’re in a good place…we’ve never been in a better place in terms of our business, in terms of our relationship with the NHL, and we just have to keep growing on that.

AR:  I’m sure this is one of your least favorite questions to field, but I have to ask it.  Video replay.  It’s in the NHL, they have it at the college level… What are some of the major roadblocks to it being implemented at this level?

DA:  Well, the major raodblock up until now has been cost, to tell you the truth.  To do it right, it’s very expensive.  We’re testing a system right now in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  We’re going to report on that system to our board in January.  I would be surprised if in one way or another we don’t have some sort of video replay in place by next season.

AR:  The NHL’s realignment plan that was just placed on hold by the union had somewhat of a balanced schedule with at least a home-and-home series against every team in the league.  Is that something that you’d like to see in the AHL?

DA:  I think in a perfect world, perhaps yes.  But I don’t think we’ll see it.  Our league is still very much driven by rivalries and is very much driven by travel cost.  It’s unlikely that we’ll ever see a balanced schedule in our league.  I think our fans are for the most part pretty happy with the way we structure it.  Some of our season ticket holders would like to see a few more teams than what they see, particularly here in the Western Conference.  But we’re seeing more variety now than we did, and I expect we’ll continue to see more and more of that, but I doubt that we’ll ever see each team playing every other team in the league.

AR:  The AHL All-Star game coming up in Atlantic City — I think it was a great idea… we’ve got a place that wants to throw a big party and that’s very cool.  Would you consider having the All-Star game as a destination like this on a regular basis?

DA:  I think we would consider it, but we do have a couple of our member cities who are eager to host the game in the next couple of years.  And I expect we’ll go to those cities before we go to another destination like Atlantic City.

AR:  And finally….I understand that you’re a sports marketing professor at the university level.  What are some of the topics that you talk about in your class?  What’s on the syllabus? 

DA:  Oh gosh, the syllabus is pretty much just talking about almost everything that we do in marketing sports and in sport management.  For the most part, we’re focused on sales and on branding, and all of those sorts of things.   But I’m not REALLY a full professor….I’m just an adjunct!

(Many many thanks to Mr. Andrews for his time and his thoughtful responses.)

The Admirals will look to snap out of their current funk when they play the visiting Texas Stars tonight.

And they’ll have to do it without their leading scorer.

Chris Mueller has been recalled by the Nashville Predators, as they moved Jerred Smithson to IR.  Craig Smith is also reportedly under the weather.

It’s Mueller’s second promotion of the season, and we’ll see if he makes it in time for the Preds game tonight.

And we’ll see what that (along with the return of Brodie Dupont) will do to the line combos in Milwaukee tonight.

My vacation was great.  Thanks for asking.  Saw the Caps shutout the Penguins.  It was delightful.

So Brodie Dupont cleared waivers earlier this week.  While he has been rehabing from his Achilles injury in Milwaukee, he hadn’t actually been on the Admirals roster until he cleared waivers.

Aaron Sims tweeted today that Dupont will be making his Admiral debut tonight against the Wolves.  What line do you want to see him on?  I’d like to see him with Van Flynder.

Dupont was obtained during the off-season in the trade that sent Andreas Thuresson to the Rangers organization.  So far, Thuresson has 9 goals and 6 assists in 37 games.

Despite Dupont missing the first 33 games of the season, I think we’ll still get the better end of that deal.

Dupont = #36

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You probably don’t need to be reminded, as most of you are educated consumers….but Sunday’s game is a 1pm start.

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More Packers playoff tickets are up for grabs tomorrow.  And here’s a look at the Scott Ford bobblehead.  How did they do with the design?

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Admirals Crew!  The Booster Club!  They’ve got that table behind section 206 that you should go visit.  And they’ve got an event coming up later this month.  From their website, it’s CASINO NIGHT!

Featuring casino style gaming and raffle prizes! Doors open at 5pm and the gambling starts at 7pm.

Cost to enter is $30 a person or $50 a couple. Price includes food, beer and soda plus a ticket worth $500 in chips for gambling.

Raffle tickets for various gift baskets and prizes will be 1 for $1 or 6 for $5.

For more info visit the Crew table outside section 206 or e-mail adsfundraising@yahoo.com

Sorry, no children under 16 at this event. You don’t have to be a Crew member to attend!

The fundraising committee is looking for raffle prize donations for this event! Donations can include Admirals memorabilia or other simple items such as a movie basket. If you are interested in donating please contact fundraising via the e-mail listed above.

Fun times!

As of Wednesday Milwaukee has played 33 games to date this season.  Strangely that total is lower than every other American Hockey League team leaving the Admirals with significant games in hand on all of their foes.

However, Milwaukee will play plenty of catch up over the next couple of weeks. Starting Friday, the Admirals will face five games in just seven days. After a three games in a three days stretch starting Friday at Chicago, Milwaukee gets a two day break before traveling to Hamilton and Lake Erie for a back-to-back road games.

After another two day break, the Admirals play another four more games in just seven days. If you are counting at home that makes nine games in 16 days–a rather daunting stretch.

Therefore, the second half of January represents make or break time for Milwaukee. Play well and a return trip to playoffs becomes a much less difficult task. However, continue the recent struggles (one win for the Admirals in their last five games) and watch more Western Conference teams leap frog ahead in the race to the finish. After these nine games, Milwaukee will have played 42 total on the season, leaving just 34 left the rest of the way.

“We need to improve our consistency,” said Admirals coach Ian Herbers last week describing what his team needed to improve on in the second half of the season. “There are too many highs and lows in our game. We need to put together a (solid) 60 minutes then string some games together.”

So here’s the play we were talking about in last night’s recap.

Stortini with a big hit that was ruled a clean hit.  Brophey takes exception.  Stortini gives him what he asked for and more.  And a gloved punch comes in from the bench.

Liffiton got two minutes for roughing on the play, and was NOT tossed from the game.

UPDATE:  As you know, news doesn’t wait for after business hours…

Lindback and Blum are the winners of a most-expenses-paid trip to Milwaukee this weekend.

Jim Diamond, who writes for the Nashville Predators Examiner site, published some news late Thursday night that will likely have quite the impact on this upcoming weekend for the Admirals.

Jeremy Smith is already in Nashville, and it’s expected that Anders Lindback will be making his way to Milwaukee on Friday.

So good for Smitty on his promotion.  And good for us to get some time with Lindback.  Smitty will be the 5th Admiral this year to earn their first NHL call-up, after Thang, Josi, Ellis, and Bourque (who scored his first NHL goal tonight, incidentally….)

It’s a well done piece by Diamond, and I urge you to read it…but I’ll quote here what he said at the end of the article.

With Lindback headed north, the question is whether or not he will have some company on his flight. The team is currently carrying eight defensemen. Head coach Barry Trotz said following the Dallas game that they will soon be discussing their blue line situation. Smart money says Ryan Ellis will be headed back with an outside chance that Jonathon Blum is reassigned for the second time this season.

It’ll be interesting to see who they decide and for what reason.  Who would you rather have sent back?

So congrats to Chris Mueller and Ryan Ellis, who were selected as All-Stars for the Western Conference.

If you like counting stats, these are the guys for you  (If you like counting 2nd assists, then Ellis REALLY is the guy for you).

Mueller is a fine pick….personally, I was lobbying for Michael Latta.

Ryan Ellis….eh, I don’t want to sound like a broken record.

But you know who was really snubbed?

Ben Bishop.

He’s responsible for 15 of the 17 Peoria wins this season.  Leads the league in shutouts.

But Matt Hackett from Houston makes the roster instead… With fewer wins, a lower save percentage, winless in shootouts (0-3….Houston as a whole is 0-7), and doesn’t have to compensate for Brett Sterling’s lack of interest in playing in his own end?

Tough year for Bishop.  Not wanted in STL when Brian Elliott remembered how to play the position…and now not recognized for having a pretty awesome year so far for Peoria.

Also surprised that Mr. Sterling isn’t on the list….but I’m not interested in making a case for him.  What a punk.