Welcome to a work week which will not feature hockey. I know, it is a very sad thing to think about. Back on Thursday night the Allen Americans won the Kelly Cup for a second consecutive season. Saturday night saw the Lake Erie Monsters win the Calder Cup in sweeping style. And last night the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup to finish off the 2015-16 season of pro hockey in North America.

~Calder Cup Champions~

When I was into full-on numbers crunching to determine when the Milwaukee Admirals could clinch the Central Division title I completely overlooked the Lake Erie Monsters in my calculations. I had the Grand Rapids Griffins and Rockford IceHogs on the brain. Makes sense given their successes during the season but that entire time the Monsters were building for a run. And what a run.

The Monsters road to Calder Cup glory saw the following: a first round sweep of the Rockford IceHogs, a six-game series against the Grand Rapids Griffins, a sweep of the defending Calder Cup champions the Ontario Reign in the Western Conference Finals, and a sweep of the Hershey Bears to win the Calder Cup.

It’s an overall playoff run of 15-2 with the only team to earn wins against the Monsters being the team that eliminated the Admirals in the opening round. The Griffins won back-to-back games while facing elimination after the Monsters jumped out to a 3-0 series lead. The Griffins won 5-4 at home in Game 4 and -shockingly- 6-1 in Cleveland in Game 5. The Monsters wouldn’t lose again. That final hot run of the Monsters, from the regular season to the finish line, was a record of 27-5-1-0 in their last 33 games of the 2015-16 season.

Where do this year’s Calder Cup champion Lake Erie Monsters rank among past winners? Let’s just look at the records and a few stats of the Calder Cup winners in the past ten-years.

2006, Hershey Bears: 21 games… 16-5 record… goal differential of +37 (84 GF, 47 GA)… 21.0 power play percentage (34/162)… 83.8 penalty killing percentage (124/148)… 428 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Tomas Fleischmann, 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists)… Top Goalie: Frédéric Cassivi, 21 games, 2.10 goals against average, 0.931 save percentage, 4 shutouts…

2007, Hamilton Bulldogs: 22 games… 16-6 record… goal differential of +23 (69 GF, 46 GA)… 15.4 power play percentage (20/130)… 86.9 penalty killing percentage (113/130)… 375 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Corey Locke, 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists)… Top Goalie: Carey Price, 22 games, 2.06 goals against average, 0.936 save percentage, 2 shutouts…

2008, Chicago Wolves: 24 games… 16-8 record… goal differential of +23 (80 GF, 57 GA)… 24.3 power play percentage (34/140)… 83.7 penalty killing percentage (118/141)… 514 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Jason Krog, 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists)… Top Goalie: Ondrej Pavelec, 24 games, 2.34 goals against average, 0.921 save percentage, 2 shutouts…

2009, Hershey Bears: 22 games… 16-6 record… goal differential of +22 (69 GF, 47 GA)… 21.6 power play percentage (24/111)… 80.4 penalty killing percentage (82/102)… 288 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Alexandre Giroux, 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists)… Top Goalie: Michal Neuvirth, 22 games, 1.92 goals against average, 0.932 save percentage, 4 shutouts…

2010, Hershey Bears: 21 games… 16-5 record… goal differential of +24 (75 GF, 51 GA)… 22.3 power play percentage (21/94)… 82.2 penalty killing percentage (74/90)… 302 penalty minutes… Top Scorer(s): Alexandre Giroux, 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists)… Chris Bourque, 27 points (7 goals, 20 assists)… Top Goalie: Michal Neuvirth, 18 games, 2.07 goals against average, 0.920 save percentage, 1 shutout…

2011, Binghamton Senators: 23 games… 16-7 record… goal differential of +22 (81 GF, 59 GA)… 22.0 power play percentage (24/109)… 83.0 penalty killing percentage (73/88)… 231 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Ryan Potulny, 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists)… Top Goalie: Robin Lehner, 19 games, 2.10 goals against average, 0.939 save percentage, 3 shutouts…

2012, Norfolk Admirals: 18 games… 15-3 record… goal differential of +29 (59 GF, 30 GA)… 12.6 power play percentage (13/103)… 93.3 penalty killing percentage (97/104)… 353 penalty minutes… Top Scorer(s): Alexandre Picard, 16 points (9 goals, 7 assists)… Trevor Smith, 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists)… Top Goalie: Dustin Tokarski, 14 games, 1.46 goals against average, 0.944 save percentage, 3 shutouts…

2013, Grand Rapids Griffins: 24 games… 15-9 record… goal differential of +19 (80 GF, 61 GA)… 19.8 power play percentage (20/101)… 87.0 penalty killing percentage (94/108)… 350 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Tomas Tatar, 21 points (16 goals, 5 assists)… Top Goalie: Petr Mrázek, 24 games, 2.31 goals against average, 0.916 save percentage, 4 shutouts…

2014, Texas Stars: 21 games… 15-6 record… goal differential of +19 (70 GF, 51 GA)… 15.9 power play percentage (14/88)… 84.9 penalty killing percentage (62/73)… 217 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Travis Morin, 22 points (9 goals, 13 assists)… Top Goalie: Cristopher Nilstorp, 19 games, 2.17 goals against average, 0.919 save percentage, 1 shutout…

2015, Manchester Monarchs: 19 games… 15-4 record… goal differential of +23 (68 GF, 45 GA)… 17.1 power play percentage (12/70)… 79.4 penalty killing percentage (54/68)… 188 penalty minutes… Top Scorer(s): Michael Mersch, 22 points (13 goals, 9 assists)… Jordan Weal, 22 points (10 goals, 22 assists)… Top Goalie: Jean-François Bérubé, 17 games, 2.30 goals against average, 0.898 save percentage, 0 shutouts…

2016, Lake Erie Monsters: 17 games… 15-2 record… goal differential of +21 (59 GF, 38 GA)… 24.2 power play percentage (15/62)… 84.7 penalty killing percentage (50/59)… 165 penalty minutes… Top Scorer(s): Oliver Bjorkstrand, 16 points (10 goals, 6 assists)… Lukas Sedlak, 16 points (9 goals, 7 assists)… Top Goalie: Anton Forsberg, 10 games, 1.34 goals against average, 0.949 save percentage, 2 shutouts…

Would you rate this year’s Lake Erie Monsters as the best Calder Cup winning team in recent memory? I have to say, I felt as if that 2013-2014 Texas Stars team was explosive but didn’t necessarily have the dominating playoff run that went down this year by Lake Erie.

An end note. This season attendance in the AHL has done phenomenally well. Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals saw a crowd of 19,665 fans fill the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland to watch the Monsters clinch on home ice. For perspective, the NBA Finals are going on at the moment at that exact same building and LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers brought in 20,562 fans for their Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors. That’s the AHL Calder Cup Finals battling it out with the NBA Finals strongly. What an awesome turnout in Cleveland. And it put a great final stamp to the 2015-16 AHL season as it was the first season in league history to average 6,000 fans in attendance for the regular season and playoffs.

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

Prior to the weekend I thought it would be fun to get another Admirals Roundtable “Mailbag” going to get some early off-season thoughts thrown out there and discussed. I had a few responses yesterday. I’d be happy to add even more today if you want to join in the discussion. Here are your questions from yesterday with my take.

~Mailbag~

Brett Sharp (via Facebook): If Cody Bass stays in Milwaukee and Colton Sissons stays up in Nashville do you think Bass will get the “C” for this season?

Admirals Roundtable: There are two factors for that to happen. One, Bass actually beginning his season with the Milwaukee. Two, the Milwaukee Admirals locker room votes for their captains ahead of the season so he would need to win the vote. I feel like if he does start the season at the AHL level he would be a perfect candidate for a captain. He is a leader off the ice. Does great things on the ice. You really could not go wrong by having Bass wear the “C” and this past season showed why it shouldn’t be viewed as a negative to wear that at the AHL with thoughts it might hinder NHL opportunities. It doesn’t. Nashville liked what they got out of Sissons and are expecting him to take part next season. I think Bass won over coaches up top for what he brings to the table and, as a low line veteran worker, he won’t play shoot yourself in the foot hockey. That was a high quality depth signing to keep him in the picture between Nashville and Milwaukee over the next two-seasons. He can captain the Admirals and contribute here and there for the Predators when called upon to do so.

Noah Faerber (@PredatorsFan2): How do you think moving to a new arena will affect the Admirals for next season? Will it help them or will it hurt them?

AR: I don’t mean for this to come off wrong but I don’t think it matters. A rink is a rink at the end of the day. That said, for the returning faces and coaches, the new locker room will need to start feeling a bit more like home. It is your cooldown, work out, and let your guard down center after all. Beyond that, the lower ceiling and more intimate setting of playing hockey in the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena should only elevate the noise levels that Admirals fans are capable of and make games feel bigger than in the past. It won’t really impact the players hugely but it might create a fun buzz amongst the fans to play a bigger part in establishing home ice advantage. There won’t be an empty upper tank anymore. Where that was the roof has been lowered. I can’t wait to hear what a goal will sound like with our fans roaring at max capacity in that barn.

Robin (@wannabe21): With all the players going overseas, what do you think the Preds need to do to stock the admirals with quality players?

AR: Same ol’ same ol’ I’d imagine. The prospect pipeline has a beginning and an end point. As some exit others enter. We’re due for some exciting first-year players in Milwaukee next season with Justin Kirkland, Anthony Richard, Alexandre Carrier, and Jack Dougherty. Plus, who knows where the next “out of nowhere” stories come from? Frédérick Gaudreau and Jimmy Oligny were undrafted free agent signings of the Admirals. Adam Payerl was a pre-season roster invitee out of the Cincinnati Cyclones after he signed an ECHL contract with them. Matt White was brought in early last season on a PTO from the Manchester Monarchs (ECHL). More than in the past I feel very confident in how the Admirals roster gets filled with talent. Some names do come and go, sure, but that’s the AHL for you. It’s replacing them that is the tricky part and lately that has been nicely done from the likes of David Poile and Paul Fenton.

Cutler Klein (@CutlerKlein): In your professional opinion, do Frédérick Gaudreau and Jimmy Oligny have a shot at the Preds roster out of camp?

AR: They don’t, especially Oligny because he isn’t signed to any sort of a contract through the Nashville Predators. The next time I see Poile there might be a moment where I implore him to change that. I do think all members of the French Fries start their season in Milwaukee but I do think that Gaudreau being brought up as a member of the Black Aces at season’s end wasn’t a simple pat on the back by Nashville. I think they wanted to see just what all the fuss is about up close. The guy works tremendously hard and made a quantum leap forward in 2015-16. Should he play as well or better this coming season he would be a great call-up candidate in the event of an injury at center or wing because of how defensively responsible he is. I’d say the same for fellow French Fry Félix Girard. That trio, which will be expanding this year with the incoming Québec natives, isn’t just popular for how they are away from the rink. They’re great playing in it. I’d love to see all three get NHL action next season. They would all perform well in a lower line capacity.

Jonathan Nowicki (@frontrowjon): With [Austin Watson]’s departure almost a for sure and other vets in NSH being cleared for youth what is our MKE roster looking like? If they win Saturday is this year’s LE team the best team we’ve seen in the West in years. Sweeping Hershey isn’t easy.

AR: I don’t see a Watson departure. If anything this season, now that Eric Nystrom and Paul Gaustad are on the out, should be all systems go to let Watson off a leash and go. He’s just experienced a full NHL season and has probably all kinds of feedback on what is needed for him to be a more consistent and reliable NHL player. That’s what his off-season should be all about and I want to see him get a strong run out in the Fall. As for those gosh darned Lake Erie Monsters… who saw this coming? They were a good group, yes, but I could never have imagined a playoff run the likes of which they’ve had. Let me update what I said last Ramblings: When you dip back into the regular season the Monsters have gone 26-5-1-0 in their last 32 games played. They are 14-2 in the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs having faced the Rockford IceHogs, Grand Rapids Griffins, Ontario Reign, and Hershey Bears. I thought that the 2013-14 Texas Stars were good but they lost 6 games en route to their Cup win. This has been beyond belief for the Monsters. It really has been.

Brandon Marshall (@BrandoWriter): Your prediction for most surprising player to NOT play for Nashville on opening night.

AR: As soon as I saw this question I said, “That’s an easy one.” Because of that I don’t know whether or not saying Kevin Fiala starting the 2016-17 season with the Milwaukee Admirals will really surprise that many people but I think he does. It isn’t a knock against his ability, his behavior, or his maturity. I just feel like if you want to play Fiala in Nashville at the start of the season you need to place him in a role that brings out the best of him. Him in a bottom-six capacity isn’t going to cut it for right now. So, be patient, and let him keep getting sharper and more well-rounded in Milwaukee. It’s not a bad thing. In fact, using the experiences of last pre-season camp, I bet Fiala enters way more relaxed and takes all that comes in his stride. Not making the team last yer hurt him. I think he enjoys pre-season camp more this season, has a better showing, but gets told to keep it up in the AHL and be ready.

On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck): If NBC greenlit a sitcom about Juuse Saros, what would the theme music be and who would play Saros? Dean Evason?

AR: Sweet mercy is this question the stuff of legend. First of all, the part of Evason would be played by Stephen Lang. I’m torn between those two but either would be a great pick. After using the CelebsLikeMe website the title role of “Little Bear” Saros would be played by Dylan O’Brien. I think the resemblance is uncanny. And as for that theme song? It already exists with the show title. We just need someone to film Saros trekking through the locker room and rink like that.

Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro): You and 4 AHL-related people (media members, officials, coaches, etc..) head to bar. Who are they and who buys first round?

AR: Let’s make this a very un-hypothetical situation because this generally happens after home games. My people would be Theresea Taylor, Sam Sirna, Dave Boehler (Did you guys know he has a blog?), and -recent entry for this season- Kristen Wooten. Now, anyone of us would be willing to buy a round but I guarantee you -without hesitation- the man to offer up first would be Dave because that’s how great that guy is. Always tends to offer up first.

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

Welcome to the first installment of Ramblings for the Summer of 2016. For new readers the title should be self explanatory. This is just my weekly column to pepper in some thoughts or musings throughout the off-season as to keep things moving here at Admirals Roundtable. Along the way I’d love to do some mailbag segments but, for today, let’s comb over a few topics.

~More Questions Than Answers~

Another year and another two off-season stories that are identical for the Milwaukee Admirals. What’s going on in net? Who are the main men defending around the net? Last season saw Magnus Hellberg leave and Juuse Saros join as well as Joe Piskula leaving with a veteran defensive void that wouldn’t get filled until mid-season trades came along. We’re pretty much in that same boat again.

The goaltending saga this year is more Nashville specific. Who is going to be Pekka Rinne‘s back-up next season: Carter Hutton or Marek Mazanec? That seems to be the question rattling in my head right alongside why did the Predators sign Jonas Gunnarsson instead of Janne Juvonen? No matter, Gunnarsson should be the battery-mate of Saros in Milwaukee next season. But what about Nashville? Who ends up being the odd man out between Hutton or Mazanec? Or could Nashville actually throw as big of a curveball like Gunnarsson with that job interview and sign someone else completely?

Another big question that faces the Admirals coming into the 2016-17 season will be the defense. Yes, Saros will be good and I’m eager to see how Gunnarsson handles the North American game but both need the help out in front of them to make life easier. Jimmy Oligny being back, barring another NHL team opting to pen him to an entry level contract (hint hint, Nashville), will help a lot. Who else is really going to be around though? Trevor Murphy? Jack Dougherty? Alexandre Carrier? Jonathan Diaby? That’s not exactly a group that inspires confidence. Murphy will be a sophomore looking to make strides. That’s good. Dougherty entered late into the 2015-16 season to make his pro debut. He got a look around and should be good project to watch grow in his first full-season. Carrier will hope to echo some of what Murphy supplied in his first professional playing season. Unlike Dougherty he didn’t get into a game to make his pro debut, he only participated in a handful of practices, but if he can perform Murphy levels of first year success that would be great. Diaby…

My point is that a focal point of the 2015-16 season was reorganizing the defense to include a right-handed shooting balance as well as bring in veteran minds to the on and off ice chemistry. Patrick Mullen, Stefan Elliott, and Corey Potter all did really well for the team with the latter two names getting NHL time at the end of the season. Yet, Potter has already moved on. Taylor Aronson moved on before the season even ended. And I’m curious if the Predators are interested in bringing back Elliott or Mullen.

There are of course possible options keeping some other names that are RFA’s such as Elliott. Petter Granberg could be a good option on a two-way contract that could fill into Potter’s role alongside Oligny nicely. I feel Garrett Noonan is due to be unleashed properly at the AHL level after a great ECHL season for the Cincinnati Cyclones and could be what Kristian Näkyvä was thought to be for this past season – next season.

Still, that leaves the veteran role (possibly even roles) that the team would want to have on defense. The entire 2015-16 season should have provided a learning experience to the powers that be. The Admirals were critical to have a defense that saw an even balance of three right-handed shots and three left-handed shots. Why that wasn’t communicated well in advance so a signing such as Conor Allen could have been spent straight for what you are actually looking for (a veteran right-handed shot) confuses me but it would be worse if the ball gets dropped a second time this off-season.

The entire organization should know what they’re looking for at defense in the AHL in terms of making a competitive AHL team, providing NHL depth, and providing future NHL talent. There shouldn’t be a need for a mid-season blow up to add three AHL defensemen like this past season. Get the right candidates lined up and signed. The lefties of the organization seem set. Some veteran right-handed shooting defensemen will need to be given a deep look at come free agency time. After all, it is an important measure of depth for the NHL level as much as it is for the Admirals in the AHL. Should a Shea Weber or Ryan Ellis go down long-term next season who do you have in the pipeline on the right-side to fill that void? Perhaps all the more reason to shoot hard for Elliott and Granberg on two-way contracts.

~2016 Calder Cup Finals~

I’m not sure how many are still highly tuned to the AHL post-playoff exit for the Admirals. Those that aren’t might see the Lake Erie Monsters in the spot that they are and raise an eyebrow. This was a team that the Admirals did alright against during the regular season: 5-2-1-0 record. Where did this journey for Lake Erie to the Finals take off?

To me, the Monsters are living out what I had hoped the Admirals do in the playoffs this year. I wanted the Admirals to knock off the Grand Rapids Griffins, show the Ontario Reign that they weren’t as good as their points percentage or record in the Pacific Division might have indicated, and then knock off the best that the Eastern Conference had to offer en route to a Calder Cup.

I had fully expected the Toronto Marlies to make it on the Eastern side of the playoffs. That didn’t happen as the Hershey Bears took the Marlies out in a five-game series. The Bears clawed out full-distance series in the opening two rounds of the playoffs against the Portland Pirates and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Through that adversity all that stood in front of them was -the- favorite of these playoffs, the Marlies, and they throttled them.

Tonight is Game 3 of the Calder Cup Finals. The Monsters took both games in Hershey and are set for three straight games on home ice. The opportunity is there for the franchise to win a championship in the Quicken Loans Arena before LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers do. The Monsters have had two separate six-game winning streaks during the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs. When you dip back into the regular season the Monsters have gone 25-5-1-0 in their last 31 games played. It has been an absolutely spectacular run for them.

What are some of the off-season storylines that you are most intrigued by? What should the Nashville Predators do with their back-up goaltending role?

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

This morning I made the trip into practice to give a look at what’s what with the Milwaukee Admirals following their California road trip. There was plenty of good news on the injury front as everyone that was banged up participated for the full-length of practice.

Fiala-Hodgson-Aberg
White-Sissons-Gaudreau
Payerl-Kamenev-Gortz
Devane-Girard-Pendenza

Vladislav Kamenev returned to the ice for practice today. I kept watch of him a fair bit and, for someone who has missed the last four-games (and the AHL All-Star festivities he was selected for) due to a lower body injury, he looked great. His skating looked sharp and he appeared to be moving around with ease. It looks like he will be on-track to return to game-action on Friday.

Cody Hodgson was also active for today’s practice after having missed this past weekend’s games in California due to illness. The added numbers to the forward group meant nudging Trevor Murphy back to the defensive group where he is expected to remain.

Another notable participant in today’s practice was Jonathan Diaby who has been sidelined with an “upper-body” injury for over a month’s time. I’ve caught him skating lightly in previous practices but today he went full throttle and lasted the entire duration of practice. Should he be cleared for game-action I would suspect he be assigned to the Cincinnati Cyclones faster than you can say ECHL. I’m just hoping he can get some proper playing time down there because he has had the worst luck on the injury front this season and it’s made a sputtering season even harder to ever get corrected. The Admirals defense is pretty set as it is and will soon need to decide how it slots Murphy back into the picture with left-shooting defensemen Jimmy Oligny, Johan Alm, and Kristian Näkyvä all performing well lately. This should mean having Diaby log minutes in the ECHL where Garrett Noonan is currently enjoying the bulk of his sophomore pro playing season.

~An Update on Max Reinhart~

For those keeping a close eye on the Admirals forward groups lately a key name has been absent for some time now. Where is Max Reinhart? The lone note that had been given in connection with his absence has been that he’s dealing with personal issues. That can mean a wide variety of things but the idea that it can sideline him for effectively two weeks worth of action does start to cause the rumor mill to stir. Is it something family related, health related, between the ears related, or what? After practice today I asked Milwaukee Admirals head coach about the current status of Reinhart.

“Max is taking some personal time,” commented Evason. “I think that’s all people need to know. He’s on his way back to us. When he gets in the lineup? We’ll see. But he’s worked through some stuff – some personal stuff. We expect him back and we’ll welcome him back when he gets here.”

I followed up by asking if it was a physical or health related issue.

“It’s just personal time,” responded Evason. “I don’t want to go into too much more extended than that. It’s something that players go through every now and then. You see it on different teams. He’s working through it now.”

If speculation is anything to go on you could probably take that in a further million different directions. To me, I still don’t know what has exactly happened to Reinhart but there appears to be some sort of a disconnect between himself and the game of hockey right now. Is that disconnect down to him feeling stuck in the AHL? Is it a Nashville thing? Is he looking at Cody Bass and thinking that could be him? Who knows. There is more to speculate on than actual concrete answers. No matter what the case is Reinhart is the Admirals fifth best scorer and second best goal scorer on the roster: 20 points (11 goals, 9 assists) in 42 games. The only games he hasn’t played this season have come in the last three which were due to these personal reasons. If not for that he’d have played every single game for the Admirals this season – something only Félix Girard and Kristian Näkyvä have been able to do so far.

~Mini-Mailbag~

Early this morning I thought it would be fun to have another mailbag with you readers. I did get a few Q’s so now I think you can have a few A’s.

Justin: What is the most recent update on Kamenev? The new Roscoe jerseys look neat. It didn’t appear that this was one of the original events promo events. Is there something this is tied to? I’m surprised Cody Bass is still up in Nashville. Are you surprised they haven’t swapped him out with another “style” winger?

The most recent update on Kamenev is an awesome one. Luckily I went to practice this morning to see firsthand. Also, and I don’t have the full-details, I spotted him wearing a #42 David Lee Boston Celtics practice jersey after having joined with a group of Admirals who went out to play some basketball on the Milwaukee Bucks court following practice at the MSOE Kern Center. I quipped to him, “you defected.” And the group said he won it. I definitely want more to that story but if Kamenev beat someone in basketball after pulling off the Forrest Gump table tennis beat down on Noonan on Media Day it would be amazing.

The special edition Roscoe jerseys will be auctioned off to benefit the American Cancer Society.

I’m not sure if I would say I am surprised Bass is still up. My feeling with players in the role or area of the lineup that Bass finds himself in for the Predators has always been to recall the veteran in the AHL to log minutes you can depend on rather than force a skill forward prospect to slow down and play defensively. Bass is dependable. He’s experienced. He can rotate to center and win face-offs if need be. With all due respect to someone like a Pontus Åberg, Max Görtz, or Frédérick Gaudreau – you call them up and you’re left with an unknown variable of whether or not they’re going to play their assignment well while adjusting to the NHL game. Is less than ten-minutes a game of those three better than what Bass can provide? Possibly. But what is more reliable? And that’s why Bass is still there and, quite honestly, why Austin Watson is playing out the entirety of his two-way portion of his two-year contract in Nashville this season.

Jamie: Most surprising Roster moves this season? Out of any PTO in the past 3 years who do you think was the best one to sign?

The most surprising roster move of the season for me was seeing Viktor Arvidsson go up and Kevin Fiala remaining down with the Admirals after the NHL All-Star break had ended. I was completely under the assumption Fiala was here for the one weekend game before heading back to Nashville. I even had a story pre-written the moment that news was to go official because I thought it was a lock. Instead, Arvidsson went up and proceeded to prove the move right. Just watch the last Predators game highlights before they play tonight. Arvidsson was his ol’ brilliant self.

There are two great cases to be made for best PTO signings over the last three-years on the Admirals roster right now – and both did so well they were signed to full deals to remain with the Admirals. Adam Payerl has been a superb addition to the team. He’s well-rounded and has been a great depth signing that has contributed very well offensively. Matt White worked himself up from the ECHL ranks to finally get into the AHL with the Admirals and is now going to be an Admirals until the end of next season. He’s fit right in and shown he has belonged at the AHL level. I also of course have a soft spot for Gary Steffes because he, like White, was a hard worker in the ECHL who I just felt needed the AHL outlet to show he belongs. It blew me away that after the season he had for the Allen Americans in 2014-15 that not one AHL team offered him a contract. It’s a shame.

How nice is it to see Kamenev back healthy again? Are there any concerns on your part for wherever Reinhart’s head is at right now?

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Today is an off-day for the Milwaukee Admirals. Rather than kick back – and glare into the roster-verse thinking about if the team will get another forward back ahead of tomorrow’s game – I’ve decided to do another Admirals Roundtable Mailbag. Answering any and all of your questions. There were already a few questions asked yesterday via social media but feel free to keep asking away in the comment’s section and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

~Mailbag~

What do you think of the difference in chemistry is on the ice at the beginning of the season compared to now? ~@awaitingseason

I feel like the biggest difference is simply the time it has taken for everyone in the locker room to settle in. I feel like a perfect example of the early season struggles can come from what a guy like Adam Payerl was experiencing. He was a training camp invitee from the Cincinnati Cyclones. Started the season not knowing really anyone associated with the Admirals. And slowly built his way up in performances that made him worthy of eliminating his PTO contract and signing him up for the rest of the season on a standard contract.

It’s not so easy, even for a team like the Admirals which had a fair amount of familiar faces around, to simply hit the ground running as a cohesive group from game one forward. There still are lots of new players in the mix. New players presents a feeling out process that has to occur for both teammates and coaches. With time to play games together, go through the daily grind together, and repeat the process on and on a few times it makes the comfort level way better. I think that’s been a great strength of the Admirals early in this season. They’re a solid group and they believe in each other enough to play different styles of games (open ice track meet, dump and chase, defensively tight damage limitation). Through it all they’ve managed to get results from those all while the roster has thinned as well. The feeling out process is over. This team is a team now.

How cool would it be if the Milwaukee Admirals played in an outdoor game at Miller Park. I know other AHL teams have done this. Is this something that realistically could happen in the future? ~Aaron Z.

If the weather stays as it has been I’m not sure “cool” is the right word for an outdoor game, actually. In all seriousness, that would be an amazing sight to see a hockey rink set where the diamond would be within Miller Park. The only problem that occurs is that term you used: realistic. Even though the Admirals wear a Milwaukee Brewers patch on the front of their jerseys I’m not so certain the two sides would come together to host an event of that magnitude. I’d think the Admirals want to solidify their future home first (oh hey, hello UW-Panther Arena, hi) before considering something as extravagant as an outdoor game.

How much do you follow former Ads who went to Europe? Any update on Simon Moser? ~@AnnieShoes1

I love keeping track of specific Admirals that I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know since I’ve been around this team (2012-13 season). In saying that, HIFK in Finland is by miles my favorite European team because of the former Admirals talent that it has: Juuso Puustinen and the Joonas Brothers (Joonas Järvinen and Joonas Rask).

As for Mr. Simon Moser, he’s had a jolly old time since turning down the Nashville Predators talk of more AHL hockey before getting back up into the NHL ranks. He went to play for his hometown team, SC Bern, and had an injury plagued 2014-15 season. He’s already played more games, scored more goals and assists, and appears to be back to 100% of the player we all rooted on when he played in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

But, in short, yes. I always keep tabs on our former players trekking out to Europe. A lasting fun note to end on? Mark Van Guilder has been better than a point per game player in his first season overseas: 28 points (7 goals, 21 assists) in 21 games with Ritten Sport (Serie A // Italy).

How does Petter Granberg look? ~@zallen020

It’s only been three-games and, even then, it’s almost more like two-games for Petter Granberg in this conditioning assignment. The Admirals actually dressed seven-defensemen last Saturday in Manitoba purely because they were being cautious of bringing Granberg in for his first taste of game action this entire season. That’s actually another very important point in all of this. Granberg had been inactive from game time until last weekend. He’s been hurt. And now he’s entering an entirely new system after being claimed on waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs by the Nashville Predators. It’s a whirlwind.

Granberg is known as more of a stay at home defenseman. So far through three-games, two goals have been scored as he’s been defending a shot or a pass and the puck has banked off him and gone in. That’s not a knock on him. That’s just been bad luck. I liked a lot more of what I saw in person Tuesday night. He’s clearly a very strong defender. It was impressive seeing him work along the wall or the boards shoving around members of the Chicago Wolves. I’m not sure where his personal comfort level is at the moment but, hey, this is why the conditioning assignment exists. The more he’ll play, the better he should feel, and I think the better it is he will look.

The real question is just what the heck are the Predators going to do when they get him back? They already have an extra defenseman that never sees the light of day, Anthony Bitetto. When they acquired Granberg they had Bitetto and another extra defenseman that they decided to put through waivers and then reassign him to the Admirals, Victor Bartley. Is Granberg and his 8 games of NHL experience the last two-seasons good enough to be better than what Bitetto or Bartley were doing as outsiders waiting to play? It’s still curious to me.

Is this a question? ~@SinBinCyclones

Yes.

Who is the most NHL ready defenseman on the roster? ~@BrandoWriter

There’s this young buck named Bartley down here that could probably play for the Nashville Predators at some point in his career. Him aside, I have been so impressed by Taylor Aronson this season and allow me to explain a bit why.

I have no shame in saying two or three seasons ago I felt Aronson was going to be an ECHL lifer. He came in last season off a great Kelly Cup run with the Cincinnati Cyclones and had himself a fantastic 2014-15 season for the Admirals. As great as he was last season I’m actually even more impressed with him this season because his work defensively has been so strong. He’s been paired most of this season with Kristian Näkyvä for most of this season, who I feel has been disappointing so far, but that partnership has put a spotlight on Aronson’s defense because he has bailed Näkyvä out quite a few times per game. He works all scenarios in defense for the Admirals and does it well. Aronson has gone from deserving to be in the ECHL to rightfully knocking on Nashville’s door. His biggest problem? There are so many defensemen ahead of him as it is and then the Predators acquired Granberg for good measure.

Of the 3 (Sissons, Salomaki, Arvidsson) who would you like to see back in MKE? Benefiting NSH and MKE with the move, obv. ~@bcsmith317

I was about to scream Viktor Arvidsson at you in ALL CAPS but then I saw the second part of the question and I don’t think it would benefit Nashville to lose him. The player I would like to see back the most, despite him probably not wanting to have his NHL time cut short, is Colton Sissons. I feel bringing back another center who can eat up solid minutes, and contribute across the board (offensively, defensively, power-play, penalty kill) would be huge for the Admirals all while the Predators eventually get back someone like Mike Fisher back healthy.

Looking back at the Admirals when their roster was at its strongest? They were so deep down the middle that Frédérick Gaudreau wasn’t even playing at center he was out on the wing. Gaudreau has been the top line center lately. That’s not a bad thing. He leads the team in scoring right now (friendly hint to David Poile – Gaudreau is on an AHL contract and you might want to change that next off-season). But, with no Vladislav Kamenev right now during World Juniors, it means the centers line by line probably goes: Gaudreau, Max Reinhart, Félix Girard, and Joe Pendenza (unless Cody Bass and his “upper-body injury” clear up soon). Adding Sissons would help a ton right now for the Admirals.

What you like to do for the holidays? ~@scouter715

*asks the magic conch shell* Nothing. No, seriously. I think the older you get the more you really appreciate down time to relax and be with family and friends. With the Admirals having a game on Boxing Day I’ll still be gritting my teeth to do a “Scouting the Enemy” late Christmas night so it’s up in the morning. So, my Holiday break is Tuesday-to-Friday next week. I’ll be in full-on hermit mode during that time, I’d imagine (and hope).

How do you see the Ads goalie situation shaking out next season? Hutton’s contract is up, so does someone get the call? ~@OnThePowerPlay

No offense to Carter Hutton, and his amazing television career that he’s built up since joining the Nashville Predators organization, but there is no way he’s back next season. The Predators need to find someone they feel more confident in that they can utilize and spare Rinne every now and then so he isn’t shouldering such a load season-after-season.

Is Marek Mazanec that guy? I think it is entirely possible. It would be the more cost effective way to sign a back up but it’s determined on just how well Mazanec performs this season. I feel he’s been doing a really good job. This season more than his previous two-seasons I have more confidence in what the Admirals will do for a result when his name gets announced as the starter of the night. There were times when I’d hear his name and say, “We need to score three goals at minimum or we’re going to lose.” If he can keep up this season I can easily see him slotting in as the back up next season for the Predators.

For those instantly saying, “But what about Juuse Saros?” No matter how great his season has been with the Admirals. No matter how much better his numbers could end up being than Mazanec’s as the two sort of have their in-house competition this season. He’ll still only be 21-years old when the 2016-17 season begins and on the second-year of his three-year entry level contract. Allow for him the same room to grow and understand the North American game as some other Finnish netminder did down here before unleashing him on the NHL for the next eight-seasons. I’d rather Saros be active at this age, playing and learning, than sitting back watching from a bench only to play once every two weeks or so. These are key development years for Saros regardless of how well his numbers might be in the AHL. Allow for him to develop. Allow for him to play. And wait until you see the fully polished product in Nashville. Hey, it worked the last time right? Rinne played 145 regular season games for the Admirals before his first full-season of NHL hockey. Saros has played 14 games.

Any questions that you would like to ask? Be sure to comment below or to ask away on the social media platforms of your choosing. I’m in a slight hermit mode today so my answers to your questions can come in ASAP.

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While there is no Chatterbox, being a road game and all, I do feel some recapping of last night’s game is in order. The Milwaukee Admirals once again were stifled by the Grand Rapids Griffins. They lost 4-1 and the lone goal that the Admirals scored came from a goaltending blunder from Jared Coreau. Without that gaffe Coreau has a very easy pair of shutouts in back-to-back games against the Admirals.

It’s tough looking at a game last night without getting frustrated but the truth is that there was really only one clean goal scored last night and it came with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. When Andreas Athanasiou delivered a beautiful blind spinning backhanded pass to setup Eric Tangradi the game finally had a clean goal. When Mitch Callahan scored it came off a bad bounce that fell on a plate for him. When Félix Girard scored it was because Coreau was having an out of body experience away from the net. When Martin Frk scored it was because of a loose puck scramble that lead to a botched clearance that gave Frk a chance not unlike Callahan’s. Tangradi’s goal was decisive and without any sort of unfortunate mishaps unfolding around it. From there the Griffins added an empty netter. In a game that felt like a 2-0 contest to me the right team won.

I think it is clear that the Admirals did learn from the first game against the Griffins. The scoreline is the obvious first example of that. What’s disappointing is that for all the defensive improvements the Admirals displayed theur offensive inability to solve the Griffins defense remained. The Admirals went from 22 shots on goal to 24 shots on goal. If you discount the blunder Coreau made that allowed for the shorthanded goal by Girard I can’t even think of one chance out of those 45 other shots on goal that were threatening.

That’s all the bad news. The good news? That same issue didn’t creep into the Admirals in the following games when they played the Chicago Wolves and Texas Stars. Perhaps it isn’t the worst thing in the world to tip your cap to the Griffins during this hot-streak of their’s, learn the lessons that the two games with them have provided, improve, and move on. The Admirals didn’t even drop in the divisional or conference rankings by losing last night. The Admirals have won thirteen of their last sixteen-games. For all the insanity of roster movement, recalling or signing players from the ECHL level, and players getting injured in-house the team has continually performed very strong.

The good news can continue as well. Johan Alm and Jamie Devane both returned to the Admirals lineup last night after missing game-time. As disappointing as it is that Conor Allen is apparently not going to be joining the Admirals for this road trip due to injury the Nashville Predators will be sending Petter Granberg on conditioning assignment so yet another fresh body is coming into the team. Max Görtz missed last night’s game but is with the Admirals on the road. It’s only a matter of time before players start healing up and this team gets even stronger for battling through passages of a season such as this one.

Some last little tid-bits worth throwing out there. The Admirals penalty kill, for as rough as it was to start the season, has gone 85.7% (60/70) in the last sixteen-games. Vladislav Kamenev was slapped with a misconduct in the final twenty-seconds of last night’s game. He joins Colton Sissons and Kevin Fiala as Admirals who have given themselves an early exit by way of a misconduct penalty in the final twenty-seconds of a game this season.

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You read the headline correctly. Today isn’t a Chatterbox it is a Ramblings. What’s the difference? Quite honestly nothing other than the amount of post-game interviews was such that there really wasn’t too much chatter going on. And I’ll start by explaining why.

It was Camera Night for the Milwaukee Admirals last night. That meant that the players all took to the ice shortly after the game was completed to take photos with the fans. I never like interrupting the incredible fan experience that Camera Night provides. Me jumping in front of a queue to interview a player for a few minutes just isn’t right. I get the privilege of interacting with the players all-season long. For the fans Camera Night is more than just taking photos it’s getting to meet your favorite players and talk with them like you would any buddy you know. The fans are always there for the players. Camera Night is a night when the players get to be there for the fans. I’ll always let that be that and give the players the rest of the night off from my reporting shenanigans so that they can have fun with all fans that took the time to meet them on the ice.

With that all said, I did get one interview and it is the one that I always am guaranteed to get which is the one with Admirals head coach Dean Evason. Here is what he had to say following the Admirals 3-1 win over the San Diego Gulls.

~But WAIT That’s Not All~

Let’s do some slight talking about the Admirals 3-1 win over the Gulls, shall we? To me I think it’s been impressive to watch this Admirals team compete in a variety of different style hockey games and find ways to win. The goal by Frédérick Gaudreau to put them ahead was something special. And as glamorous as his goal was it’s important to think of the penalty killing in the third period in the exact same capacity.

The Gulls entered last night’s game with the top power-play in the AHL. Their power-play is so good that despite going 0/4 in the third period last night they remain on top of the AHL in that special teams category. It wasn’t just the penalty killing that was great to watch it was also seeing it get done with some of the more clutch members of the penalty kill team in the box such as Félix Girard and Gaudreau who often are a first choice pairing on the kill as the forward group. Everyone stepped up and delivered immense pressure on the puck carrier. The Admirals don’t sit back and await to clear. They attack on the penalty kill and it takes a special type of forward to really gauge distance on the puck carrier as to not concede too much space for the options the power-play has behind the penalty killer. Max Reinhart was tremendous. Colton Sissons looked every bit the player who probably shouldn’t even be playing in Milwaukee right now. And Vladislav Kamenev also chipped in very well on the penalty kill. It’s exciting to see a forward group with so much youth and skill be that intelligent defensively.

~Comparing History~

The Admirals win last night matched a franchise record of a nine-game winning streak that was set last season (1/3/15–1/23/15). They’re also on a ten-game points streak having picked up a point from an overtime defeat on the road against the Iowa Wild on Halloween. For now though let’s focus on that franchise record winning streak and compare the two.

2014-15: five home wins, four road wins… two overtime wins, one shootout win… outscored opponents 30-13, outshot opponents 261-230… 8/36 (22.2%) power-play, 26/29 (89.7%) penalty kill… combined goaltending save percentage of 0.943, 2 shutouts… Viktor Arvidsson scored in all but one game of the nine game winning streak while producing 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists) and 4.8 shots per game.

2015-16: five home wins, four road wins… one overtime win, one shootout win… outscored opponents 31-15, outshot opponents 301-278, 9/41 (21.9%) power-play, 28/34 (82.4%) penalty kill… combined goaltending save percentage of 0.949, 1 shutout… Arvidsson has scored in all games of the winning streak while producing 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) and exactly 5 shots per game.

That’s pretty impressive, right? Some areas such as shots are up from last season. The Admirals penalty kill during last season’s winning streak had a run of twenty-two straight kills so it was always going to be better. Outside of that it is remarkably close – all the way down to Arvidsson producing 12 points during the nine-game winning streak.

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Take a breather, everyone. The Milwaukee Admirals earned their first win of the season last night and did it in impressive fashion. In fact, of the possible outcomes, I feel like the Admirals clawing back from 2-0 down at the start of the third period to win it 3-2 in overtime is as good as it gets. If the Admirals won a 4-1 cruise mode you’re left saying, “Well that’s nice but it was just the Iowa Wild.” If the Admirals lost via beatdown in regulation once again… you, like me, would have resorted to a toddler level temper tantrum.

~Teamwork~

What I appreciate the most about the performance last night was that it looked like a team. The Admirals performance against the Charlotte Checkers, much more than the one against the Chicago Wolves, looked like a veritable hodgepodge of individuals playing their own games. How often will a single player blitz through three defending opponents with skill to score a goal? Not often. The game requires flashes of that skill level crafted with chemistry that complements the structure of a team. When players decide to punch themselves out of the game plan and try to single-handedly win a game on their own you get the 7-2 loss that the Admirals earned for themselves last Friday.

If the Chicago game wasn’t a wake up call the Charlotte one needed to be. The Admirals needed to get back to having a team first mentality. Whatever was said, instructed by the coaching staff, or worked out on the ice appeared to bring out our first legitimate glimpse of what this Admirals team could be when it plays like an actual team. There was solid structure to the way the defense operated. Passing, while still not perfect, was an improvement. The offense that generated 41 shots on goal in the first two games put up 35 shots on goal last night. It’s all hopefully the start of better and more consistent things to come.

~Fiala Watch~

I made a point to say as much during the game but I will say it again here. I don’t know if Kevin Fiala is playing injured, if he is still beating himself up over getting cut from Nashville Predators pre-season camp, or if he is struggling to gel with his particular linemates here in Milwaukee – but he looks incredibly off right now. It’s as if he doesn’t have a fully functional motor running at the moment.

He was able to produce six shots on goal last night, which was equaled by Adam Payerl for the most in the game, but only a single shot that rang iron felt threatening… and, in writing that out, that probably doesn’t even get registered as a shot on goal. He has been moving very slowly. He doesn’t look like he is attempting to take anyone on with skill. He has every bit the ability to be an igniter on the Admirals offense but he’s not even been on the ice for a single goal scored by the team this season. Think about that for a moment. When the chips were down last night, when head coach Dean Evason called a timeout with less than two minutes remaining to pull the goalie and bring on an extra attacker, Fiala was still on the bench. The man that did it all but actually score the goal against the Grand Rapids Griffins last season isn’t trusted as much as Vladislav Kamenev, Stevie Moses, and Cody Bass to be on the ice to go for broke to win a game. Not only that, but fourth line winger Frédérick Gaudreau has by far looked better than Fiala on a shift after shift basis in two games than Fiala has in three games.

I don’t know what the issue is. Is Fiala hurt physically? Is Fiala hurt emotionally? Is he struggling to assimilate all the new faces and playing styles or is he overthinking his own game and hindering it by doing so? These are questions that need to be answered rather quick for Fiala if he is to really push for any sort of NHL time this season.

~Suspended Swedes~

I’d be foolish to not hit on this subject. Aaron Sims is always kind enough to tweet out the Admirals line combinations before each game. Last night I was surprised to see two names missing in action: Pontus Åberg and Max Görtz. This was a surprise especially in the case of Åberg who I thought was one of the few in blue that played a really good game against Charlotte. As it turned out, the two Swedes were actually withheld from last night’s game in Iowa due to committing undisclosed team violations. One more than that, both players didn’t even travel with the team to Iowa.

As I cleverly wrote: the team violations were undisclosed. This could mean not knowing what happened until I next talk with Evason or the players – or more likely not knowing what happened at all. I could sit here and speculate from anything to sleeping in and missing practice to something potentially worse -but- I don’t have a single clue what the two could have done to merit not even traveling with the team to still support their teammates. I’ll say this much, no matter what they did, that’s a proper slamming of the foot by a coaching staff laying down the ground rules. No one ever wants to be made an example of but, for all we know, Åberg and Görtz were made an example of for the benefit of clamping down on behavioral issues before they ever begin this season.

What did you think of last night’s performance from the Admirals? How important could a comeback win like that be in getting the Admirals to start playing better hockey as a team? What have you seen out of Kevin Fiala in the first three games? Is it less to do with Fiala and more an all-around offensive/scoring problem for the Ads?

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The 2015 Rookie Tournament provided a nice appetizer for hockey’s return. Yesterday in Nashville was the pre-season opener. In short, we’ve all survived the dreaded, long, cold, and dark off-season. Hockey is back and it is fast approaching its arrival back here in Milwaukee.

~Pre-Season Double Dip~

The Nashville Predators had a double-header of pre-season games yesterday against the Florida Panthers that saw both teams split squads to handle the action. Here’s a quick run-through how the rosters split and who of the expected Milwaukee Admirals were featured.

Game 1: Anthony Bitetto, Miikka Salomäki, Pontus Åberg, Jamie Devane, Vladislav Kamenev, Trevor Murphy, Jonathan Diaby, Colton Sissons, and Marek Mazanec.

Game 2: Conor Allen, Cody Bass, Max Reinhart, Viktor Arvidsson, Kristian Näkyvä, Garrett Noonan, Max Görtz, Taylor Aronson, Félix Girard, and Juuse Saros.

~Game One~

The first contest ended with the Predators winning 5-2. Filip Forsberg opening the scoring with Kamenev adding one of his own for a 2-0 first period lead. Roman Josi extended the Predators advantage to 3-0 in the second period. Halfway through the frame Mazanec relieved Carter Hutton to split the goaltending duties for the game.

In the third period, disaster, as Salomäki was slapped with a five minute major for boarding and a game misconduct after tagging defenseman Josh Brown. Unfortunately this is not the first time something like this has happened with Miikka. So, for those wondering if his shoulder injury that put him out of the end of last season would alter his tenacity or aggressiveness in his return to the ice… the answer is a hard no. I would add here though that having him play a settled down or muffled style ruins what makes a player like Salomäki so fun to watch. Hopefully this incident doesn’t hurt his reputation with his team and beyond but I imagine a talking to about “being smarter” was had between player and coaches.

After that incident cooled the two sides exchanges a back-and-forth of power-play goals. Forsberg added a power-play goal for his second goal of the game. In an unrelated story Martin Erat recently signed with Avangard Omsk of the KHL. The Panthers finally ended the combined shutout bid with power-play goal of their own from Connor Brickley. Nashville would add one last tally in game one when Sissons contributed a power-play goal. And the final bit of scoring would come off the tape of Jussi Jokinen on a power-play to see Mazanec’s day in net have two goals allowed attached to his name. Both were on the power-play so I suppose you can only be so harsh on Maz.

~Game Two~

This game was a little less explosive but that should really be expected when the Finnish National Team’s goaltending duo are representing Nashville. Pekka Rinne made the start and Saros would enter mid-way through the second period. The game spilled to overtime where Nashville was treated to their first glimpse of three-on-three OT hockey. The Panthers would take this one 3-2 in overtime to split the day.

Who opened the scoring in game two you ask? Guess. *pause* If you guessed Aronson you would be correct! Aronson scored with he and fellow Admirals-defenseman Noonan both up on the play. How about that? And then Carrie Underwood‘s hubby scored to make it 2-0. Aleksander Barkov –reportedly– made Rinne look very un-Rinne on a breakaway to make things 2-1 at the end of one.

The scoreline remained at a 2-1 margin all the way until the final minutes of the game. With 2:17 remaining Florida was able to beat Saros with a power-play goal from a man who should be very familiar to Admirals fans, Shane Harper (formerly of the Chicago Wolves). The game would be settled with three-on-three overtime and defenseman Mike Matheson would see to it that the Panthers clawed back from a 2-0 hole to get a 3-2 overtime win.

~Impressions~

All in all, I like much of what I’ve seen from names that we’ll be seeing in Milwaukee. Seeing Sissons get on the scoresheet, power-play or not, I think is an important confidence builder for him after a slow start last season with his Nashville camp not going the way he’d hoped possibly lingering over him. It’s a good first step and a “remember me” to Nashville. Kamenev getting a goal? Aronson getting a goal? It’s all great stuff as well as seeing how Saros doesn’t seem too ill affected by the speed of the North American game in net.

Plenty to be giddy about at the moment. Add a slice of that Salomäki game misconduct, penalties on Bitetto and Girard, and a poor showing from Kevin Fiala and I think that should give you the level headed feeling you need to have come Admirals season. There’s excitement, yes. Maturity level on the ice and being able to put together complete games and avoid long losing skids? That’s the story to wait and see play out as far as the Admirals go in 2015-16.

~All He Does Is Score Goals~

If you missed this news on the weekend then this should raise your brow. Gary Steffes will not be back with the Admirals for this season. In fact, he won’t even be in the AHL. He re-signed with the Allen Americans of the ECHL last Thursday.

This comes as a slight shock to me considering he scored 52 goals in all competitions last season – ECHL regular season with Allen, late in the AHL season with the Admirals on a loan move, and then the ECHL playoff run with Allen that ended with he and his teammates winning the 2015 Kelly Cup. What more could there possibly be left for him to accomplish in the ECHL after a season like that? Is the market, specifically AHL, that poor that no one was willing to take a chance on him? It kind of leaves me mystified. My only hope for him is that he puts up another blistering scoring season with Allen and an AHL team gives him the shot he’s earned.

~Ramble, Ramble~

Some great news. This should be the last edition of Ramblings for quite awhile. Heck, I finally brained up and removed ‘Summer’ from the title. September isn’t exactly my idea of Summer. Anywho, expect things to really ramp up as we near camp opening up here in Milwaukee soon. I’m hoping to get an idea of when an Admirals group will be setup for practices at the MSOE Kern Center and an actual main camp begins. When that happens I’ll let you folks know.

Remember, practices at the MSOE Kern Center are open to the public. Getting out to a morning skate to greet the team and make some of these new players feel welcome is a fun thing. I highly recommend swinging by for a practice or two or more sometime this season.

Roundtable should be getting into full-stride pretty soon. I’ll get some things gathered for the end of the week. In the meantime my mind is firmly set on attending the first full practice that the Admirals will have downtown and the eventual interview session afterwards. Plenty of new faces to see and get to know this season. It’s exciting times. All that’s really left is for the puck to drop.

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Huzzah! Hockey is back, everyone. This weekend was the start of the Nashville Predators participation in the 2015 Rookie Tournament. The Predators prospects played Saturday and Sunday and have come away with a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s prospects and a 5-2 win over the Florida Panther’s prospects.

~2015 Rookie Tournament~

I was able to watch the Saturday night contest in full and, while the 5-1 loss looks bad on paper, there were lots of positive performances. Juuse Saros was in net for half the game and looked good in net. Brandon Whitney entered mid-way through the second period and also put in a solid effort despite conceding four goals. Kevin Fiala scored the lone goal for the Predators prospects in the game and appeared primed to earn a place on the Predators opening day roster. He looks a bit bigger on the ice, plays so smoothly with the puck, and showed some feistiness by getting into a post-whistle scrum and drawing a penalty.

It seems fitting to save more of the praise for the second outing for the Preds prospects who played Sunday because the 5-2 scoreline says enough. Pontus Åberg scored a gritty goal playing tight to the net looking for and cashing in on a rebound opportunity. Garrett Noonan blasted in a power-play goal from the center point while quarterbacking the power-play unit. Viktor Arvidsson whistled in a wrister. And then Yakov Trenin and Vladislav Kamenev both scored five-on-three power-play goals. Brilliant stuff from several lads that even included a scrap from Aaron Irving.

Small sample size but each game had it’s standout performer I feel. Fiala was a lot of fun to watch in the first game for Nashville. He seems to have filled into his frame that little bit more and when he was on the ice you could just see a talent difference – not too dissimilar to last year’s Rookie Tournament whenever Filip Forsberg took a shift. As good as Fiala looked Saturday he was one-upped the next day by Arvidsson. The Swede factored into the Preds first three goals and was a constant buzzing threat on the ice.

Small Note: Eric Robinson participated in the earlier Summer Rookie Development Camp in Nashville and has played in this Rookie Tournament as well. Curious about his contract status with the Predators? Right now Robinson is on a PTO with the organization after completing his ATO out of Dartmouth College last season with the Admirals. I’m assuming if an NHL entry level contract or two-way contract doesn’t get hammered out by the Predators then it’ll be the Admirals signing him to an AHL deal for this coming season. It all depends on how he performs ahead of the season.

The final contest of the 2015 Rookie Tournament will be in the early going’s of tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. Don’t have a work meeting at that time? Don’t have a morning class you need to attend? Well, good news! The Tampa Bay Lightning have been streaming the tournament live on their website for free. You can dial up the feed here come puck drop tomorrow morning and tune in to see the Preds battle the the prospects of the Washington Capitals. I can’t applaud the Lightning enough for being so kind as to get a live feed of these games up for all to see.

~Musical Question~

This is more of an amusing question that I thought I would throw back to you fans more than anything and it is this. What do you think about the music that is played at Admirals games, what are your likes and dislikes, and what would you change or add if you could?

I’m simply asking that for the fun of it. I happen to sit next to the maestro that coordinates the tunes at Admirals games and have had a few requests added to the rotation in the time I’ve been with Roundtable. Last season in particular saw The Durango Riot get plopped into the mix as well as Kevin Owens or The Ascension‘s theme songs blast out during tilts on the ice. As for the random goal song change that lasted all of some.. one or two games.. that was a call made from the locker room, actually. That same mentality bleeds out into the pre-game skate tunes you hear from 6:30-6:45 PM as well most game nights.

So, what sort of music would you want to either hear or hear more of? Personally, I’d love to hear some Guns N’ Roses this season.

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