Now that we’re all over our food comas from yesterday we can get back to hockey! The last time the Milwaukee Admirals and Rockford IceHogs met it saw the best offensive output that the Ads have had all season, 7-3. For completion’s sake that is also where the Ads current nine-game point streak started back on 10/30/16.

Unlike the Admirals start to the season the IceHogs have had a tough go of things. They enter this game with a record of 7-9-1-0 (15 points, 0.441 points percentage) and are in seventh place in the Central Division. In fact, the only team worse than them by way of points percentage in the division are last year’s Calder Cup Champions – the Cleveland Monsters.

The way the Central Division stacks up right now is actually an odd sight to behold, really. Who would have though as we near December that the Charlotte Checkers, Manitoba Moose, Chicago Wolves, and Iowa Wild would all be better off than the IceHogs and Monsters? Perhaps we can add the Admirals consistency out the gate as one of the things we can all be thankful for. Not all have been able to say as much to start the season.

Where is the IceHogs weakness then this season? I’d have to say that belongs to a poor start on defense. The IceHogs have a goal differential on the season of -11 (39 goals forced, 50 goals allowed) from 17 games played.  I also wonder just how much not having Michael Leighton back between the pipes has hurt the IceHogs. He’s started well for the Checkers this season: 6-2-1-0 record from 10 appearances, 1.66 goals against average, 0.937 save percentage, and 2 shutouts.

That of course isn’t to say the IceHogs main man in net, Lars Johansson, has been bad. He really hasn’t been. Numbers-wise you’re looking a guy who has a 2.48 goals against average and 0.916 save percentage. That’s not that bad. The group in front of him just isn’t taking pressure off of him. He has faced the fourth most shots of any goaltender in the AHL this season at 391.

For the IceHogs to start trending upward they need to display better composure in defending and not switch out of a simple and structured approach to the game. When you consider who the IceHogs possess on defense alone (Ville Pokka, Cameron Schilling, Viktor Svedberg, and Nolan Valleau) there is really no excuse for how the team can’t lead from the defense side of the puck and transition towards offense.

Speaking of that offense. That becomes an issue when the defending is spotty. You can’t do much offensively when you don’t have the puck. The Admirals have played 2 games less than the IceHogs yet have twice as many players scoring in the double digits. The IceHogs leading scorers right now are: Spencer Abbott, 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists)… and Mark McNeill, 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists). Meanwhile, the Admirals currently have the current four above the double-digit mark in points: Matt White, 13 points (7 goals, 6 assists)… Alex Carrier, 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists)… Trevor Smith, 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists)… and Vladislav Kamenev, 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists).

The mystery elemenet of tonight’s game will ultimately come down to how Marek Mazanec performs in net for the Admirals. It’s been awhile since he last made a start but his last two starts, both for the Admirals and Predators, weren’t anything to write home about. For the Admirals to have success tonight they are going to want to play smart in front of Mazanec, make scoring chances as difficult to come by as they did in their performance over the Griffins on Wednesday, and let the Czech settle down into the flow of the game. If they do that, tilt the ice against the IceHogs, they should manage a good result on the night.

Expectations for tonight’s game? Are you nervous at all having Marek Mazanec start in net for the Milwaukee Admirals right now or is the team’s performance ultimately going to make more of a difference in his effort? With Cody Bass returning to the Admirals where do you think he best fits in and who ultimately is the odd-man out for the forwards?

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.

The last time these two met it was the best of times, it was the worst of time. Marek Mazanec and company made some blunders in the first period and it put the Milwaukee Admirals in a 3-0 hole to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Yet, the Admirals surge and fight from that deficit was among the more impressive displays in this young season. The Admirals could have easily snowballed more mistakes or flat out conceded defeat early. They didn’t and the pushed back hard to earn a point in overtime. Sadly, another gaffe from Mazanec meant it being an overtime loss after such a strong comeback. Sour taste.

Fortunately there was no real hangover from the mistakes made that night. That overtime loss for the Admirals resulted in the lone point being dropped by the team in 8 games. The last time the Admirals lost in regulation was to the Iowa Wild on the night of the home opener. If anything the stronger side of the Admirals performance against the Griffins has been manifested in the games that have followed. The Admirals have been defensively sound, limiting mistakes, and grinding out timely offense to earn three straight wins since the Griffins overtime win in Milwaukee. The last team to come in and beat the Admirals? The Iowa Wild. The next time that team came into Milwaukee? They lost. If history repeats itself tonight the Admirals will have beaten every team they’ve faced on the calendar so far through the first 15 games and 8 opponents.

The Griffins enter tonight’s game with a record of 9-5-0-0 (18 points, 0.643 points percentage). They are second in the Central Division and trail the Admirals by 4 points while having played the same amount of games to this point. Since defeating the Admirals in overtime the Griffins have played host to the Texas Stars for a pair of games and split the two: winning 6-3 on 11/16/16 (Video Highlights) and losing 4-3 on 11/18/16 (Video Highlights).

As far as just how the Griffins look at the moment one could say depleted. That’s simply down to the sheer amount of injuries that the Detroit Red Wings are currently battling through up top. The slight bit of bright news, on their end, is that one of those injured players is on the comeback trail from injury and returns to the Griffins on conditioning assignment: Tomas Jurco.

Jurco has bounced between the NHL and AHL since becoming a pro in 2012-13. He has logged 143 games at the NHL level where he has recorded 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists). He has played less at the AHL level, 111 games, but does score at a much higher clip: 69 points (32 goals, 37 assists) for a 0.62 points per game average. In his career against the Admirals Jurco has scored 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) from 14 games with 10 penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of +8. He played in one game against the Admirals a season ago while -also- on a conditioning assignment. It was the last of 5 games played during his conditioning assignment and he recorded no points in the outing while the Griffins won in Milwaukee 6-0.

Of all the head scratching items from the first meeting of the season one came before the game even started when Eddie Pasquale received the nod in net over Jared Coreau. Pasquale to this point has only made 2 appearances on the season, both starts, and his last appearance came in Milwaukee. He stopped 34/37 shots on goal in that game while earning his first win with the Griffins.

I’d still say it would be a safe bet for Coreau to get the start. He has started all but 2 games for the Griffins this season, holds a 8-4-0-0 record, 2.33 goals against average, 0.926 save percentage, and held a 30-save shutout over the Rockford IceHogs on 11/11/16 to record his first shutout of the season. Since the shutout he has made 2 starts and stopped only 52/59 for a 0.881 save percentage.

What are your expectations for tonight’s game? How big of an advantage will it be for the Milwaukee Admirals to have both Juuse Saros and Anthony Bitetto around for this game against the Grand Rapids Griffins? Will the defensive style game that the Admirals displayed in Cleveland shine again tonight or is the offense going to step up as a result of positive defensive efforts?

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.

Now that our group therapy session is over we can get back to action. The Milwaukee Admirals completed their season long five-game homestand by going 4-0-1-0 and currently ride a six-game point streak heading into a three-game road trip. The first stint sees the defending Calder Cup Champions for the opening two-legs and the first meeting under their new designation. The Lake Erie Monsters are no more. The Cleveland Monsters is the new title.

I actually far prefer them actually being called Cleveland, as much of a minor league charm as there is to Lake Erie, but when you are -in- Cleveland and play -in- The Q you might as well call it like it is. Besides, the ownership group is the same as the Cleveland Cavaliers. Why not change the name to Cleveland and make them look like the Cavaliers On Ice- oh my gosh they did.

In reality, the Monsters have had a boring look in the first place. Their retro themed uniforms were a step up and -hey- said Cleveland on the front. But they needed a rebranding effort regardless of last year’s success. As far as hockey goes it is a unique look for the team. That’s always a win in my book to have the minor league affiliates creating their own unique identity to that of the NHL parent club. It’s not to say that they don’t still dabble in that territory but it’s fine enough. If only a bit too blatantly cavalier in design. … That was a pun. … Well, I laughed. You can read more about the Cleveland Monsters off-season rebranding at Icethetics.

Aesthetics addressed. What about that team? The Monsters retain plenty of the group that saw them storm their way to the 2016 Calder Cup. It is a nicely balanced mix of veterans and prospects – some of whom are teetering on that NHL cuff. It all actually sounds not too dissimilar to the Milwaukee Admirals. Perhaps then they are on the receiving end of the results column that the Admirals have managed to avoid getting burned in thus far.

The Monsters enter tonight’s game with a record of 5-7-0-1 (11 points, 0.423 points percentage). They have played one fewer game than the Admirals have but have allowed 12 goals more while scoring a goal less. Something tells me that’s a problem.

In part the Monsters last road trip really was taxing. They went 0-3-0-1 and were outscored 20-11. They were outshooting the likes of the Chicago Wolves, Manitoba Moose, and Grand Rapids Griffins by a narrowly combined 142-139. Still, that’s allowing 34.8 shots on goal per game. The Admirals have averaged 30.4 shots on goal per game this season. That sort of trend on the part of the Monsters would be a welcome sight.

That all being said, the comforts of home ice have already found the Monsters getting pieces back together on the ice. Since that underwhelming road trip they have played two games at home and defeated the Wolves on both occasions: 2-1 on 11/11/16 (Video Highlights) and 4-2 on 11/12/16 (Video Highlights).

The first of those contests against the Wolves has a moment that you can bottle up and carry the momentum from it for awhile. The Monsters came back from 1-0 midway through the third period and scored the game-winning goal with 15 seconds left in regulation. The momentum didn’t 100% carry over to the start the next time out, Wolves took a 2-0 first period lead, but the Monsters scored four unanswered goals to polish off a comeback performance. It almost sounds a little familiar. It’s just being done -in- regulation is all.

Another thing that catches the eye is the amount of penalty minutes that the Monsters have accumulated this season, 206. That is second only to the Manitoba Moose (213 penalty minutes) in the Central Division. Why is that? Well, I’d imagine having double the amount of fighting majors as the Admirals goes a small way to helping that total. The Monsters have 8 fighting majors in 13 games this season. Brett Gallant, Jordan Maletta, and Nick Moutrey already have two strikes against them. With an emphasis on limited fighting majors this season in the AHL thanks to the new disciplinary rules in place it is surprising to see a team such as the defending champions loading up in that department. They had 49 fights last season and Gallant was part of 11 of those fights. That just won’t fly this season. Not without suspension by the AHL. It’s why someone such as a Mike Liambas has seemingly kept a much cooler head in earlier games this season. Teams, and players for that matter, almost have to save fighting majors for later in the season if it can be afforded to do in the energy department or even the when the game calls for it category. Monsters are jumping the gun a touch, there. It could hurt them a whole lot more later in the season if it continues.

The leading scorer for the Monsters right now is a familiar name in Alex Broadhurst who has 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 13 games. He and his older brother Terry have come across the Admirals often enough over the years either with the Rockford IceHogs or Chicago Wolves. These past two seasons Alex has been a member of the Monsters organization and has performed well. His current season sees him second on the team in goal scoring and tied for first in assists with T.J. Tynan.

According to the AHL website at the moment it appears the Monsters are lugging around three goaltenders. As nice as that might be the true go-to option this season has been 23-year old Swede Anton Forsberg who has 10 appearances from the Monsters 13 games. Both Joonas Korpisalo and Brad Thiessen have 2 appearances each. Forsberg holds a record of 5-3-1-0 with a 2.35 goals against average and 0.921 save percentage.

A storyline for the Admirals will play out in the form of their goaltending. Juuse Saros is back after a cuppa coffee in the big time. He spent the past week with the Nashville Predators and served as a back-up for four straight games. With the Admirals Saros has made 7 starts and holds a record of 6-1-0-0. He has a 1.99 goals against average and 0.929 save percentage. Will the small departure from in-game activity impact his performance? We shall see tonight.

Expectations for the first meeting against the defending Calder Cup Champions? Now that the Admirals are in for 12 road games from their next 18 overall contests how important is it for them to set the right tone early as to not stagger on the road?

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.

An interesting talking point for tonight’s game between the Milwaukee Admirals and Charlotte Checkers came up yesterday when chatting with head coach Dean Evason. In his place on the opposition bench will be a former teammate and long-time friend of his named Ulf Samuelsson who is in his first season as head coach of the Checkers. The two spoke about their teams together and said they saw similarities between their groups. The term pace was brought up and, if true for both sides, we could be in for a track meet tonight.

This will be the first stop on the 2016-17 calendar for the Checkers in Milwaukee. They won’t be back again until January 10th and the Admirals don’t venture out to Charlotte until the week after that when they play two games in three days. Plenty can change by then. As for now? Things set up well for a good show on the ice.

The Checkers have started the season with a record of 7-4-0-0 (14 points, 0.636 points percentage). They have allowed the least amount of goals of any team in the Western Conference and only have the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (20 goals allowed) ahead of them in that respect in the whole of the AHL. I feel like Mr. Shutout himself Michael Leighton has something to do with that as he joined the organization after a year spent with the Rockford IceHogs.

Leighton has been in net for all but three games that the Checkers have played this season and has a 6-1-0-0 record to show for it with a 1.44 goals against average, 0.944 save percentage, and 2 shutouts. When looking back at how he performed against the Admirals as a member of the IceHogs last season he had a record of 5-0-1-1 from 7 starts and 8 games played. He had no shutouts against the Admirals last season but held a 2.52 goals against average and 0.907 save percentage.

There are other familiar names in the Checkers camp that you might recall from different places. The names that leap off the page to me are Mitchell Heard (because of his tenure with the Lake Erie Monsters) and Jake Chelios (his start with the Chicago Wolves and move to Charlotte last season). Heard, in particular, was a pesky sort of player when he was part of the Monsters. In his time there against the Admirals Heard produced 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) from 10 games played over the course of three seasons while having a plus/minus rating of -4 with 49 penalty minutes (5 fighting majors).

Derek Ryan is the current leading scorer for the Checkers with 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 9 games. Yet, he won’t be a concern to the Admirals tonight as he is currently with the Carolina Hurricanes. He wasn’t alone in that recall, either. Brock McGinn was also part of that roster move by the Hurricanes. McGinn was third in scoring for the Checkers this season with 8 points (5 goals, 3 assists) in 9 games.

Who is left then for the Checkers on the firepower side of things? On the active roster first year pro Andrew Poturalski is the Checkers highest scorer with 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 11 games. Poturalski joined the Checkers late last season as an undrafted talent out of the University of New Hampshire and logged 16 games before the end of the 2015-16 season. He is currently tied for third in rookie scoring in the AHL this season with five other players.

Thoughts on tonight’s game? Will the Milwaukee Admirals be able to solve the Charlotte Checkers defense and goaltending? Will Jonas Gunnarsson be able to bounce back and shine when he makes his second start of the season tonight?

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.

When saying “Grand Rapids Griffins” now all that comes to mind is the insanity that took place during last season’s Calder Cup Playoff series that saw various bizarre situations en route to a first round sweep to end the Milwaukee Admirals otherwise brilliant 2015-16 season.

There was a situation in which Corey Potter had his helmet ripped off during a Griffins forecheck yet was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct for playing without his helmet. There was the infamous “no goal” call in which a Potter shot was deflected off of Max Görtz and went in for a goal that would have made it a 2-1 game with a period left to play. It was waved off for goaltender interference despite the fact no one was remotely close to Griffins goaltender Tom McCollum. The Admirals would later score through Vladislav Kamenev but ultimately lose 2-1 with the deficit being the disallowed goal.

And then of course, it had to come to it, the madness that was Game 3 that saw not one but two pucks go flying clean through the net. Were they goals? Yes. Was the huge delay in determining what was happening all while leaving the exact same net in after the first goal took place a factor? Yes. It was the worst of the worst as far as AHL officiating ineptitude could possibly have and on display at a stage where it should never be an on-ice issue. It was. And it will sting for awhile.

Thankfully, there are plenty of the exact same bodies on both sides coming back from that series to take part in tonight’s first head-to-head meeting since that cruel playoff exit for the Admirals. Memories in the game of hockey are long. And the matter of “revenge” is a true storyline heading into tonight’s game. The great news is that the very first meeting of the season is at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena where the nets are in tip-top shape and it would take a Shea Weber-like effort to torch a puck through the net.

Another nice thing the Admirals will have going for them tonight is the fact that the Griffins played last night at home and shutout the Rockford IceHogs by a final score of 3-0. The Admirals have been stationary since playing Wednesday in the AM hour so the freshness factor should really be seen as tonight’s game progresses.

The Griffins enter tonight’s game with a record of 7-4-0-0 (14 points, 0.636 points percentage). They have won their last two games consecutively but have been sporadic having won half of their last six games. It’s either been good enough or just a touch off -but- they haven’t really played a poor game to date.

If anything their performance last night to finish off a four game homestand was one of their better efforts this season. Not only did they earn a shutout over the IceHogs but they uncorked 42 shots on goal including a massive third period finish that saw them outshoot the IceHogs 14-4 to cement the wire-to-wire win.

Jared Coreau was the man in net for the shutout last night and he stopped all 30 shots the IceHogs threw at him. It was his first shutout of the season and it came in his tenth start of the season. Coreau has started as many game in net as the Admirals have played as a team this season while utilizing four different goaltenders. It’s pretty crazy. That said, he has met the massive work load with quality results: 7-3-0-0 record, 2.10 goals against average, and a 0.934 save percentage. The other man to start for the Griffins in Coreau’s lone rest day to date was Eddie Pasquale who suffered a loss while the Griffins offense was blanked on the road against the Charlotte Checkers.

There are currently two players out of the Griffins lineup on recall to the Detroit Red Wings who you’d hope don’t magically arrive in time for tonight’s game given the damage they’re capable of offensively. Anthony Mantha started the season in the AHL on fire by scoring 10 points (8 goals, 2 assists) in 10 games before an injury to Andreas Athanasiou saw him recalled yesterday. In Mantha’s career against the Admirals he has scored 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) in 17 games including last year’s playoff match-up. The other notable man absent from the Griffins lineup is Tyler Bertuzzi who scored 3 goals in 3 games during the Griffins sweep of the Admirals in the playoffs. This season he had 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 9 games prior to being recalled while Thomas Vanek was placed on injured reserve.

When scanning the rest of the Griffins roster you see plenty of familiar names returning from last year’s group. Players to keep an eye on tonight I feel will be: Louis-Marc Aubry, Mitch Callahan, Martin Frk, Tomas Nosek, Eric Tangradi, and Robbie Russo. Elsewhere the Griffins have added good veteran depth with one of those being an Admiral from a season ago by the name of Conor Allen who I suspect signed with the hopes of not playing for three different AHL teams this season.

All those names and I could rattle off even more solid veteran minded players: Brian Lashoff, Nathan Paetsch, Daniel Cleary, Matthew Ford, and Ben Street. That gets paired with some prospects that the likes of Vladislav Kamenev and Jack Dougherty should be familiar with in Yevgeni Svechnikov and Dominic Turgeon. Svechnikov was drafted by the Red Wings  in the 1st Round (19th Overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft and played with Kamenev at the national team level at World Juniors. Turgeon was team captain of the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) last season where Dougherty was an alternate captain alongside him.

So, the Griffins have yet another very stacked, deeply talented, and diversely structured team once again. Go figure, right? I feel as if two of the best teams right now in the NHL when it comes to scouting and the developmental process through the AHL are the Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators. No wonder these two sides lock horns so well.

What are your expectations for tonight’s game? Will the Milwaukee Admirals winning streak continue? Do you still cringe when thinking about last year’s playoff games against the Grand Rapids Griffins?

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.

The Milwaukee Admirals will be playing their second ever school day game on Wednesday with puck drop coming in at around 10:30 AM CST. Typically I enjoy publishing your pre-game scout at around 7 AM CST. Considering how little time that actually is to get your locked in I feel compelled to publish this tonight so you’re ready right out of bed and en route to the rink in the morning.

Last season’s inaugural event was a really big success I felt. And by that I’m not even simply talking about the Admirals 6-3 win on the day. The official attendance at that game was 12,972. Of that total there were 11,047 students on-hand. The game was incredibly loud. Kids who may not yet have experienced a hockey game either in-person or ever before were introduced to the game. It was a real blast to experience. Now take that same level of students and the noise they’ll be making and place it in a smaller venue with the roof lowered? Hot diggity! All that is needed next is a similar nasty and snarling level of game on the ice that last season provided. …this is when the Amtrak rolls up to station and the Chicago Wolves exit to their usual music.

The Wolves enter this game with a record of 5-4-0-1 (11 points, 0.550 points percentage). They have played the Admirals twice so far this season and have lost both games by a narrow margin. They faced-off against the Admirals last Friday for their first trip into the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. In that contest they lost 3-2 in a shootout after the Admirals climbed back from a 2-0 Wolves lead.

After the Wolves lost to the Admirals they then had the pleasure of a lengthy bus ride over to face the Grand Rapids Griffins the next night. The Wolves vented a bit of frustration from the night before and beat the Griffins 4-2. The man on fire that night was Ivan Barbashyov who scored twice to elevate his season total to 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) from 10 games.

Barbashyov is the top scoring forward on the Wolves roster but not the team’s leading scorer. That title current goes to defenseman Brad Hunt who has scored 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in 10 games. Out of all the players on the ice for the Wolves in the Amtrak Rivalry game on Saturday I felt that Hunt was easily their best player. He was everywhere. He nearly reminded me of the often roaming from the blueline T.J. Brennan. What’s funny to me is that I never recall Hunt being as active in movement as he was when a member of the Edmonton Oilers organization. He produced amazing offensive numbers with the Oklahoma City Barons and Bakersfield Condors: 142 points (43 goals, 99 assists) in 185 games. He just seems even more polished this season than memory serves. It’s just hard to not notice “#39 Hunt” when he is on the ice.

The goaltender of choice for the Wolves in the first two games against the Admirals this season has been Pheonix Copley. It’s slightly weird that he has only made 3 starts, has a record of 1-1-0-1 on the season, and his single win wasn’t his best outing. It’s actually his starts against the Admirals that have been his best work so far. In the pair of Amtrak Rivalry games Copley has a 1.95 goals against average and 0.934 save percentage. While I can just as easily see Jordan Binnington get tabbed for the 10:30 AM start. I would expect Copley’s hot hand against the Admirals to get a run until it cools.

What might be the biggest storyline for this game doesn’t so much as come from the Wolves as it does the Admirals. Juuse Saros and Pontus Åberg were recalled. Marek Mazanec and Kevin Fiala were reassigned and take their place. It’s not the most drastic of changes by any means but it is a shakeup to an Admirals team that has a three-game winning streak at the moment. How does Mazanec respond in net after little action and poor results with the Nashville Predators? How does Fiala look in his reintroduction to the AHL and will he flip off another team’s bench during an AM Admirals game? So many variables! Yet, the changes aren’t huge. They just add a fresh layer of mystery as to what happens in a game that starts while most of us aren’t all that awake yet – much less playing a hockey game.

~UPDATE~

The Nashville Predators have officially reassigned Harry Zolnierczyk to the Milwaukee Admirals. Zolnierczyk was brought up to help the Predators during their food poisoning incident but only played the single game in his time up with the team. He had played the opening three games of the season for the Admirals prior.

~Pre-Game Skate Tunes~

I meant to place this in -yesterday’s- fan requested edition of Chatterbox but flat out forgot. Today’s edition of Chatterbox was just too busy with the roster move news. So, for fun, here is a fan requested item. What songs play during the Admirals pre-game skate?

Often I read or hear people saying that the tunes are a bit “out there” or rave party inspired but the reality is that this is what the players are asking for to get hyped up prior to puck drop. Is this the accurate playlist order? Nope. It’s just the way I plopped them all down via the Admirals DJ’s list. If you hit shuffle it may run just as nicely.

Thoughts on the third meeting between the Admirals and Wolves? How will Mazanec and Fiala perform in their first AHL game of the 2016-17 season? Will you be attending the AM game?

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.

After a healthy road spell to start the season it is going to be nice to have hockey on home ice for the next five-games. The Milwaukee Admirals start this homestand with two contests this weekend: tonight with the Chicago Wolves and tomorrow night against last weekend’s enemy the Iowa Wild.

The focus is of course the Amtrak Rivals for tonight. The Wolves enter with a record of 4-4-0-0 (8 points, 0.500 points percentage). They have won their last two-games in regulation and let the offensive fireworks out: winning 7-3 at home over the Rockford IceHogs last Saturday and 4-2 at home against the Cleveland Monsters. That rout over the IceHogs specifically saw them rolling on the power-play with a 4/7 night with the man-advantage.

Who then was leading the charge during those games for the Wolves? A major component was defenseman Brad Hunt with 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in those two-games. And, thankfully for the Admirals tonight, Hunt is currently topside with the St. Louis Blues while Robert Bortuzzo is on injured reserve. The other man leading the way for the Wolves last weekend, Ivan Barbashyov, is in the lineup. Barbashyov scored 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) in the Wolves wins over the IceHogs and Monsters.

I feel the biggest story of the Wolves start to the season has come on defense and between the pipes. In half the games they have played this season they have limited teams to 2 goals or less and have only conceded more than 3 goals in a game once. Now that Ville Husso has been assigned to the Missouri Mavericks (ECHL) the duo in net for the Wolves between Jordan Binnington and Pheonix Copley is now set in stone. They’ve since responded. The two goalies this season have a combined 2.41 goals against average and 0.924 save percentage. The Wolves have allowed 30.5 shots on goal per game this season but they are getting security from between the pipes – a story that wasn’t totally the case a season ago.

Leading the Wolves in scoring right now is Hunt with his 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 8 games. With him up with the Blues the active leader in scoring for the Wolves is Kenny Agostino who has 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) in 8 games. His buddy that throws everyone in the media off due to the similar sounding last name, Andrew Agozzino, only has 2 points (0 goals, 2 assists) in 6 games so far with the Wolves.

The Admirals won 2-1 in the first tilt of the season back on 10/19/16 in Chicago. Hunt helped to setup the Wolves lone tally with a power-play goal for Agostino. Yet, his absence isn’t the lone missing component from that opening Amtrak Rivalry game as Austin Watson was the man who scored the game-winning power-play goal and he remains with the Nashville Predators.

So, both teams will have a slightly different make-up to them than in the first game. Everyone at this point is starting to gel better as a team. And the Admirals are in for the next two weeks looking to settle into the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and start cementing an actual home ice advantage to the new surroundings. This chapter of the Amtrak Rivalry should be a fun one. Do note: puck drops at 7pm on Fridays, 6pm on Saturdays. That’s perhaps the biggest note for catching this weekend’s games.

UPDATE. The Wolves will have their top scorer and defenseman Hunt for tonight’s game. He was reassigned this morning following last night’s 6-2 loss for the Blues on the road against the Dallas Stars. He was a healthy scratch last night.

Expectations for tonight’s game? Will the Milwaukee Admirals be able to keep the good vibes from their 7-3 win in Rockford going? Are we in for the Matt White – Vladislav Kamenev – Frédérick Gaudreau show again? Also, do you have any UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena comments or questions?

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I know, I know. It’s not “Scouting the Enemy” and the reason for that is simply because the Milwaukee Admirals are facing exactly who the did last night in tonight’s home opener, the Iowa Wild. I’d say yesterday’s scout and game recap should do you nicely as a game preview. What I’m more interested here though is to do a bit of an FYI or PSA in regards to tonight’s home opener at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

There are still many fan questions that I see in regards to this move, tonight’s event, and how things are all going to work as far as getting there and what to do once you are in the building. If the Admirals’ Facebook Live video tour of the building yesterday didn’t quite answer those enough for you, check it out anyways because it is great, than allow me to fill in some blanks.

Parking for the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena presents a new obstacle for fans and even someone such as myself in the media. It won’t be as simple as parking in the Bradley Center parking structure anymore. You can still park there but I’d be willing to bet they jack up the prices this season especially on head-to-head nights when it is Bucks vs. Admirals in the battle for West State Street supremacy.

That said, this is a rather big city we all live in and an ever growing one at that. Parking structures exist in nearby locations. There is a parking lot located across from the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena itself. There is an Isaacs parking lot located near the Hyatt Regency off of 4th Street which features 800 parking spaces. And there are multiple surface lots located within a few blocks of the building. The parking is there. It’s all down to choosing a location that suits you and whether or not you mind a walk that could possibly save you in the pocket as well.

What I find will be most important with the parking is to make sure you’re dedicating enough time to get your parking space and arrive to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena accordingly. With construction the way it is downtown, and 4th Street being down, it adds a layer of circling around and looking for places to park just that extra bit more time consuming. I’m sure that the construction for that new Bucks Arena will change up every once and awhile to add a new wrinkle to driving around that area by the BMO Harris Bradley Center, as well. So, just note that for your commute into games this season.

The next fun thing to add is specifically a reminder of how Saturday games now work. All Saturday home games at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena will start at 6pm which means that the gates are open at 5pm. The reasoning for the advanced start time is a matter of fan and city convenience. Admirals fans will have an early crack at parking on a night such as tonight when the Admirals go head-to-head with the Bucks across the street. That also means that Admirals fans will funnel out of the city sooner than Bucks fans so there isn’t a mass of sports fans all trying to hit the freeway at exactly the same time. Earlier start time? Construction? Trying to find new places to park? Plan accordingly. Plan to get to the gate early.

Lastly, and this is an event I’ve kept myself in the dark from, I imagine that tonight specifically will feature an outstanding pre-game ceremony that you won’t want to miss. This is the Milwaukee Admirals return to a building that they once called home and last played in on 1987 when it was called the MECCA. I haven’t poked around for details as to what we’re all in for but trust me. Even player introductions this season are going to be a brand spanking new event to kick back and enjoy. For a night as big as tonight? Again, plan to get there early – but also plan to take your seat and possibly settle in once pre-game skate takes place around 5:30pm. This should be a highly special night for all in attendance.

I do hope everyone has an amazing time making this UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena what it now is and what it will be: our home. I feel like all the renovations that I’ve watched get completed have been amazing to see. It’s an old building but the beauty of what the Admirals have been doing is finding that balance between new technologies and retro feel. Best of all? It’s simply the Admirals home building. The BMO Harris Bradley Center was terrific and served the organization well for 28 seasons. Yet, it more or less was the Milwaukee Bucks building and say-so. This building we set foot in tonight really has the look and feeling of the home of the Milwaukee Admirals. This will be a special night. This will be a special season. But the renovations will be on-going and this home will get better with every experience fans get inside of it. Let’s all start with Game #1 and move forward.

Any further questions related to tonight’s home opener at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena? Do you have any comments or concerns connected to tonight? Do leave a comment down below or through social media – and I will answer them as swiftly as I possibly can.

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This is due to be a massive weekend for the Milwaukee Admirals. Yes, the home opener at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is tomorrow but it is sandwiched by road games tonight and on Sunday. At the very least tonight and tomorrow’s games will have the exact same opponent in the Iowa Wild.

In recent memory the Wild have been a bit of a push over since shifting operations to Iowa after being the Houston Aeros. Since the 2013-14 season the best result the Iowa Wild have managed was that first season in which they were the third worst team in the AHL. The past two seasons they have had the worst record in the league. In their three-seasons in Iowa the team has a record of 74-126-14-14 (176 points, 0.386 points percentage).

As rough as the Wild always seem to be league-wide something about playing the Admirals that seems to bring out the best in the lowly Wild squads of the past. In 26 games over the last three-seasons the Wild have gone 9-13-2-2 (22 points, 0.423 points percentage). I get it. That doesn’t look all that great. It isn’t even a 0.500 record. But it is statistically better than how they handle the rest of the AHL. It’s been a near anomaly to the Admirals.

So, what of the Wild here in 2016-17? They have played two more games than the Admirals to this point and hold a record of 2-4-0-0 (4 points, 0.333 points percentage). Tonight’s game against the Admirals will complete a season opening seven-game homestand for the Wild.

What the Wild have done in the off-season is actually something I find smart if only the prospect pool from the Minnesota Wild was stronger than it is. They have added some high quality veterans to their group. It started last season with Maxime Fortunus who remains with the organization. They have now built on that by adding Jeff Hoggan from the Grand Rapids Griffins and Pat Cannone of the Chicago Wolves. In AHL experience alone those three combine for 1,816 games. The Admirals current roster, comprised of 21 players, clocks in at combined 2,387 games of AHL experience.

It’s a shame then that stagnant player development, poor scouting, and and weak drafting has left the Wild’s AHL affiliate out in the cold for years – including this season. The Wild’s two most exciting and interesting prospects to keep an eye on this season will be Alex Tuch and Gustav Olofsson. Tuch was drafted in the first round, eighteenth overall by the Wild in the 2014 NHL Draft. He is making the leap from Boston College to the AHL this season and has 3 assists in the opening 6 games. Olofsson was a second round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and made his AHL debut back in the 2013-14 season. I wasn’t really until last season when he stamped down a full pro season: 17 points (2 goals, 15 assists) in 52 games with 12 penalty minus and a plus/minus rating of -11. Last season he also played his first two-games in the NHL.

In net the Wild have a tandem that features Steve Michalek and Alex Stalock. Michalek has made a pair starts and been pulled in once while also having a relief appearance in one of Stalock’s five starts. It sounds as poor as it is -but- you can also thank a pair of games that exploded out of control: 8-3 loss to the Charlotte Checkers on 10/21/16 and 7-3 loss to the Cleveland Monsters on 10/25/16. The latter of those defeats? Yep, it was the Wild’s last game played. Expect them to want to not have a lull to that scale to end their homestand.

Thoughts on how the Milwaukee Admirals should handle the Iowa Wild this season? Will the Wild once again be the Admirals pests? If the Wild have been struggling defensively are these next two games finally a chance for the Admirals offense to surge?

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