Tonight, Colton Sissons will take part in the AHL All Star Skills Competition. The book is still out on what he is going to be doing, last year Victor Bartley was tossed into the accuracy shooting portion, but our Admiral representative should be in the mix in some shape or form. As mentioned in yesterday’s story on Sissons – tune in tonight at 10pm EST on NHL Network for part one of the AHL All Star festivities.

With that in mind, I feel we should take a look at some players who have been out of the spotlight all season long but have actually performed very well. I think we all know about Sissons. We know and are cheering on our Olympian in camp Simon Moser. But who are some of the players that are having good seasons despite lacking the glitter that others might have on them as they play?

Joonas Jarvinen is somewhat of a rarity of the Admirals defensive core. He is a stay at home type of defensemen. Perhaps the only other d-man on the team that I can really think sticks to the defensive aspects of the game, like Jarvinen, is captain Scott Ford. Even Joe Piskula is the type to race forward and be active on offense – often playing a role on the team’s second power-play unit from the point. So what is it about Jarvinen this season that puts him under the rader?

I feel Jarvinen’s lack of offensive spark, combined with his calm defensive nature, can often take a back seat to some of the guys such as an Anthony Bitetto or even a Charles-Olivier Roussel – guys that can skate effortlessly from behind their net, up the gut of neutral ice, and get the offensive cycle started all on their own. Jarvinen’s game isn’t about that. Mostly it’s about doing stuff like this:

It’s his incredible checking and physical ability that led to me nicknaming him, Big Daddy. Just as is the case of the Big Daddy in Bioshock – Jarvinen is a mountain of steel to have to work through. He can dish out some nasty and, if need be, stick up for himself or his teammates. Last season, I feel that the fighting element was a major part of his game. He engaged in the chippy side more than the defensive part of the game. He hasn’t needed to do that this season. He’s had three fighting majors so far this year and, on at least two of them, he was basically jumped by an opponent following a clean check. If he has to drop the gloves he will. But, it’s when he’s had his gloves on this season when he has looked and played the part as the most underrated defensemen on the entire team.

In 40 games this season Jarvinen has only been a minus rated player in 10 games. The bulk of that sum came in the goals against infested month of January where he was a negative player 6 times. Despite this, he remains the best player on the Admirals team in plus/minus with a rating of +9. And while we can debate the legitimacy of the plus/minus statistic day and night, I’ve heard it already, it still tells me more than enough about how Jarvinen’s defensive focus helps contribute to that team best rating. He’ll take a silly minor penalty here and there. But, if I needed to pick the team’s best shutdown defensemen right now… there isn’t a better choice than Joonas Jarvinen.

As has been discussed here in the past, Zach Budish is known very well for having a really big head.

Audio Evidence from Big Head himself:

So, he has had one of the single best entries into the Chatterbox this season. But what has he been doing on the ice that lands him here?

This season Budish has played in 35 games, scored 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists), and has the second best plus/minus rating on the team with a +8. He has primarily played on the forth line the entire season but, when given the chance, he has displayed a great ability on both sides of the puck. From late-December to mid-December, his work alongside linemates Mike Liambas and Mathieu Tousignant were probably amongst the best work from a single line this season – they simply lacked a goal scoring touch for all their hard work.

Budish has really proven himself to be the Roussel of the forward group. He was on the outside looking in, remains on the cuff, but has played so well it is difficult for the team to remove him from the starting lineup. The Minnesota man has had his difficulties in the past with ACL injuries and putting together a full-body of work where he can mature in his game. We’ve been able to see a lot of that maturation process this season and I feel like there is an extra gear waiting to come out for him yet.

His game is somewhat contained on the lower playing lines where he is asked to handle a defensive checking role. His performance, as mentioned, puts him as the second best in plus/minus on the team – and the best forward in that category by +3 over Joonas Rask. Were he given the bigger role to test his offensive game – I feel there is an extra Austin Watson type player on the team: size, strength, defense, offense, stable, and smart. Time will only tell if we get to see that side of him leap out. For now, he has been a very pleasant surprise for how consistently well he performs on a minimal basis for the team.

Who do you feel is the most underrated player on the Admirals this season and why?

Keeping with recent tradition, the Milwaukee Admirals unveiled their pink jerseys that they will be wearing to spread Breast Cancer Awareness. The team will be wearing them during Friday night’s game against the Iowa Wild.

This year’s Pink jersey is mainly black with pink accents. In truth, this might be one of my favorite iterations of the concept that they have done. Here are a few recent examples that the team have displayed:

As is typically the case with these specialty unis, the fans can hit the auction block and bid for their favorite player’s jersey. You can do that right here at the Milwaukee Admirals website. Follow the steps (seriously, follow the steps) if you want to get in on the auction fun.

What are your thoughts on this year’s Pink jersey? What are some of your favorite specialty uniforms that the team have sported over the years? Will you be bidding? If so, what player’s jersey are you gunning for? Also, if you’ve ever won one of these auctions before, I’d love to hear about it!

This season’s AHL All Star Classic takes on a much more special and competitive stance than it has in year’s past. It isn’t a conference on conference, no hitting, play for fun, skill fest. This year we have the AHL All Stars facing off against Färjestad BK of the Swedish Elite League. That meant making the AHL All Star team was far more difficult than it was in the past. One team. The entire league to select. And Colton Sissons, in his first year of professional hockey, made the roster.

“I was shocked,” said Colton Sissons on making the AHL All Star team. “It was an unbelievable surprise and I’m really just so happy to be a part of it. It’s going to be a little bit nerve-racking for me being a pretty young guy there and probably the least amount of experience there. But, it will be a really cool experience.”

Sissons was able to make a splash in his very first weekend as a pro hockey player. The Admirals started their season off on the road against the Abbotsford Heat – just under fifty miles away from Sissons hometown of Vancouver. His family was in attendance for his first two games and they were able to see him score his first professional point in his first professional game – followed by his first professional goal the next night.

The family trend continued on for him as well when he made his NHL debut on the road against the Winnipeg Jets. In his first career performance at the NHL level he was able to score an assist for his first NHL point.

“That’s pretty special that they got to see my first goal and point as an Admiral,” said Sissons. “Then my first assist and NHL game. That’s pretty special for my parents and my whole family.”

The 20-year old has been one of the most consistent players for the Admirals this season. At the time of his first NHL call up he led the team in scoring. After his two looks up top in Nashville, he now sits second on the team in scoring. Sissons has 29 points (17 goals, 12 assists). The next closest on the team to him in goals scored are Miikka Salomaki and Austin Watson who each have 12 goals.

What has stood out far more to me than purely his numbers has been his intelligence and maturity on the ice. He’s a two-way player that makes great decisions on where he needs to be to best help out his teammates. On offense, he has been brilliant at finding soft spots in the defense that helps him be open and readily available for a shot or a pass. On defense, he isn’t afraid to block shots but does an even better job at using his six-foot frame to take away space on the passing or shooting lanes.

“It’s a big part of my game,” said Sissons. “Being well-rounded in all aspects: offensively, defensively, and special teams. That’s helped me jump from juniors to here and, obviously, it helped me see my name on the [AHL All Star Classic] roster.”

The AHL All Star Classic begins with the Skills Competition festivities tomorrow night and then the actual game the following night on Wednesday. All the action from the AHL All Star Classic will be broadcast, on tape delay, on the NHL Network starting at 10:00 PM EST. Sissons is expected to take part in the Skills Competition but, as he explained in this morning’s Chatterbox, he doesn’t quite know how he will factor into it yet. He traveled late last night all the way out to Newfoundland where the host of the year’s AHL All Star Classic, the St. John’s IceCaps, are based. Wednesday night, he could be on the ice at the same time as Nashville Predators prospect Pontus Åberg – a second round draft pick of the Preds in the 2012 NHL Draft who plays for Färjestad BK. It’s not quite going to be your same type of All Star game. The AHL All Stars, Sissons included, want to compete hard.

“It’s not just a token All Star game,” said Sissons. “It’s going to be competitive and we’re going to want to win. That’s kind of nice. It won’t just be a lackadaisical event. So, I’m looking forward to that part of it.”

What has impressed you the most about Colton Sissons this year? Will you be tuning in for Sissons AHL All Star appearance?

As has been pretty well discussed here at the Roundtable: last night’s game was really bad. Yet, of one of the worst moments of the night, Milwaukee Admirals photographer Scott Paulus captured Miikka Salomaki’s boarding major and game misconduct rather brilliantly.

It’s a brilliant photo. Miikka Salomaki is somewhat in the realization that he may have overdone it. Peter Andersson is in a world of pain. And various fans are either in shock or in a state of pure guffaw. It’s just such a photo that I figured, for as bad as last night’s game was, let’s have a laugh.

Hey, we have to be able to find some sort of light with all the dark – especially in a game flooded in dark like yesterday’s. It’s a long season. Games like yesterday happen. And it is a reminder that, for as many overtime or shootout losses as the Ads can have, earning a point in any circumstance -in the long run- can help masks painful defeats such as this. They’ll be back in the groove soon enough – possibly even as soon as tomorrow afternoon.

Lost in the shuffle of yesterday’s Admirals news and game was a development from the Nashville Predators and goaltender Pekka Rinne. He practiced in full gear yesterday.

#Preds Pekka Rinne on the ice with coach Mitch Korn. #NHL pic.twitter.com/JeJe1xMz7r

— Predlines.com (@PredlinesNSH) February 7, 2014

Per Thomas Willis of Predlines (source):

Today, Rinne was on the ice along with goaltender coach Mitch Korn and a handful of other Predators players. Although the team’s practice was officially canceled, Rinne faced shots from forward Viktor Stalberg and defenseman Mattias Ekholm. The former All-Star goalie looked uninhibited while making saves, making several nice stops. Rinne actively took part in a few mini-drills with Korn and faced some shots before exiting the ice about 15 minutes later.

This news comes just one game before the Olympic break begins for the Nashville Predators. The team plays tonight in Nashville against the Anaheim Ducks. For Rinne, it marks the next big step in his recovery process. He has been out of game action since October after an infection to his hip – which he had surgery on in May of last year. No time tables. No real word of future plans, but the sight of him back in full gear says he is in a very good place as of now.

With the Olympic break beginning after tonight’s Predators game, and ending on Feb. 27, one wonders what the next steps will be in Rinne’s road to game shape. This season I have heard everything from: he’ll be back before the Olympics, he won’t play this season, he’ll be back after the Olympics, etc etc. The way that I see this working out is that the Predators are working on Rinne’s schedule – not the other way around. It’s important that he is in no way rushed back too soon and set up to fail. He is one of the most, if not the most, important players in the organization. With the way the Predators season is trudging along without him – it only stresses the point to be that much more patient in his health and recovery.

Should he keep trending upward from the visual above, practicing in full gear, it does open the door for a return to the Milwaukee Admirals this season in the form of a possible rehab stint. Pekka Rinne played with the Admirals for three-seasons from 2005-08. He played in 145 games, won 81 games, had 10 shutouts, a 2.54 GAA, and a 0.911 SV%. He was voted as the top Admiral of All-Time last season. Were he to make a return appearance to the Admirals – I’m certain it would be special for all involved.

What do you make of Pekka Rinne’s injury and potential return date? When can we expect him back in action and could he be in Admirals gear again this season?