Happy Monday, peoples! With yet another off-day in the works I thought I’d just hop in my ol’ TARDIS, take you back to see some familiar faces from last season’s team, and find out what they’re currently doing. Let’s start in order of who played the most games for the Milwaukee Admirals over the course of their playing career down to the least.
We have a roster move to discuss the afternoon. After both the Admirals and Predators played last night, Colton Sissons and Simon Moser have been reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals.
For those who caught it in this morning’s edition of The Chatterbox, I had asked head coach Dean Evason last night about potential reinforcements that could be incoming with their team stretched so thin:
“We’ll wait and evaluate and see what Nashville does. Clearly that’s what we do. I mean, it’s trickle down.” Dean Evason
I can only assume a phone call took place either right after last night’s game or early this morning.
Sissons played in three games with the Nashville and scored an assist in his first NHL game for his first NHL point. In his first game he logged 10:49 in ice time. Since, he has played 5:09 TOI and 8:00 TOI while playing on the Pred’s fourth line.
Moser, who played in his first career NHL game in last night’s 4-3 shootout loss for the Predators, registered sixteen shifts and played 10:12 of ice time in his debut. Word was that he had an out clause if he wasn’t up in Nashville by December (source). To boot, he was close to joining the Swiss Olympic squad just around the time of this call up. He played his first career NHL game and is on the brink heading to Sochi for the Winter Olympics. Not a bad few weeks in the life of Simon Moser, eh?
It’s unclear whether or not this move will be a short one or not. The Admirals play on Wednesday night against the Hamilton Bulldogs and then the Nashville Predators play in Minnesota on Thursday. If bodies are still needed up top – it’s quick travel and a quick way to keep guys fresh. Sissons has been playing fourth line minutes. Moser was on the third line with Taylor Beck last night. Both would earn more playing time than they would get on the lower end playing lines. If even this is a quick stint back down for both before joining the Predators in Minnesota the next night – it helps everyone involved.
Thoughts on the roster move? Is this just a quick stop for one game for both?
The Admirals lost 3-2 in a shootout last night against the division leading Grand Rapids Griffins. It might not have been the end result that the team wanted, but I feel it was a decent outing for the Ads last night considering the circumstances: top scorers up in Nashville, forward core stretched as thin as it possibly could be, and a long bus ride back from Iowa that saw them get back in Milwaukee at four o’clock in the morning. Two games this weekend. Three points. Take as many points as you can – when you can, I say. In a stretch for them team that could be tough due to the circumstances. That isn’t bad.
After the game I spoke, as always, with head coach Dean Evason. I also chatted with Patrick Cehlin, Charles Olivier-Roussel, and Marek Mazanec. Here is what they had to say following last night’s game against the Griffins.
The Admirals lost 3-2 in a shootout against the Grand Rapids Griffins Saturday night. After trailing 1-0 in the first period, the Ads responded with two-goals in thirty-seconds to start the second period – the shortest time between two Admiral goals all season. Grand Rapids drew the Ads back in the second period and took the game all the way into a shootout where only one man, Adam Almquist, would score.
Mike Liambas took a crosschecking penalty in the first period just as the Griffins were whistled for going offside. Liambas disagreed his way to the box and the Griffins earned the game’s opening power-play. Teemu Pulkkinen would go on to score his eighteenth goal of the season from a point shot bullet that found its way through Mitch Callahan, Scott Valentine, and Marek Mazanec. Admirals assistant coach Stan Drulia gave linesman Aaron Mills his money’s worth after the goal. The entry into the zone prior to the power-play goal was close and could well have been blown for an offsides. It wasn’t. Seconds later, it became 1-0 Griffins.
The second period started with a big bang. The Admirals were able to score two-goals in the space of thirty seconds to take a 2-1 lead. Vinny Saponari skated in through neutral ice – passed on to Joe Piskula – who then skated down the right wing and all the way in on Petr Mrazek for his first goal of the season.
Thirty-seconds later, Patrick Cehlin picked Adam Almquist’s pocket directly in front of Mrazek and fired. The steal and shot were almost done with the same stick motion by Cehlin. It happened all so fast that Mrazek had no time to close out the near post – where Cehlin would score his third-goal of the season. The two goals scored in rapid succession were the quickest by the Admirals all season. The previous distinction was forty-nine seconds apart by Colton Sissons and Anthony Bitetto on Oct. 18 – also against the Griffins. In his career now, Patrick Cehlin’s has played against the Griffins nine times, scored four goals, and picked up three assists.
The Griffins were able to tie things up over halfway into the second period through a Louis-Marc Aubry goal. This play was opened up after an exchange at the Admirals bench in which Filip Forsberg got into a tugging match before making his change. Kevin Henderson hopped over the boards and was late in joining the rush down at the other end. It was there that Aubry was able to zip around Mazanec’s cage and get to an uncontested right wing post for a goal. It was Aubry’s first goal of the season.
The third period had its chances for the Griffins. There were a few post jobs off of shots for them, but a tremendous display in goal tonight by Mazanec prevented this game from ending in regulation. Mazanec made thirty-five saves tonight and plenty of them were down right filthy. With the team in front of him turning the puck over, sometimes at neutral ice or on his doorstep, he stood tall and kept the team alive through regulation.
After an intense overtime period, in which the opening stint was almost all in the Griffins defensive half, the game shifted into a shootout. The Admirals decided to shoot first and used: Miikka Salomaki, Vinny Saponari, Filip Forsberg, Patrick Cehlin, and Mark Van Guilder. The Griffins wheeled out: Louis-Marc Aubry, Adam Almquist, Mikael Samuelsson, and Calle Jarnkrok. Mrazek stopped all five shooters for the Admirals. The lone shooter Mazanec missed out on, Almquist, beat him past the blocker with a wrist shot.
Ramblings: With Simon Moser being called up today – the Admirals literally were as tight as it gets. The team dressed seven defensemen and Zach Budish, the lone healthy scratch in Iowa, was back in the lineup. Scott Ford played in his three-hundred and fortieth game as an Admiral tonight – tying him with Tony Hrkac for ninth on Admirals all-time games list. Marek Mazanec kept his streak alive tonight – he has allowed a minimum of two-goals in all thirteen AHL games he has played.
Thoughts on tonight’s game? With the Admirals roster as stretched thin as it is – is a shootout defeat against the division leaders a small victory? Are reinforcements a must for the Admirals before Wednesday’s game?
Interesting developments taking place before tonight’s game against the Grand Rapids Griffins. Reports are suggesting that the Nashville Predators have called up Simon Moser from the Milwaukee Admirals this morning.
Swiss sources indicating that Simon Moser has been recalled by the Predators. Nothing from the team just yet.
— Jim Diamond (@diamondhockey) February 1, 2014
No official conformation yet. Though, Moser has already been added to the team’s active roster on the team website. Official confirmation forthcoming? I suspect as much.
This season with the Admirals, Moser has played in 40 games and scored 25 points (8 goals, 17 assists), tallied 8 PIM’s, and has a plus/minus of +2. This would be his first ever taste of the National Hockey League. Prior to the Admirals, he had played in his native Switzerland for Martigny and primarily Langnau. He was one of the final roster cuts from Predators camp in the pre-season before heading to Milwaukee. According to Jim Diamond, he had an out clause in his contract allowing him to go back to his team in Switzerland if he wasn’t in NHL by December. That never manifested itself. And now Moser is an Olympian on his was to the NHL at the start of February en route to the Olympic break.
UPDATE: It’s official. He’ll be wearing his #21 with the Predators and make his NHL debut tonight.
With @Spals88 (lower body) joining @VStalberg/Cullen on the injury list, the @PredsNHL will bring in Simon Moser for his NHL debut tonight.
— KWilsonPreds (@KWilsonPreds) February 1, 2014
There hasn’t been a counter move made yet by the Admirals. The top choice down in Cincinnati of the ECHL would have been Josh Shalla – but he took a puck to the face recently and missed last night’s game for the Cyclones. If you want to see the damage done to Shalla’s noggin – here’s the aftermath. If you want to see a less gruesome photo of the damage – here you go. Anyways, unclear as to his official status after sustaining that injury. With this potential recall for Moser taking place as quick as it is on a game day. I fully anticipate last night’s roster with Shalla’s buddy Zach Budish inserted into the lineup (he was the lone healthy scratch last night).
Thoughts on the call up? Think this will give Simon Moser a boost heading to Sochi? What should the Admirals do to get more bodies back in camp? Who are the options in Cincinnati you’d like up with the team or is another PTO on the horizon?
The Admirals did two amazing things last night in Iowa. They won on the road. And they won in overtime. Prior to last night’s victory the Ads were on a stretch, starting in Lake Erie, of six-straight road defeats. In overtime this season the Ads are 5-0-6-3 (19 points) in 14 games. Their six defeats in overtime are the most in the entire AHL right now. Last night was only their second overtime win.
Another bit of good news from last night was the return of Patrick Cehlin after he missed thirty-four games due to injury.
Felt good to be back playing with the boys. Been a long 3 months!! Nice to get that OT win with us back home #7hbusride
— Patrick Cehlin (@PattyC29) February 1, 2014
In his return he played on a line with Filip Forsberg and Mark Van Guilder. He didn’t score a point in his return, had two shots on goal, and his plus/minus was a -1. Still, after missing so much time, it’s understandable if he feels his way back into game speed. He could have been skating and practicing as much as anyone in the last two weeks – but you can never simulate game action. Last night’s game was a good first step back into what the Ads hope is an added scoring option on the top lines.
More good news? Sure! The Admirals are now starting up a five game homestand where they are the second best team on home ice in the AHL this season with a 0.763 winning percentage. In nineteen home games this season the Ads are 13-3-3-0 (29 points). Their home ice goal differential is +19. Also, of the six meetings against the division leading Grand Rapids Griffins, the Ads have won both home contests in the season fixture with last season’s Calder Cup champs:
Oct. 18 @ Grand Rapids: W, 3-2
Nov. 13 vs. Grand Rapids: W, 2-1
Nov. 20 @ Grand Rapids: L, 5-0
Dec. 13 @ Grand Rapids: L, 4-2
Dec. 14 @ Grand Rapids: L, 5-0
Dec. 26 vs. Grand Rapids: W, 4-1
Sure, there have been some clunkers in that mix – but there have also been some of the more stellar all-around performances from the Admirals as well. Seeing as it has been over a month since we’ve last seen the Griffins – just what have they been up to?
The Grand Rapids Griffins enter tonight’s game with a record of 28-13-2-2 (60 points). They’ve pretty much been in charge of the Midwest Division from the start of the season and still maintain an 8 point cushion over the second place Chicago Wolves – and a 9 point lead over the third place Admirals. In their previous ten games they have gone 5-4-1-0 (11 points). They are also on a two game losing skid in which they have conceded six goals in both defeats: 1/26, @ San Antonio and 1/31, vs. Chicago.
Don’t let those defeats fool you though. The Griffins have been a model of consistency this season and to remind you of that let me bring up the home and away again. The Griffins are right behind the Admirals with the third best home record in the AHL with a 0.688 winning percentage (the top home team in the conference and entire league is Texas with a bazonkers 0.804 winning percentage). Where the Griffins differ to the Admirals is how lethal they can be on the road. The Griffins have a conference best 0.643 winning percentage on the road. They also have a +14 goal differential in road games. Again, don’t let their recent defeats where they have conceded six goals in back-to-back outings fool you. This team can rebound better than perhaps any in the AHL this season.
We’re done with warm-ups. It’s go time, #GriffinsNation! #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/tLWEf1MCqV
— GrandRapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) January 31, 2014
Making some news this week was the announcement that long time NHL’er Mikael Samuelsson cleared waivers and joined the Griffins. How did the 37-year old feel his Griffins debut went last night?
“I didn’t feel great. I’m not going to lie. I felt better as the game went on, had a couple chances, but, overall, not my best game.” Mikael Samuelsson (source)
He has played in 699 career NHL games – including 26 games with the Red Wings this season. He might be on the decline. But the experience and skill that he possesses pose a big threat for the Admirals to deal with tonight.
Another name back in camp is goaltender Petr Mrazek. His last game played for the Griffins was 12/7 vs. Rochester. Since? He’s been up with the Red Wings before his reassignment this past Tuesday. He didn’t play in the team’s defeat last night. He could well be the man between the pipes for the Admirals to scrap it out with tonight.
Thoughts on tonight’s game? Can the Admirals take down the division leaders? Would you start Hannu Toivonen in net tonight?
The Admirals won 3-2 in overtime against the Iowa Wild Friday night. The Ads held a 2-0 lead in the third period only to see the Wild race back and push this game into overtime. With fifty-seconds remaining in OT, Bryan Rodney produced the goods to end the Ads two-game losing skid overall and six-game losing skid on the road.
“It was a pretty good hockey game,” said Assistant Coach Stan Drulia on Sports Radio 1250 WSSP after the game. “Obviously we’re pretty happy we found a way to get it done in overtime. Not crazy that we gave up a two-goal lead again here. But, a win on the road – and it’s a big win for our group.”
Austin Watson opened the scoring in this one to give the Admirals a 1-0 first period lead. Kevin Henderson made a pass from behind the net to Watson on the right wing faceoff circle. His sniper of a wrist shot beat Johan Gustafsson over the far shoulder for Watson’s eleventh goal of the season.
After a slow and methodical second period it didn’t take that long for the action to explode in the third. Just 1:32 into the final period of regulation the Admirals extended their lead. Miikka Salomaki’s shot zipped through a hefty net front screen of Vinny Saponari and two Wild defenseman to beat Gustafsson. The goal would be credited to Saponari after the game after a confirmed deflection. For Saponari, it is his eighth goal of the season.
“[Salomaki] managed the puck real well tonight,” said Drulia. “He works hard. That’s his DNA. You get him into these situations where you want meat and potatoes – you want hard work along the boards. You look at some of the scrums that he’s been in throughout the year. He goes to those hard areas.”
Then came the pressure from Iowa. After Marek Mazanec recorded his first ever AHL game without conceding a goal in the opening two periods – the Wild roared back with two unanswered goals to tie the game.
The shutout bid for Mazanec ended after a heavy slap shot from Carson McMillan. The shot beat Mazanec low to the glove side and made it a 2-1 game. Then, with just 5:12 remaining in regulation, a defensive lapse for the Admirals put Jim McKenzie in front of goal with tons of space to set up shop. Mazanec was able to disrupt the initial chance but McKenzie bashed in his own rebound before the defense could close him down.
The game rolled into overtime – which has not been kind at all to the Admirals this season. The Ads lead the entire AHL with six overtime defeats this season and were fresh off of the one to the Rockford IceHogs. With fifty-seconds remaining in OT, enter Bryan Rodney and a game-winning goal that ended the Admirals two-game skid overall and six-game road losing streak. Rodney, creeping in from the right wing, was picked out by Salomaki. The shot near the slot beat Gustafsson for Rodney’s third goal of the season. The Ads have yet to lose against the Iowa Wild in five meetings this season.
Ramblings:
Patrick Cehlin returned to the lineup tonight for his first game since 11/3/13 @ Iowa. In tonight’s game he was a -1 with two shots on goal. With his goal tonight Austin Watson now has thirty-one career goals as an Admiral – which ranks him twenty-third in the AHL history of the team with Andrew Hutchinson and former linemate Juuso Puustinen. Tonight’s lone scratch was forward Zach Budish. The team dressed seven defensemen and rotated a wing spot on a line with Henderson and Watson throughout the night.
It’s game day! Pretty nice to say after a few days off, eh? You want to know what is even better to say? We don’t have to deal with the Rockford IceHogs again until Saturday, Feb. 22. Instead, we stroll down to Iowa for a game before kicking off a five-game homestand to start the month of February.
The Admirals enter tonight’s game with a record of 20-13-6-3 (49 points). They are currently third in the Midwest Division and sixth in the Western Conference. In their last ten games they have grinded out a record of 4-3-1-2 (11 points). The big happenings? Colton Sissons was called up to the Nashville Predators, played his first NHL game, and recorded his first NHL point – an assist. Here’s what he said of the experience:
Let’s hope history repeats itself with Sissons. First AHL game. First AHL point (assist). First NHL game. First NHL point (assist). Second AHL game. First AHL goal. Second NHL game…
That said, the lack of Sissons and fellow recent call up Taylor Beck does take away the team’s top two scorers. That means the top man in camp, as far as scoring is concerned, is Miikka Salomaki with 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists). He’s been a rather consistent performer – not always offensively but in the two-way sense of the game. With the top two gone, it is going to be important to have guys like Salomaki and Filip Forsberg producing big for the team.
Perhaps the even bigger story from the recent call ups is that there is now a gaping hole in the center spot. This season it has been: Colton Sissons, Mark Van Guilder, Austin Watson, and Mathieu Tousignant. There hasn’t been a call up to respond to this circumstance. That means we should have a winger moving down the middle starting tonight in Iowa. Who will it be? If I were in Dean Evason’s shoes, I would cook up my line combos like this for tonight:
Salomaki-Watson-Forsberg
Moser-Van Guilder-Cehlin
Henderson-Tousignant-Saponari
Liambas-Rask-Budish
UPDATE: Patrick Cehlin will return to game action tonight for his first game since playing against these very same Iowa Wild on 11/3/13, This means Evason now also has the tricky choice of Valentine, Roussel, and Rodney on defensive assignments to round out six d-men.
This season the Admirals have played the Iowa Wild four times and won each contest:
Nov. 3 @ Iowa: W, 5-2
Nov. 16 @ Iowa: W, 1-0
Dec. 29 @ Iowa: W, 4-0
Jan. 6 vs. Iowa: W, 4-3 (SO)
Two shutouts from four games? Nicely done Scott Darling (played in two games against Iowa and has stopped all 65 shots on goal). Marek Mazanec, who will no doubt get his seventh straight start tonight, played in the team’s first meeting of the season. He made 28 saves from 30 shots in that game. In the head-to-head this year the top scorer’s for the Admirals (that aren’t in Nashville) are defensemen Anthony Bitetto and Bryan Rodney who each have 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists).
The Iowa Wild will enter tonight’s game with a record 19-16-3-3 (44 points). That is the lowest in the Midwest Division and they are currently ninth in the Western Conference. In their last ten games they have gone 5-2-1-2 (13 points).
Oddly, the Wild are a better road team than they are at home. This season the Wild have earned 20 points in 22 home games and have earned 24 points in 19 road games. Just as odd with the home and away stats are the goal differentials. Road, +2 goals. Home, -10 goals. That’s pretty severe. With the Ads not fairing much better on the road, 20 points from 23 road games and a goal differential of -21 goals on the road, this could be a game based on maintaining structure and minimizing mistakes. The team that does that the best should earn the two points.
The Wild are lead in scoring by defenseman Brian Connelly with 25 points (3 goals, 22 assists). The top goal scorer is Brett Bulmer who has team-best 10 goals to go with his 5 assists. I am sort of put off by the term, scoring by committee, but it really does apply well to the Iowa Wild when you look at the team’s scoring stats. It’s never one or two guys you have to worry about with the team. Which is probably a bad thing for the Wild – who are the third lowest scoring team in the AHL this season with 103 goals scored – only the Utica Comets (98 goals scored) and Adirondack Phantoms (100 goals scored) are worse off.
The man in net for the Wild in tonight’s game should be Johan Gustafsson. The rookie goaltender from Sweden leads the team with 18 games played this season as well as a team-best 8 wins. So far in the month of January he has gone 4-1-1-2 and played in 4 shootouts from 8 starts. He has decent numbers this month: 2.52 GAA and a 0.928 SV%. The good news? History. He has faced the Admirals three times this season and lost each time: twice in regulation (11/3/13 @ Iowa and 12/29/13 @ Milwaukee) and once in a shootout (1/6/14 @ Milwaukee).
Thoughts for tonight’s game? How would you work tonight’s line combinations? Who has to step up in Sissons and Beck’s absence? Will Marek Mazanec finally play a game at the AHL level where he concedes less than two goals?
I’ve had a question running through my mind the last few days so I wanted to throw it back to all of you Roundtable readers in the form of this poll and post.
Interesting question right? … Oh. … No? Well let me give you some things to consider.
Marek Mazanec’s superb start to the season, winning five games from five starts, lead to his lengthy stint up in Nashville. He won the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for November by winning five games and posting two shutouts. After the Predators made the move to acquire Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk – he returned to the Milwaukee Admirals during a span that saw both goalies go down to injury. He has started all six games in net for the Admirals since returning from the NHL.
For those who’ve had the chance to watch him play this season, either in Milwaukee or Nashville, I think his positives are very evident. He plays very composed. He has good vision on the ice. He generally handles his rebounds well. Also, he does a decent job dictating the pace of a hockey game when he is on.
Where these positives seem to crash into the ground come with net front traffic. When impeded, his vision, (which is normally quite sharp) seems to go all over the place and, in his frenzy to locate pucks, can give up goals such as the recent overtime game-winner by Adam Clendening – which was almost scored from Admirals bench. Worryingly, in the AHL this season he has conceded 2.33 goals per game. He still has yet to play a game as an Admiral where he has allowed less than two goals in a game.
Before his stint in the NHL he was 5-0-0-0 with a 1.97 GAA (skewed under his two per game average due to an overtime winner 10/30/13 vs. Texas). He also had a 0.933 SV% – 140 saves out of 150 shots from five games.
Since returning from Nashville he has gone 2-2-1-1 with a 2.63 GAA. He has a 0.912 SV% – 165 saves out of 181 shots from six games. His four losses came in scenarios of two-in-two (1/18 and 1/19 in Oklahoma City) and the back end of a three-in-three (1/25 in Rockford and 1/26 in Milwaukee). Are his slight dips in performance more to do with how much he has been playing or does it come down to him?
Audio Callback, Mazanec on playing in all games of a three-in-three (1/26/14):
He’s shown himself to be great at times as an Admiral but was that little bit better for a solid month at the NHL level. The talent and capacity to perform well is there. Right now, he is incredibly consistent. The problem is his consistency means scoring three or more goals a night to win. Should he start to settle back into the Milwaukee flow – perhaps he would be the top candidate, no matter who is healthy, to play in goal for the Admirals as the stretch drive comes into frame.
What a doozie of a season it has been for last year’s breakout star Magnus Hellberg. When he was up with the Nashville Predators for pre-season camp he was injured on the first day of camp – missing most of the fun and practice. From October and November he was the team’s go-to netminder. He played in thirteen games during that span, went 3-5-4-1, 2.82 GAA, and had a 0.912 SV%. In the midst of that – he was called up to Nashville for his first ever NHL recall, made a 12:12 cameo, made 3 saves from 4 shots, and was swapped with Mazanec shortly after.
After his opening stretch, losing five games from thirteen appearances, the door opened for Scott Darling in the month of December. Hellberg’s December saw him start just four games, going 1-2-1-0, with a 2.65 GAA, and a 0.924 SV%. His lone win in that month was a reminder of his incredible talent: 12/12/13 vs. Oklahoma City – 40 save shutout. Though, as has been his 2013-14 season, the good came right with the bad waiting to pounce. His first start of December, that shutout. His last start of December (12/27/13 vs. Charlotte), he was pulled by Dean Evason after giving up 3 goals on 26 shots.
Audio Callback, Hellberg and Evason after he was pulled (12/27/13):
Then came a window of opportunity for Hellberg to play consistently in net. After a practice injury to Darling, Hellberg made a start in San Antonio at the beginning of a stretch of seven games in eleven days. This was his chance to regain form, confidence, but best of all start lots of games to work out kinks. Moment of opportunity? Good. So, where was the bad waiting to pounce? Right in the middle of the overtime against San Antonio – first start in the seven game span – just when we were expecting a heavy dose of Hellberg for the week ahead. He tried to soldier on after getting injured, but his night was over before the game even finished overtime. As far as I know, it is the dreaded lower-body injury. From early reports that I had heard, hinting that he may have had a high ankle sprain, I was shocked to see him walking around without crutches when the team returned from that very same road trip. He’s working out and keeping in game shape. He’s just not back to practice – and there isn’t a time table for him as of yet.
Were he not to get injured it’d have been fascinating to see just how the team could have handled the recent stretch of games – seven in eleven – with both Hellberg and Mazanec in camp. There’s no denying that Mazanec was running on fumes by Sunday when he became the most recent Admiral to start all games in net of a three-in-three. The last Admiral goalie to do that? Magnus Hellberg, in the clutch, in the final three games of last season, winning all of them, and earning back-to-back shutouts to get the Admirals the eighth and final playoff seed (4/19/13 vs. Charlotte, 4/20/13 @ Chicago, and 4/21/13 @ Peoria).
It’s just such a display, at the end of last season, as to what triggered this very question poll. Hellberg did it last year and was locked in from the month of February forward. If he were healthy, could Magnus Hellberg repeat what he did in last year’s stretch drive? Would he be your goalie of choice to start in -the- big games?
The Admirals are never short a few surprises during the course of a season. For my money, this year’s big surprise was the emergence of Scott Darling after being called up from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.
Audio Callback, Mike Liambas interviews Scott Darling after a shutout (12/20/13):
His first start with the Admirals might not have been the greatest for two reasons. One, he allowed 4 goals from 29 shots. Two, an equipment issue took him too long to get back out onto the ice for the start of the third period – so he didn’t play the third period (coincidentally giving the loss to Magnus Hellberg in that game).
Ever since? Let’s just say goaltending coach Ben Vanderklok must be one happy coach – or Scott Darling is one great student. In December, he earned the the CCM/AHL Player of the Week honors in a stretch where he won both games of a two-in-two, earned a shutout, made 65 saves from 66 shots on goal for a ridiculous 0.985 SV% and 0.45 GAA (12/20/13 vs. San Antonio and 12/21/13 @ Rockford). For good measure, he also picked up the CCM/AHL Goalie of the Month of December: he played in eight games, made seven starts, had a record of 6-1-0-0, 1.12 GAA, 0.964 SV%, and recorded two shutouts.
And then the calendar switched to 2014…
In three games against the Lake Erie Monsters he allowed 13 goals from 80 shots. He won one of those three games – and in that victory he allowed 5 goals from 25 shots. His January numbers, while only three games, drastically hit a Monster wall: 4.60 GAA and a 0.838 SV%.
Then came his injury which occurred during team practice just before the team was going to travel down to San Antonio. His injury? You guessed it. The dreaded lower-body injury. Just like Hellberg though, he doesn’t have crutches and has been actively working out. I’ve had the chance to speak with him around the locker room since his injury and he is in good spirits – making me think he could be back sooner rather than later. He should be back with the team before Hellberg but, as Scott Ford reminded us all this season, hockey players laugh at injuries, can heal up very quickly, and return to game action far beyond any early prognosis or time table might suggest.
When can those two injured goalies of January come back? Your guess is as good as mine. But, when he does come back, will Darling be given the opportunity to play to the same level of consistency as he did in December? Should Hellberg and Darling return at the same time – who ends up in Cincinnati? And, should Darling come back and regain that December form, would he be the man you want to start in net when the games creep closer to the playoffs?
Hannu Toivonen. That’s a cool name. Just say it out loud a couple of times. … I digress. Anyways, the man signed to a professional try-out (PTO) right after Scott Darling’s injury is really out of the mix in my book. Why? Well, given the nature of last weekend’s series with the Rockford IceHogs: three-in-three // home-road-home :you would have expected him to turn up for one game if only to give Marek Mazanec a breather for a period or two.
Audio Callback, Evason stated he was comfortable with Toivonen in net (1/23/13):
Did he? Nope. And that should say enough about where he stands on his PTO versus Mazanec, fresh from an NHL stint, and with a guy like Darling possibly coming back in the near future. He did make some appearances as an Admiral, though. When Hellberg went down with injury he played a solid four-seconds of overtime – before taking a loss, without facing a single shot in either regulation or overtime, in the shootout – where he stopped four of six shooters (1/16/14 @ San Antonio). His other appearance? The Admirals Celebrity Serve event at Major Goolsby’s this past Tuesday. Hey, might as well have fun right?
With the added Pekka Rinne element to possibly still play out (will he come back this year, would he have a rehab stint in Milwaukee, if so what does that mean for the other goalies, etc etc) there is still much to decipher as we head into February, the NHL’s Olympic Break, and the looming NHL trade deadline and just what the Nashville Predators could be doing then – and maybe even before then. When this all shakes out though I expect Mazanec, Hellberg, and Darling to be your top choices to lead the Admirals in net into the playoffs. Whoever steps up into that role will be fascinating to see given the surrounding circumstances but, most of all, the competition and depth at the position when all are healthy. Who would you chose, if even for that one crucial game, Mazanec, Hellberg, or Darling?
Before this post goes anywhere, major credit for this “photo post” goes to Milwaukee Admirals photographer Scott Paulus. Without his outstanding work this post, and quite honestly all photos used in stories for this website, do not happen.
I alluded in the last edition of the Chatterbox that Joonas Rask was the master of making silly faces during his action shots. I said that after spotting a few gems during the last week’s worth of games. Out of curiosity, and general hermit behavior this week while battling a cold, I trekked through every set of game photos to see if last week was just a lucky week or if he does this all the time.
Ladies. Gentleman. Joonas Rask makes silly faces all the time.
Admirals Roundtable 