Last week I asked for you folks to pass along your questions my way to get featured and answered here on Roundtable. Today we get to answering them. If you missed out on asking a question, or have a new one that popped into mind, feel free to ask away in the comment section below and I’ll zip that into the column.

~Mail Bag~

Are you still taking questions for the mailbag? If so, please ask Greenberg if we will continue to wear the brewers patch on our jerseys! That will put them over the top amazing for me. (I don’t see why we wouldn’t, just want assurance) Thanks DL! ~Toasted Whole Grain

This is actually something I took for granted when the Milwaukee Admirals debuted their new look back in July. Notice anything here? What about here? There isn’t a Milwaukee Brewers patch on the front of the jersey. Does that mean it has been scrapped? Are the Brewers no longer going to be the Admirals uniform patch? Will a different sponsor patch be introduced to the front of the Admirals jersey like others do around the league?

Good news and fret ye not! Per a source I can confirm that the Admirals will still have a Brewers patch on their jerseys. Interestingly though, that same source also claims that it may no longer be the retro ball-in-glove logo. If that’s to be the case than it’s fair to assume the Milwaukee Brewers current primary logo could be making a return. The Admirals wore that logo as a patch shortly after Harris Turer took over the team. It wasn’t until the completely new re-designed threads came in 2006-07 when the retro Brewers logo was introduced to the Admirals jerseys. Will that be the case again? We might not know until I get a look at the jerseys during Media Day or perhaps as late as the season opener.

Which Admiral player needs to have a strong season to make it in Nashville? ~SmoothJazZ85

I think this is an important season for Viktor Arvidsson. Look at Nashville right now: everyone of importance was brought back from last season, there were some subtle additions at forward (Cody Hodgson and Steve Moses), and then it seems destined that Kevin Fiala makes the Predators roster out of camp. With all that in mind where does that leave Arvidsson? Answer: Milwaukee.

For Arvidsson to really make his place in Nashville he needs to yet again be the man for the Admirals. He needs to produce the same amount of damage, if not better, in scoring while taking his all-around game up another level. You also hope him seeing the proverbial glass ceiling that he managed to break through last season getting thickened with other talent doesn’t get between his ears and affect his on-ice performance (e.g. Kevin Henderson).

The necessary tools are all there for Arvidsson to be successful once again this season. Can he manage to do even better or does he have some sort of a sophomore slump? The answer to that question could be the difference between him being big in Nashville or a so-so European version of Gabriel Bourque at the NHL level (if even that – so many Euros end up right back in Europe).

Who do you see as being a breakout player on offense this season? ~Justin Bradford

This answer might confuse some but it’s Colton Sissons. He is about to enter year number three of his professional playing career. He managed to play in the NHL in his debut professional playing season but was unable to repeat the feat last season. With that comes the threat of his window closing as the prospect pool comes in and flushes him out… Jimmy Vesey, anyone?

Sissons does everything really well. He’s good on face-offs. Works both sides of special teams. Is a leader by example through his work ethic and was voted as an alternate captain by his teammates last season. Should the coaching staff in Milwaukee go down that road again, having the players vote for their choice of captains, I anticipate Sissons to be a serious contender to rock the “C” for the Admirals in 2015-16. He turns 22-years old in November. If it were to happen he would be the youngest team captain of the Admirals in the AHL era of the franchise by a long shot and, with the players voting, it would be hard to argue against him deserving such an honor.

The reality is there is one element to Sissons game that is the difference between him being an NHL level talent and not an NHL level talent: offensive explosiveness.

When Sissons was told that was the area of his game he needed to take care of before the start of last season he opened things off by totaling 11 points (8 goals, 3 assists) in the 2014 portion of the 2014-15 calendar. Even worse to me? It took him 25 games before registering an assist. For a center to pull that off, especially one logging as many minutes as Sissons, is bad. Yet, it was bad last season and could mean all the difference moving into this one.

Sissons is a pro on and off the ice and I have to imagine, as one of the returning players from last season’s Admirals roster, he has a massive chip on his shoulder. Who wouldn’t knowing how rough the season ended? There should be zero excuses this go-around for someone like Sissons to perform. Frankly, I don’t think there will ever be a need to make one. He should be the Admirals first choice center at the start of the season and could well have dynamic scoring wingers like Arvidsson and a 100% healthy Miikka Salomäki as linemates. The forward depth is pretty good this season and down the middle it is Sissons standing on top of them all. There is no better time for Sissons to breakout and make a statement to the Nashville Predators that he should still be a part of their future plans.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how many times do your interviews get interrupted by one of the guys trying to be funny? ~AwaitingSeason

Hurm. On the 1-10 scale? I would say it’s really only about a 2, actually. Most interviews I get to do with either the coaches or players are very professional and to the point. When the shenanigans are afoot it is almost always after a win, a practice, or when a player you wouldn’t associate with “Superstar // Game Winner” is who I’m chatting with (e.g. Joonas Järvinen – audio).

Last season being what last season was – it didn’t happen too often. Hopefully that changes! It’s always fun being part of that locker room dynamic though. Plus, I’m very happy two of the better interview bombers, Anthony Bitetto and Austin Watson, should be back in action this season.

What’s your favorite bro-mance on the team? ~AwaitingSeason

What’s evil about this question is that my quickfire answers to this aren’t going to be here this season. Scott Ford and Triston Grant go -way- back. And a case can be made for Ford and Joe Piskula with their third-wheeler Bitetto. Even the roomie pairings of Sissons and Mike Liambas or Pontus Åberg and Magnus Hellberg has been broken up.

The good news? There is one specific group that has stayed together and they even have a name for themselves: The French Fries. So often when I am around the team the French Canadian group of Jonathan Diaby, Jimmy Oligny, Félix Girard, and Frédérick Gaudreau are all together speaking French. I also turned up to a game at the same time as them once last season to see Diaby and Oligny rocking matching suits. I think they’re the benchmark for Admirals bromance entering the 2015-16 season.

UPDATE: Now that Ford is back as an assistant coach, him and Bitetto. Who’d have thought that this would be a question that gets a serious update?

Will a veteran Predator pass through waivers and start the season with the Admirals? ~Brandon Marshall

First of all Brandon – this is a money question. Last season saw Rich Clune and Viktor Stålberg trickle down to Milwaukee and both for pretty much the exact same reason: their NHL performance wasn’t up to snuff and their contracts were too much to take on so no one claimed them. This season? I don’t exactly see a circumstance such as that repeating itself.

When looking at possible candidates that could fall into this trap it’s difficult to find a winner that Milwaukee fans could get themselves hopeful about seeing fall through the cracks. That said, how about a Top 5 ordering from likeliest to least…

(1) Eric Nystrom is 32-years old, his offensive numbers regressed last season, and I wonder if there comes a point when someone says, “Why can’t Austin Watson just do this when he’s on a one-way contract next season anyways?” He has one-year remaining with a price tag of $2.5 million next to it. Is another NHL team really going to be all that interested in picking it up should he be in bad enough shape to be placed on waivers in the first place? My guess is no. Therefore Admirals.

(2) Carter Hutton. This might be a surprising name to throw out there but look at it this way. The Predators liked Marek Mazanec enough to jettison Hellberg to the New York Rangers for next to nothing. Mazanec has actually appeared to do better in the NHL than the AHL and might learn more as an understudy to Pekka Rinne than as the main man in net for the Admirals. Should Mazanec start the season hot in Milwaukee, as is his custom, who is to say Nashville doesn’t attempt to make a swap and see about Hutton and the last of his $725,000 contract landing in Milwaukee and be the one to set an example for Juuse Saros as well?

(3) I just have to believe that for one-year, $866,250, someone would claim Gabriel Bourque. In fact, you could even make the slight case that a change of scenery might be the little boost he could need to get the wheels spinning and catching solid traction. His 2013-14 season? Not too bad. 2014-15? Meh. If there is more “meh” days ahead it could lead to the waiver wire. Clearing that would be the question mark.

(4) There is talk that the camp battle to watch for is Steve Moses against Fiala. Let’s say Fiala gets that spot and Moses is effectively so on the outside looking in that Nashville try to send him to Milwaukee to keep him in arm’s reach. Like Hodgson, he has an incredibly affordable one-year contract that a lesser team might leap at should Moses live up to his goal scoring record last season in Russia. I don’t think he would clear waivers at all.

(5) Cody Hodgson would probably get the waivers treatment only if he sputters and someone in Admirals-land is shining. The problem here is that his affordable one-year contract would almost have to get swept up by someone out there. But, if it makes you feel any better, there still is a Derek Roy game-prepped Admirals jersey from last season when he sort-of kind-of cleared waivers for all of some two hours. You can purchase that hot item right here!

How did you start making blogs? ~Scouter715

I started with online journals on Red vs. Blue’s website before making the full leap in college to actual sports journalism with the student newspaper, The Ranger News. Once I finished up at UW-Parkside I had an internship with the Milwaukee Admirals during the 2012-13 season where I helped out writing material for the 35th Anniversary campaign. When that season came to a close I was picked to succeed Ryan Miller here on Admirals Roundtable. This website entirely exists because of Mr. Miller but he’s now quite busy being the best dad ever. All I’ve wanted to do since heading up Roundtable is make this the go-to website for Admirals and Predators prospects news. It’s been incredibly rewarding so far and I hope to keep it up this coming season.

Cheers for the questions! Again, if you have any other questions you would like to ask I will answer that ASAP.

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How much longer until you get to see the Milwaukee Admirals in action? The pre-season game at the MSOE Kern Center is 32 days away. The season opener is 40 days away. And the home opener is 46 days away. Soon, folks. Very soon. In fact, there are players already trickling into Nashville. Which sounds about right considering Rookie Camp and the Rookie Tournament begin in just about a week and a half. That will be a great time as plenty of familiar faces meet back up, the new blood gets to know their surroundings, and Dean Evason should get some ideas as to who he sees being impactful for him this season.

~Uniform Debut~

The new Milwaukee Admirals uniforms made their on-ice debut recently courtesy of the Junior Admirals.

@mkejrads U15 vs Honeybaked! Let’s get this started.. 2015-2016 season. #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/SOXHWq2f6P

— Eddie MacDonald (@emacgoblue) August 29, 2015

Buckle up.. @mkejrads pic.twitter.com/HceE1wCgta

— Eddie MacDonald (@emacgoblue) August 29, 2015

@mkejrads U15 game #2 vs @VictoryHondaAAA underway pic.twitter.com/qdWJhH2cqP

— Eddie MacDonald (@emacgoblue) August 29, 2015

@mkejrads U15 vs Little Caesars puck drop! #gameon #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/4gtv39XcpJ

— Eddie MacDonald (@emacgoblue) August 30, 2015

@mkejrads U15 tied 0-0 vs Little Caesars after one period. pic.twitter.com/egLrfaqQZq

— Eddie MacDonald (@emacgoblue) August 30, 2015

@mkejrads U15 down 1-0 after two. Puck bounced off glass on dump in and found the net.. Bad break! pic.twitter.com/JCHfh3pF12

— Eddie MacDonald (@emacgoblue) August 30, 2015

@mkejrads U15 tie it at 1-1. 9:03 left in 3rd pic.twitter.com/UXk5VAtjHE

— Eddie MacDonald (@emacgoblue) August 30, 2015

@mkejrads U15 pull goalie and tie it 2-2 with 1:00 minute left! pic.twitter.com/KeIvke8yuT

— Eddie MacDonald (@emacgoblue) August 30, 2015

@mkejrads U15 opening weekend! pic.twitter.com/4Gw7qkh6oA

— Eddie MacDonald (@emacgoblue) August 30, 2015

The uniforms and new look already won me over. Seeing them on the ice like this, especially given that the all navy road setup was the one I was a little iffy on, I’m completely sold on the re-design. It just looks sharp. Cheers to Eddie MacDonald for the photography seen above. You can follow the Junior Admirals on Twitter and via their website as well.

~Rumor Mill~

Per NBC Sports, it sounds like the Buffalo Sabres are interested in signing former Milwaukee Admirals and Nashville Predators defenseman Cody Franson. The short and sweet of it: acquiring him from Toronto last season didn’t work for Nashville. Actually, the fact that he remains a free agent probably says enough about how that spell really hit Franson. Buffalo is in a revival period and it might be a good landing spot for him.

~Roundtable Mail Bag~

As if you couldn’t tell, these Ramblings have shortened and shortened the longer summer has dragged on. The good news? The season is almost here. The bad news? It still isn’t.. really. What I would love to do for next week is feature a mail bag of any and all questions you might happen to have related to the Admirals, Predators, or even Cyclones. I’m up to the task of rounding them up and answering them. Have questions? Ask them all! Want to say something snarky about the Pacific Division? Me too! I’m here to hear you out.

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The Nashville Predators Rookie Camp opens up September 10th. It’s nearly time for hockey to mercifully be re-introduced to our lives with the off-season schedule almost at an end. Until then, this is what I like to think of as the hardest part of the off-season. It’s almost over. The new season is in sight yet so far away at the exact same time.

~Projecting Line Combinations~

For the sake of amusement I thought I’d throw out a guess as to how the Milwaukee Admirals lines might look come opening night. I’ll preface this by saying I won’t include Vladislav Kamenev in the event he winds up being loaned back to Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL rather than play in the AHL this coming season. There is no confirmation of that move going down but it’s a good possibility. I’d wait until Nashville’s main camp gets rolling along before anything of that sort could take place. He could well go the way of Kevin Fiala last season: head across the pond to start with his old team before making his North American pro hockey debut in Milwaukee mid-way through the season.

Also, despite taking part in this summer’s Rookie Development Camp in Nashville, Eric Robinson still hasn’t signed or been confirmed to have signed an NHL/AHL contract to keep him in the Predators or Admirals system. I feel that news will turn up and Robinson will be an ECHL role player that contributes for the Cincinnati Cyclones this season while getting some looks back up in the AHL.

That all said. Here is what I’m expecting the Admirals to closely resemble on the opening night of the 2015-16 AHL season.

Viktor Arvidsson–Colton Sissons–Miikka Salomäki
Pontus Åberg–Max Reinhart–Austin Watson
Joe Pendenza–Cody Bass–Max Görtz
Jamie Devane–Félix Girard–Frédérick Gaudreau

Conor Allen–Anthony Bitetto
Jonathan Diaby–Johan Alm
Jimmy Oligny–Taylor Aronson

Marek Mazanec

That’s a rough outline for now. I’m feeling more and more than Fiala’s season starts in the NHL with the Predators. Plus, I feel Garrett Noonan might still be down the pecking order to the likes of Diaby and Oligny. Depending on how the defensive competition for roster spots play out it could come down to Noonan, Jaynen Rissling, and Kristian Näkyvä being that extra body that stays up with Milwaukee and gets healthy scratched and rotated in here and there out the starting blocks.

Then there is that Juuse Saros kid. What quickly comes to mind is Magnus Hellberg‘s talk about the adjustment to the North American game being a challenge in net.

“People go so much harder to the net here,” said Hellberg. “They actually shoot more for rebounds. You have to think where you put the rebounds. You have to fight through a lot more traffic than you have to do at home. Obviously the ice is much bigger home so they have more time and they maybe skate around and hold the puck more but here it’s more like a straight game where people put the puck to the net and just go hard. It took awhile to managed some of the aspects of that.”

Of course we are talking about two completely different goaltenders. Mazanec’s transition to North American ice didn’t seem too bad in his first five starts with the Admirals. Perhaps the same will be said of Saros. Who knows? What will be smarter for all involved though is to integrate Saros in slowly at the start of the season and let him be as prepared to succeed as possible before launching him into the thick of it. There will be plenty for Saros to process but, with some time, I think he could compete for the number one role with Mazanec by season’s end.

Again, that’s a rough outline right now. I’m still feeling as if more pieces should be introduced at some point – as the lone extra forward, should Kamenev dart back to Russia, isn’t even a confirmed signing yet (Robinson). The forward depth still needs help and I’m a bit surprised why it’s taking so long to address. Tommy Veilleux? I don’t know – but more bodies are needed.

Thoughts on the projected Milwaukee Admirals line combinations? Disagree with them? Submit your own line combinations and explanations below in the comments section.

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The Milwaukee Admirals have rolled out some incredible talent in the history of the franchise. Whether it be the USHL, IHL, or AHL era of the team there have been names that have left a great impression. That got me thinking about who you would select for a starting five and goaltender fantasy lineup?

Danny Lecours–Fred Berry–Darren Haydar
Marc Moro–Scott Ford
Pekka Rinne

Certainly loads of options. Toughest for my line combination comes at center and defense. I could have gone Mark Van Guilder, Cal O’Reilly, Tony Hrkac, Vern Fiddler, Mark Mowers, or Phil Wittliff. Plus, defensively, there’s anywhere from Shea Weber, Sheldon Brookbank, Greg Zanon, or Ken Sabourin. I may have gone a wee bit sentimental on the Rinne choice in net. Richard Sirois or Wade Flaherty are other solid options.

What’s your ultimate Admirals lineup? Will you be the one to give Juuso Puustinen, Simon Gamache, or Chris Mason a starting spot?

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Happy Monday, Roundtable. The Wisconsin State Fair is now in the past. So there is another item off your “Countdown to Hockey in Wisconsin” checklist. Hope you folks had the chance to stop on by the Milwaukee Admirals booth in your time at the State Fair and stocked up on all that new logo merchandise for the upcoming season. Speaking of which…

~Uniform Delivery~

The moment this re-branding went down for the Admirals I instantly picked up a customized home jersey. It arrived late last week and now I’d like to get to talking about that new look uniform all over again.

Having it in hand now – I’m sold. I love this. It’s quite seriously not that different from what the Admirals just had and, if anything, it ditched the old Reebok Edge uniform template and went for something that’s entirely unique to the team. For those that know me well you’d know how much I like the Pittsburgh Penguins baby blue retros. This color scheme, while a slight bit different thanks to the splash of silver trim here and there, works.

It’s worth pointing out some highlights of this jersey for those of you thinking of making the purchase via the Admirals Online Store…

(1) Depending on your name – there is a good chance that your name will spill on to the shoulder yolk like mine did. Perhaps down the road the letters will rest on a white nameplate instead (I fully expect the on-ice uniforms to have that and the screen printed style name and numerals like last season). Regardless if that’s a big deal or not, it looks fantastic.

(2) Speaking of the name and numerals. Curious about that silver application on the new Admirals jersey? It’s not too shiny or anything ADHD inducing. As for the shoulder numerals they are quintessentially the exact same color palate as before. Only difference there is the new font being used.

(3) The shoulder patch appears to be a simple iron on. I’m not sure if it is just me but it feels a lot tougher than my previous Admirals jerseys bone anchor shoulder patches that were applied the same way. Different material? Not sure, but hopefully that toughness element stays true for everybody and it stays on nicely. Curious what the on-ice shoulder patches will be like: screen print or actual stitched on patches?

(4) Now to get into nitpicking area. That silver line that flows up into the collar. I didn’t really think much of it when I saw the uniform before the launch or after seeing it modeled at the launch. Seeing it up close it’s just weird to me. If the collar was left as is without the silver line bleeding straight up in through it I think it’d be fine. Instead it looks sort of sloppy. The good news? It is me nitpicking on a heck of a small detail on what is an awesome new jersey.

Enough fashion talk. Simply steer yourself to the Admirals shop or call them up and chat with their Manager of Merchandise and Purchasing, Kim Salli, and pick one of those bad boys up!

~AHL Schedule~

The NBA finally got their crap together and launched their schedule. That means teams in the American Hockey League can now leap to wiring in dates to get their schedule finalized. It sounds as if that should take around two weeks to get done. Plus, good ol’ Ryan Miller had the following notes in regards to how the Milwaukee Bucks schedule might mean a more relaxed weekend schedule for the Admirals this season:

I think the Ads should be pleased with the Bucks sched. Fri/Sat/Sun games by month: Oct: 1, Nov: 2, Dec: 3, Jan: 3, Feb: 2, Mar: 5, Apr: 2.

— Ryan B. Miller (@RyanAdmirals) August 13, 2015

56% percent of Bucks home games are Monday thru Thursday. Sounds good to me.

— Ryan B. Miller (@RyanAdmirals) August 13, 2015

Sounds promising for fans and the business side of things for the Admirals as well. It’s not shocker that weekday crowds aren’t exactly big for the Admirals. The AHL is a weekend league and if the buzz that the Bucks are generating means they’re happy to set up shop during those weekdays while allowing the Admirals a chance to host on those Friday, Saturday, Sundays – then I think we’re all winners.

Last note on the AHL schedule. They had a nice article on their website talking about how the schedule gets puzzled together. Curious about how that big process goes down? Read up.

~Kevin Fiala and Nashville vs. Milwaukee~

It’s really an old news story but I did get enough comments back from it that I feel the need to touch base on it.

“At the end-of-the-year meetings when [Head Coach] Peter Laviolette and I are talking to players, we’re usually the ones doing 90 percent of the talking,” Poile said. “So we did the talking to Kevin and then he says, ‘What do I need to do, I’m going to be playing for the Nashville Predators next season. I’m not going to [AHL affiliate] Milwaukee, I’m going to be playing [in Nashville].”

When that is said it isn’t Kevin Fiala taking a shot at the Admirals or the city of Milwaukee. He simply wants to be where a player of his talent and skill level wants to be, the NHL. I’ve found it a bit odd hearing that people interpret that as if Fiala would reject a move to Milwaukee at the start of the season out of some kind of spite towards the Admirals or AHL level hockey. It isn’t. He just wants to be in the NHL playing with top level talent against top level talent in the best league in the world. The AHL isn’t that.

Were Fiala to start the season with the Admirals I suspect him to come to the team with the right attitude, in a locker room with faces he would be familiar with, and looking to earn an NHL spot while playing top line AHL minutes doing it. It worked for Filip Forsberg. It would work for Fiala if the Predators felt the need to have him play in Milwaukee to start the season or for longer.

It’s in saying that where I go right back to all I ever said about Forsberg to the awaiting Nashville public: patience. He’s good. In fact, he might be good enough and driven enough to be with the Predators right now. If not? It isn’t the end of the world to have him hone in his all-around game and be “the guy” for the Admirals.

If I had any concern here it would be if Fiala were to start the season with the Admirals and take that as a slight by the Predators and provide a sputtering display of what he can actually do. I heard instances in Sweden where Fiala sounded like he could be a handful with his attitude but I never heard or saw any of that last season whatsoever. He wants to be an NHL player. Should he be in the lineup for the opening game of the Admirals season I think that is still his mentality with a focus of doing what is needed to be done in Milwaukee for him to get up to Nashville.

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This weekend saw the return of the English Premier League and this Thursday marks the first Green Bay Packers pre-season game. You know what that means? We’re finally starting to get there.

The painfully long hockey off-season is coming down the final stretch and one month from today the Nashville Predators Rookie Camp opens with the Rookie Tournament starting up two days later. The official Predators training camp starts September 17th and before you know it there are pre-season games. I suspect a good amount of Milwaukee Admirals talent to be factoring in early and there could well be some names still up with Nashville when the Admirals pre-season calendar starts.

There’ll only be two pre-season games for the Admirals and the one and only pre-season home game will occur Friday October 2nd at the MSOE Kern Center. The very next night they’ll have a road pre-season game against the Chicago Wolves at Triphahn Center Ice Arena at Hoffman Estates. The AHL schedule has still yet to drop but the Admirals home opener date is set for October 16th at the BMO Harris Bradley Center and the band Foreigner will be making up for their post-game concert cancellation last season on October 24th.

For those feeling like a soda bottle that has just been given a good shake and are about to explode. Relax. That hockey we’re all jonesing for is literally a month away.

~Once An Admiral, Always An Admiral~

Remember that Jon Blum fella? Well it turns out we won’t be having to deal with him as a member of the Iowa Wild this coming season – or any other AHL team for that matter. Yesterday he signed with Admiral Vladivostok of the KHL to mark the first time in his hockey career that he won’t be playing in North America.

Blum played for the Admirals from 2008-09 until the 2012-13 season before joining the Minnesota Wild organization on a two-way deal. He played 19 games in the NHL the past two seasons and 120 games at the AHL level. Looking at this Russian team he signed for it appears that he has the easiest name to pronounce by miles.

So there you have it. Jon Blum, once again, an Admiral… just not in Milwaukee or Wisconsin or the United States or North America or the Western Hemisphere… but an Admiral again none the less.

~Fun Fact~

Remember that trade last season that the Predators made? You know, the one where they ‘landed’ Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli in exchange for Brendan Leipsic, Olli Jokinen, and a first round draft pick in the 2015 NHL Draft? Would it amaze you that someone the likes of Charles-Olivier Roussel has found a home for the 2015-16 season before both Franson and Santorelli have? Because it amazes me.

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Today I would like to get the conversation rolling on a topic I expect to be brought up frequently in the early goings of the upcoming season: the coaching staff.

The ending to the Milwaukee Admirals 2014-15 season was gruesome. The team went 4-14-5-3 after February 15th and proceeded to miss the playoffs for the first time since franchise’s debut AHL season in 2001-02. Whether or not it is a topic all agree upon the simple fact is this. The coaching staff gets put under the microscope just as firmly as players who might not be living up to potential. Should the 2015-16 start for the Admirals look a whole lot like the previous end to the season equally as many questions will be asked of the coaching staff as the players on the ice. In short, Dean Evason and his crew begin this season in the hot seat.

I’ll be honest with you all. I read many comments across different platforms last season calling for Evason to be fired. In fact, it happened really in two waves: December and practically from late February until the season ended. Getting to speak with him, as well as hear feedback from players on their thoughts on last season’s struggles and thoughts on the coaching staff, I never really bought into last season’s faults as errors directly as a result of poor coaching or game preparation. I instantly throw back to what Rich Clune had to say of the coaching staff late last season:

“I don’t want to say it is a disappointment because I think that the coaches did an amazing job with this group. I think that we didn’t handle the roster turnover as well as we should have but to say that we did something, made a colossal error in any era, would be wrong. It was unfortunate the way everything shook down and it is definitely not fun. There’s nothing we can sit here and say the players neglected one area. I mean, the power-play wasn’t clicking for a long time but we were given every chance to succeed. The ball was in our court for a long time. The coaches prepared us. This is the most I’ve ever seen a coaching staff prepare a team since I’ve been playing junior hockey. It just didn’t fall in our favor.” ~Rich Clune

Clune, 4/17/15:

The players are the ones ultimately responsible for delivering results. We all know that. Is it fair to kick dirt at the coaching staff and call for their heads when the results aren’t coming despite no one knowing who or what is the exact reason for points not being hauled in by the team? No, but it is way easier. Sadly that can be how sport operates in general as coaching staffs can often, regardless of previous track record of career success, can a rough patch on the chin and get the boot. It’s easier to ship out and ship in a new coach than an entirely new team after all. It doesn’t make it right. But that is essentially the cloud that hangs over Evason and his coaching staff before this AHL season even begins.

I think it is safe to say Evason’s standing within the organization is pretty good. I’m sure if they really wanted to the Nashville Predators could have aimed to go in a different direction when Peter Laviolette was brought in last off-season. It would have made sense seeing Laviolette aim to either get someone with similar coaching philosophies or someone whose advice he trusted brought into the AHL ranks to communicate players that could help at the NHL level or developmental progress. Did that happen though? No. Did it happen after the Admirals poor 2014-15 season? No. That tells me a lot about the communication levels between everyone being very professional and, frankly, good for all parties involved. That’s not to say I’m retracting any “short leash” remarks in saying that. I’m simply pointing out that there is a good reason why Evason will be back for the start of this season with the Admirals. I think he has the trust of Nashville and the respect of the players that he coaches.

Evason’s three season career with the Milwaukee Admirals has him at an overall record of 113-80-18-17 in the regular season and 1-6-0 in two playoff appearances. It’s not too bad but the playoff results and lack of playoff hockey last season doesn’t look pretty one bit. Truth be told, there are similarities from last year to this year with the team being as young as it is. The hope will be that those that were new to the AHL last season will take a big step forward and that new faces make the team function much better. Early results will do wonders for not only players confidence but as far as taking a weight off of the coaching staff’s shoulders. It will be important that the Admirals have an electric start as they did last season and be able to avoid big slumps. If the team opens the 2015-16 season spinning in place, unable to not only get results but take positives from early contests, then I fear for the longevity of the coaching staff this season.

What is your take on the Milwaukee Admirals coaching staff? Are you confident in Dean Evason as a coach? How long would you allow the Admirals to sputter at the start of the upcoming season before you feel a coaching change should be required?

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Let’s start this Monday off with the obvious and point at how slow news has been. The Nashville Predators did a decent bit of business once free agency opened up but, outside of some quick re-signings when the season ended, we’ve yet to see the Milwaukee Admirals make a signing of their own. Other AHL teams have been active during this time period getting players into the squad. Is that to say the current amount of bodies in the Predators AHL and ECHL pipeline is deep enough to not require it? I don’t think so but it is a bit odd to me that business has been this slow or that they would be waiting so long to come to grips with adding someone.

~DANGER Eric Robinson DANGER~

The first player that comes to mind in terms of an Admirals signing is Eric Robinson. He signed on with the Admirals late last season on an ATO contract once he finished up at Dartmouth College and attended the recent Rookie Development Camp in Nashville. It seems like he’s destined to be signed. The only question could be whether Nashville are the ones looking at signing him versus the Admirals. Either way, it feels like it would be a slam dunk adding Robinson to the mix for how he looked in Milwaukee late last season. Even if he spent the majority of his time with the Cincinnati Cyclones as an AHL level winger on standby it works. Why has that deal not been stamped out yet or announced? Not sure.

~The Other Guys~

That brings me to another topic which has been amusing to follow the last few weeks. Mark Van Guilder, Zach Budish, Josh Shalla, Scott Ford, and Gary Steffes are all still free agents. I hazard to guess whether some of those names are just sitting tight for North American deals or if a leap to European ice could be in the cards but the fact that they remain stationary is intriguing. I was thinking of doing a résumé for all of them just to help them out. Instead, here is a small pro and con list to you Admirals Roundtable reading general managers out there!

Van Guilder
Pros: Face-offs, penalty killing, experience that provides on and off ice leadership
Cons: Age, numbers declining

Budish
Pros: Coming off best season in pro career, stayed healthy and performance reflected the results of that, defensively sound, won “Man of the Year” for the Admirals last season
Cons: Still split time between the AHL and ECHL last season, at the age of 24 he might be at his ceiling

Shalla
Pros: Scores points
Pros: Scores points in the ECHL

Ford
Pros: A natural leader/captain, battle tested on the ice, is still in great shape for someone who will turn 36-years old before Christmas
Cons: He turns 36-years old before Christmas, he was reduced to ECHL hockey last season and might not be quick enough for the AHL anymore

Steffes
Pros: Scored 61 goals in all competitions and contributed to the Allen Americans ECHL Kelly Cup win last season
Cons: Did majority of goal scoring damage in the ECHL, 28-years old, despite age hasn’t played in the AHL often

I get the feeling all have a home for hockey before the start of the 2015-16 playing season. The question simply becomes, where? I wouldn’t be shocked to see Van Guilder head to Europe like Darren Haydar did. Budish should get an AHL deal but could just as easily make the leap to Europe. Shalla could well be finding himself in a “turn up to an AHL pre-season camp to impress” mode but is likely only seeing ECHL interest if that. Ford took awhile before getting a deal with an ECHL team last season and wasn’t bad. I do really wonder if he, and Steffes for that matter, could be on the Admirals radar. At the very least, especially between those two, it is Steffes who earned an AHL contract and shot for this coming season. I fully expect Steffes to be an AHL player this season simply based on his outstanding offensive production last season alone. Someone will give him a shot. I’d rather it be the Admirals than *cough* Rockford or Toronto.

~Hold On, Comrades~

If you’re like me you are probably excited about some of the new prospects that we’ll be getting to kick back and watch this season here in Milwaukee. Juuse Saros is the one I’m really giddy about. After a year of waiting I really want to see Max Görtz play for the Admirals. And then Vladislav Kamenev should be here after being released by his KHL team and signing his entry-level contract with the Predators. At least he should be here, right?

Metallurg’s GM just went on record yesterday saying if Kamenev didn’t make the Preds team he would return to the KHL

— Bryant Fair (@OTFBryantFair) July 27, 2015

Well, tartar sauce. I will say that just because that sort of news item exists doesn’t make it some sort of set in stone fact. Perhaps there is even something lost in translation as well. Kamenev really stands next to no chance at being on the Predators opening day roster but could easily be part of the one for the Admirals.

What would be fascinating to see happen is if Kamenev gets loaned back to Russia for this coming season to allow for better breathing room at the center position in Milwaukee and let the Russian teen get one more year of KHL senior team experience under his belt before taking to North American ice full-time. Think about the current center role for the Admirals at the moment. Counting all centers, including those who can alternate from wing to center or center to wing, there are eight options right now that aren’t named Kamenev destined for the Admirals: Cody Bass, Frédérick Gaudreau, Félix Girard, Joe Pendenza, Max Reinhart, Miikka Salomäki, Colton Sissons, and Austin Watson. It wouldn’t hurt the Admirals at all if Kamenev were to be loaned for the season. It’s really more of a question to Nashville whether they feel Kamenev’s development should be accelerated to North American hockey right now or give him more time in Europe.

Equally, I’m reminded of Kevin Fiala‘s 2014-15 season. Fiala signed his entry level contract in July before being loaned back to HV71 in Sweden where he played until January when the Predators assigned him to the Admirals to finish out his playing season. In other words, Nashville have all the options in the world when it comes to Kamenev and pretty much any way they went with works just fine for all parties. It comes down to how Nashville want to develop him is all.

Do you find it at all strange that the Admirals haven’t snapped anyone up to AHL contracts in free agency? Is the team set and where it needs to be right now? Where do you think Van Guilder and the rest of the 14-15 Admirals free agents end up next season? What should the Predators organization do with Kamenev?

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Happy Monday, Roundtable. Last week brought lots of excitement to the world of the Milwaukee Admirals: Anthony Bitetto and Taylor Aronson were both re-signed by the Nashville Predators, the Predators extended their affiliation agreement with the Cincinnati Cyclones to keep them as the ECHL club for the 2015-16 season, and the Admirals unveiled a brand spankin’ new identity. I can only suspect this to keep escalating on and on until the season actually begins! That or there will be slow news week after slow news week until the schedule gets unveiled and pre-season starts up. Either/or. I’m good.

~Website Maintenance~

First matter of business I would like to let you all be aware that in the next few weeks I will be playing around with Admirals Roundtable’s overall look and layout. If you come to the site and it looks different or crazy… it isn’t you.. it’s me. I’m hoping to make things look as clean as possible. Any and all comments, suggestions, or ideas for updating the website I’d really appreciate to hear your feedback. If I can make this website all the more fan and user friendly it would be great. You providing your ideas can make it that much better.

Again, the website will be undergoing some changes here and there. When things are completed and I’m satisfied with the overall package I will let you all know. Until then, I’ll be playing around with various items in WordPress to see if I can’t not spruce up the place to go along with the Admirals new look. Which brings me perfectly to the first bullet point story.

~The Last Poll~

Now that the weekend is complete I can go back to our poll to tally up your grades on the new look of the Milwaukee Admirals. I think it was a great reflection of what I heard from fans in-person when the “All Aboard” event launched the new logos and uniforms. It is thumbs up. Thumbs way way up.

A: 72.25% (151 votes)
B: 19.14% (40 votes)
C: 7.18% (15 votes)
D: 0.96% (2 votes)
F: 0.47% (1 vote)

(209 total votes)

Entertaining that the grades even fell out perfectly in order of A, B, C, D, and F. As for that one fan who gave them an F? …joke is on you buddy (I kid, I kid, thanks for voting your honest opinion).

What’s great to see how many have taken to them straight away. I feel once the Admirals take to the ice and these uniforms and logos have some in-game use it will be interesting to go back to doing another poll to see if there is a change. Frankly, I was expecting mid-tier to “B” grades with most fans warming up to the new look once the season got going. I’m not everybody but I expect seeing these logos and uniforms in a game will make me love them even more than I do now. That word “evolution” on the new look from the old one sums it up for me. It’s not too different but different enough. I really like that and, evidently, so do you fans.

~Veteran Needed~

The hard hitting piece to today’s edition of Ramblings is all about the Admirals defense for next season. This is a topic that started up with a season ticket holder at the event last Wednesday and it is one I’m hoping gets addressed before the season starts.

The Admirals defense was rather sloppy last season and did so with someone like Joe Piskula playing great on one of the three defensive pairings. He’s gone now. And the next oldest veteran defensemen that take that mantle are Conor Allen and Anthony Bitetto – both of whom are six-years younger than Piskula. The defensive group might be deep as it stands right now -but- the youth in this team is going to be equally as punishing as it was last season unless a real anchor is brought back into the mix.

Were Piskula still around? I feel pretty good about how the Admirals stack up defensively to help out Marek Mazanec and Juuse Saros. Without him? I feel like it forces players like Taylor Aronson, Johan Alm, and Jonathan Diaby to really step up to the plate with far greater seasons than last year. That presents a solid question. Can they?

Aronson only just completed a full AHL season last year, was good offensively, but hit and miss on defense. He will not only need to prove that the 2014-15 season wasn’t a flash in the pan for him but that he is ready to take another step and be an NHL caliber player – something Bitetto pushed for last season. Aronson garnered enough respect last season to be re-signed by the Predators for another season. Should he fail to meet anything less than doing more than last season he would be letting the Predators, Admirals, and himself down.

Alm seemed to be a really great find by the Predators when he signed as a free agent last summer. Now it feels like he needs to prove that to be true. He’s not only one of the older of the ‘young’ defense but he’s perhaps the most seasoned by having played 135 games of pro hockey in Sweden prior to making the North American trek last season. His debut as an Admiral was problematic and some of which wasn’t all his fault. He suffered an injury that sidelined him for much of the first half of the Admirals season and didn’t seem to start finding a groove until later in the season. And that’s not saying much because his groove late in the season was an eleven-game stretch in March where he tallied 5 assists with an even plus/minus (+1, -2, E, E, E, +1, -3, E, E, E, +3). Much like Aronson I think Alm is in a do or die sort of season. Does he flourish and perform up to the same standards that saw Nashville sign him or does he head back to Europe like Joonas Järvinen?

Diaby is a player I have some real high hopes for thanks in-part to his experience last season. There specifically was a stretch in February when injuries hit Nashville and Milwaukee and it forced Mike Liambas to substitute in as a defenseman from his left wing role with the team. In that time Diaby was thrust into the top defensive line and looked great while there. He’s not the scoring type. He’s the big and physical d-man that can make putting pucks past and pucks to the net difficult. It’s honing in on those skills for him that could make him a great second or third line defenseman this season. If he can be really consistent it takes a massive weight off of Bitetto or Allen to be “the man” defensively.

All that said, and there are still the likes of: Jimmy Oligny, Garrett Noonan, Jaynen Rissling, Mikko Vainonen, and Kristian Näkyvä. All equally have question marks. Can Oligny be solid enough all season to not be scratched? Will Noonan be polished enough to stick in the AHL all season? Can Rissling continue off of a good Rookie Camp and push his way out of the ECHL? Will Vainonen stick around or be shipped back home like last season? Can Näkyvä adapt and be a hit in North America?

My simple message here is look at the amount of question marks as red flags. Are those red flags worth taking a risk on seeing answered on the fly? Let the prospects be prospects, make mistakes, win as a team, lose as a team, etc. It’s essentially where the Admirals stand at this present and if a veteran defenseman were added it would just be a more comfortable environment that could take some of the weight off of those questions.

Do the Admirals need more veteran players added to the team? Would you be in favor of letting the prospects play to let them make mistakes and learn from them? Surprised at all by the poll results regarding the Admirals rebranding?

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