News

Jon Greenberg Chat Transcript

El Presidente, Jon Greenberg, participated in what some may call a….cyber chat, on Wednesday afternoon.

Normally, I’d link to the transcript…but since I’m not really interested in sending webtraffic over there to those clowns, I’m just going to cut and paste the text here, for your reading pleasure.  Maybe when they start giving our friend Dave Boehler some more space to write, and start having their editors not botch headlines, we’ll be more inclined to play the game.

Anyway…  Enjoy!

  • Q: Tim Shattuck, Grafton – Hello Jon, Will the Admirals be giving away tickets to the Packer-Bears game on Sunday? I want another shot at going! -Tim Shattuck
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Hey everyone! Thanks for having me back again. Let’s get started with a time-sensitive question. Yes, Tim we’re going to have a pair of tickets for a lucky winner on Friday night when we host San Antonio at the Bradley Center. We hope that you can join us and be lucky enough to win. It’s certainly going to be a big game…the Admirals game that is.
  • Q: Brian, Milwaukee – What happened to Jamie Lundmark? He is no longer listed on the roster and according to theahl.com transaction page has not been moved up to nashville.
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Brian, thanks for the question. Jamie decided to terminate his relationship with the Predators and thus the Admirals. He signed a contract with a team in Sweden and left immediately.
  • Q: dr hockey, milwaukee – jon:has there been any thought to playing a hockey game at miller park thank you
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Hello Dr. The answer to your question is yes. However it has only gone as far as think about it. We would be very interested in playing a game there…maybe as a doubleheader with the University of Wisconsin but there are a ton of logistics involved that make it a challenge. It would be very cool to do it though.
  • Q: Stacy Schmidt, Burlington – Jon, Do you think that the Predators will bring Nolan Yonkman back? Would the Admirals ever considering signing him if Nashville didn’t? Thanks for talking my question.
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Stacy, thanks for the question. We are all big fans of Nolan Yonkman here. We hoped he’d come back last year but he saw a greener pasture with the Phoenix Coyotes organization and his decision has paid off as he had considerable time in the NHL this year that he never really got to have with Nashville. He has to do what is best for his career and we respect that. We look forward to seeing him on Friday night when San Antonio comes to visit. And in terms of would the Admirals consider signing him, we give full authority to sign players to Nashville. Considering the success our teams have had over the past decade I think that is the prudent thing to do.
  • Q: Taylor, P-Dub – Do you support fighting in hockey?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Taylor, interesting question. Do I support fighting? Not necessarily but I understand that it is a part of the game, albeit a much smaller part than it was even a decade ago. The game has changed significantly with the most recent labor agreement that begs for more skilled players. The game is very intense, very physical and very emotional. Sometimes tempers flare. Sometimes momentum needs to be changed and a fight can lead to that.
  • Q: Joe Geoffrion, Wauwatosa – Are there any more concerts that will be announced for this season? (and no, I’m not related to Blake. You could definitly tell if you saw me on skates)
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Joe, thanks for the clarification. I would have wondered. In terms of concerts, our lineup consists of country star Rodney Atkins on Friday, January 28, the UW Badger Band on February 4, the Dropkick Murphys on February 25, Huey Lewis and the News on March 19 and Pat McCurdy on April 1. It’s a great lineup. On-ice passes for Rodney Atkins are on sale now and allow ticket holders to purchase, for an additional $20, a spot right in front of the stage for the concert. It’s a unique place to watch a show. We will be putting on-ice passes for the Dropkick Murphys on sale on Monday, Jan. 24.
  • Q: Seth, Nashville – Will the Admirals ever play a game down in Nashville again?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Seth, thanks for the question. We talked about potentially doing that this season but it never came together. I know there is an interest in doing that on Nashville’s part so hopefully we can make that happen at some point. There are a few AHL teams that are doing it this season. It gives fans in the parent club’s market a chance to see their prospects in action.
  • Q: Martin O’Brien, Franklin – If the Bears line up in a two tight end formation on Sunday should the Packers drop Clay Mathews into coverage or do you think it would be best to have him blitz Jay Cutler?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Well Martin, since you asked, I would drop into coverage but send Charles Woodson on a corner blitz. I actually can tell you that while I like to watch football I couldn’t tell you what I was watching most of the time. I do hope that the Packers come out on top as it would be great for the State of Wisconsin to have another Super Bowl appearance.
  • Q: James, Whitewater, WI – Jon, I’m an avid hockey fan of the AHL and NHL. I also enjoy going to Brewers games at Miller Park. While it is fun and exciting to go to a Cubs v Brewers game I am always amazed at the number of Chicago fans in the stadium. My thought or question is, have the Admirals ever thought about having the Chicago Blackhawks play the Nashvillle Predators in a pre-season (or even regular season) game at the BC? I know you would draw a lot of Admirals fans as well as Chicago fans to the building! Thank you for your time – Go Admirals!
  • A: Jon Greenberg – James, thanks for your support. We have talked with Nashville about potentially having a pre-season game at the Bradley Center. They have, in the past, had a circle of teams that they would play during the pre-season – Atlanta, Carolina, Columbus but they really don’t face the Detroit’s and Chicago’s. There would likely have to be NHL type ticket prices as well to guarantee to the two teams which might make it prohibitive to draw a big crowd for a pre-season game. It is however, something that we have discussed.
  • Q: sludgemonkey, Appleton WI/Asheville NC – I got hit in the head with a puck at a recent game. It was hard. Can you make them softer?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Well sludgemonkey I hope that you are ok. I am pretty sure that hockey pucks have had the same density for about 75 years so changing the formula at this point might be kind of tough. If you ever wanted to see how they make hockey pucks there is a cool video on youtube that is pretty interesting.
  • Q: Deanne – Are there any plans for Admirals players to be out and about the community meeting fans…like at team sponsors or anything?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Deanne, our players have been out at a myriad of school visits, youth hockey practices and corporate sponsor stops over the past few months. As a matter of fact, they are currently at the Bradley Corporation, a great Admirals sponsor, shooting some commercials and visiting employees. We still have a big visit to Children’s Hospital to hang out with the kids ahead as well. Charlie Larson, our VP of Communications, does a phenomenal job of getting the guys out to do things with our fan base. We also have the Admirals Crew Celebrity Serve scheduled for Monday, March 7 which is always a lot of fun.
  • Q: Tim V., Michigan – Do you see the the Predators trading young players for playoff help, thus destroying our chances at a Calder Cup trophy?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Tim, interestingly worded question. The Predators are known for their excellent player development. It has been because of that successful program that we both have had success. We are here to develop players so that when they graduate to the NHL they are there to stay. The Predators often say that the road to Nashville goes through Milwaukee. Last year there were 16 players on Nashville’s playoff roster who spent time in Milwaukee at some point in their careers. I think that they will do what is best to try and go deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs but always keep an eye on the future of the organization as a whole.
  • Q: mrlundt – What do most players do during the off season? How many stay around here?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Mrlundt, great question. The bulk of our players head to their homes in the off-season which we hope won’t start until the middle of June. They take a little bit of time off and then many are headed to prospect camp in Nashville in July. We did have a couple of guys spend significant time in Milwaukee during the summer including Scott Ford and Cal O’Reilly. I had the chance to play golf with Scott a couple of times last summer. He’s unreal. I think he could qualify for a PGA tour card if he ever wanted to make that a career.
  • Q: Keith Justus, Las Vegas, NV – Hi Jon, I’m a Pittsburgh guy out West, now, looking to keep track of some of our local boys. I see Grant Lewis has only played in 18 games this season. Is that because he’s injured (he’s battled injury issues throughout his pro career), or because he’s simply fallen down the depth chart and can’t crack the lineup? Any info helps. Thanks much. KJ
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Keith, thanks for the question. Grant has been in and out of the lineup for a variety of reasons, mostly depth issues. He has had some bright moments though and I think he will have a positive impact on our team moving forward. He’s a good guy….and has some unreal hair.
  • Q: Nathan H, Milwaukee – Mr. Greenberg, Will you be shaving your head again for money?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – I guess we can keep the hair theme going here Nathan. I just asked this question last week about whether our players were going to want to do this again. In each of the past two seasons, several of us have had our heads shaved to help raise money for the American Cancer Society as we started the playoffs. I was happy to participate and if the opportunity presents itself again, I will be happy to do it.
  • Q: Nate H, Milwaukee – Jon, I heard you are giving away Packer tickets on Friday. First, how can I enter to win? Second, if I win, do you want to come with me?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – We’ll do two questions in a row by someone named Nate. Same person??? Regarding the Packers tickets, you’ll need to go to one of four kiosks located throughout the 200-level of the Bradley Center on Friday night and fill out an entry form. 12 lucky contestants will be randomly chosen to participate in on-ice activities during the second intermission with the winner getting a pair of tickets to the game on Sunday. Regarding your second question, I think I may be choosing a nice warm comfortable place to watch the game closer to home but thanks for the invite and good luck.
  • Q: Mark, Combined Locks, WI – Is TuTu still on the Admirals? That guy was incredible!!
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Mark, Jordin Tootoo is with Nashville. He is currently, however, in the NHL’s substance abuse rehabilitation program. We wish Jordin the very best and hope that he makes a full recovery and returns to the ice soon. I would agree that he was amazing to watch over the course of his time here. A real fan favorite!
  • Q: Jason, Bayview – Could the Admirals have stopped Jamie Lundmark from going overseas?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Jason, the answer to your question is possibly but there was no desire to do so. Once he made up his mind that he didn’t want to be here anymore it was a big red flag for us obviously. You want to have guys that are committed to your organization as well as to your coaches and players and once they make a decision otherwise that pretty much isn’t going to happen. We wish Jamie well in his future endeavors.
  • Q: Pat, Oconomowoc – Jon, are the Admirals’ practices open to the public? if so, when are they scheduled so fans can watch?
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Pat, our practices at the Kern Center are open to the public. They are generally in the mornings from 10:30-12:00. We do practice at the Bradley Center when ice is available to us however. The best course of action is to call our offices to double check where and when practices will be held.
  • Q: Chuck, WI – Jon, First off, I think you and the Admirals organization run one the best and most affordable sports entertainment functions around. This season I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a 1/2 season ticket package. I’ve been spreading the Admirals experience to everyone that will listen. My question is regarding merchandise. I know you can get apparel at the BC during games, at your offices and online. Are there any plans in getting Admirals apparel in other locations like local malls for the more casual fan? By the way, my son and I are 5-0 this year for games we’ve attended. Keep up the great work and GO Ads!!
  • A: Jon Greenberg – Chuck, you get the last question. This hour has flown by. Thanks everyone!! Thank you for your support and keep spreading that message! Regarding merchandise, we have been talking with a couple of retail locations about getting our stuff out there later this year. I feel confident that Kim Salli, our merchandise guru, will be able to get that done. In the meantime though, the options you mentioned are the best available. Since you are 5-0, I expect to see you Thursday and Friday at the BC! 7 pm for both. Thanks again everyone!
News

ECHL to the NHL, Could Pickard be Next?

The American Hockey League, which is celebrating its 75th season, is justifiably proud of it role it plays in grooming players for the NHL.  But the league isn’t the only place where top-level caliber talent goes to develop the skills necessary to play on hockey’s biggest stage.

As of last count the ECHL has churned out 459 alumni who have played in the NHL.  Some of the names who have that have made that jump are pretty impressive, including Tim Thomas, Jaroslav Halak, Jonathan Quick, Tomas Vokoun, Ruslan Fedotenko, Joe Corvo, Rich Pevelry, and two Admirals from 2010-2011, Chris Mueller and Mark Dekanich.

Of the five most recent former-ECHLers who got their NHL shot, three spent time with the Cincinnati Cyclones.  Recently I asked Cyclones coach Jarrod Skalde who are the next players from Cincinnati who could make the move up to the NHL:

Skalde: Right off the top, I would have to say our goaltending.  If you look at Chet Pickard, you see a talented, talented kid.  He’s had some struggles up in Milwaukee, and that’s part of the reason why he is here now.  But he works extremely hard.  He understands where he’s at and what he has to do to get out of here and back up to Milwaukee and hopefully in the future with the Nashville Predators.  Chet’s a pleasure to have down here in Cincinnati.

Another guy is Marc Cheverie with the Florida Panthers organization that is in the same boat.  He is a top prospect that is in the ECHL right now trying to figure out his game.  They are two guys that complement each other very well and share the same vision and same focus of wanting to get up to the National Hockey League.

There you have it, Pickard and Cheverie.  With the Florida Panthers looking to unload Vokoun at some point, Cheverie looks like he might have the easier road of moving up.

(For more on Cincinnati’s role in the Nashville Predators/Milwaukee Admirals organization, check out my feature story here)

So Roundtable, Is there a player on Cincinnati who could eventually play in the NHL?  Is there an alumnus of the ECHL on Milwaukee who could make the jump?

News

No Call-Up….Yet….

Still no word for a defensive call-up, and the closer we get to the opening face-off in Phoenix tonight, the more likely the Preds will be taking the ice with only six healthy defensemen on the roster.

There are reports that The Cube’s injury isn’t thought to be long term (that’s a relief, because it didn’t look that great), and he may be playing by the end of the week!  So, families of Laakso and Johnson….if you’re reading this….sorry to get your hopes up.

But things change.  We’ll see what the Preds elect to do after tonight.

News

Defensive Depth Chart

It sounds like “The Cube” may miss some time after a hit in the game against the Blackhawks Sunday night.  A call-up may be in order prior to the Preds’ next game on Tuesday in Phoenix, unless the Preds like the idea of skating into AZ with just six healthy defensemen.

Two questions….

1.  If you were David Poile, which Admirals defenseman do you think is most deserving of a call-up to the big club?

2.  Who do you think will actually be called up?

Teemu Laakso
Jon Blum
Roman Josi
Brett Palin
Aaron Johnson
Scott Ford

My answers:

Laakso and Laakso.

I don’t think they want to rush Josi, and I think Laakso has been playing better/making less mistakes than Blum lately.

News

Thuresson Back, Halischuk Called Up

So news doesn’t wait for authors to return from vacation.

While I was at Verizon Center watching the Capitals defeat the Senators, the Preds sent Andreas Thuresson back to Milwaukee, and called up Matt Halischuk.  (Thanks to CreedFeed for the comment in the previous post…)

Not sure how long he’ll be there, but he’ll certainly be missed in Milwaukee if he’s with Nashville for awhile.

Halischuk is in the lineup tonight against the Blackhawks.

Ok!  Ryan Thang!  Start learning to play center!

Game Recaps

Klasen’s OT Winner Defeats Moose

I know it’s only January….but let’s take a moment to enjoy the fact that our Admirals currently have sole possession of 1st place Western Conference.

Woo-hoo.

After spotting the Manitoba Moose a two-goal lead in the first period, the Admirals battled back, and came away with a 3-2 overtime victory Saturday night in Winnipeg.

In a game much more exciting than the one that Packer fans probably watched, it was a turnaround slapper from Linus Klasen just 29 seconds into overtime that sealed the win for Mark Dekanich and the Admirals.

After being shutout by the Moose on Thursday night, the Admirals still needed to be thawed out, as they were outshot 9-3 in the first period.  And they can’t blame the discrepancy on power play time, as Francis Charron called a Jeff Smith-esque game, assessing just three minor penalties, all in the second period.

Moose leading scorer Sergei Shirokov opened the scoring just 56 into the game with a fluky goal that he shot from behind the goalline.  He banked it in off of Dex’s pads, and the Ads were in the hole right away.

Defensemen Kevin Connauton scored on a shot that was deflected by an Admiral stick past Dekanich about ten minutes later.

During the intermission, Scott Ford rallied the troops in the locker room, and they responded in the second period outshooting the Moose 14-9, and outscoring them too.

It was actually Ford who was first to beat goaltender Eddie Lack.  It was a shot from the point the point that may or may not have been deflected by Matt Halischuk, who had a great game in front of the crease.  That line of Halischuk, Klasen, and Thang is starting to consistently provide some offensive for this team.

The Ads tied the score 2:21 into the 3rd period with a goal from Aaron Johnson, picking up the pieces of a give-and-go rush from Gabriel Bourque and Blake Geoffrion.

POINTS FOR DISCUSSION:

Don’t like how the team seems to be outshot on a somewhat regular basis, but man, they battle for every inch, and it’s good to see them stay with the gameplan after a less than pleasant start.

OT is so exciting with Klasen on the ice.  He’s got all kinds of space in the offensive zone….and then you’re a little nervous with his coverage back in the D-zone.  But he made quick work of it tonight.

Special teams?  Killed both penalties, failed on their only power play.  While it’d be nice to get the PP going, this team really seems to excel 5×5 lately.  So when refs try to be Jeff Smith, I think that works to our advantage.

Another long break until their next game, Thursday night back at the Bradley Center.

Oh, and hello from Maryland.  I’ll give your regards to Alex Ovechkin tomorrow afternoon.

Game Recaps

Admirals Suffer First Setback of 2011, Fall 3-0 to Manitoba Moose

Milwaukee finally found their Kryptonite in 2011, running into a Swedish brick wall in Moose goaltender Eddie Lack.  After sweeping a four game home stand last week, the Admirals couldn’t carry their positive momentum into Canada, dropping a tough one 3-0 to Manitoba Thursday night.

Lack stopped all 27 Admirals shots, but got a few breaks from the posts and cross bar to earn the shut out.

However the biggest issue for Milwaukee remains their problems on special teams.  The Admirals went 0-4 power play, while Manitoba converted on both of their man advantage chances.

Mark Dekanich allowed just two goals to take his first loss since returning from injury.  He finished with 18 saves.  Roman Josi had another strong game for Milwaukee registering four shots on goal.  Steve Begin returned to the line up, but finished as a minus 1, registering just one shot on goal.

The Admirals slipped to just 11-10-0-3 on the road.  Milwaukee also squandered a chance to move into first place in the West Division on their own as first place Peoria got hammered 7-2 at home against Oklahoma City.  The loss also ends Milwaukee’s recent run of feasting on North Division opponents.

The Admirals get one day in Winnipeg to stew over the loss before rematching with the Jets Moose at the MTS Centre Saturday night.  I got to admit, I still do miss the Jets and their awesome playoff White Outs.

So Roundtable, What do you think Milwaukee needs to do to improve their special teams? Is the day in between prior to the rematch beneficial or negative for the Admirals?

News

Mid Season Grades Round Three

If you haven’t weighed on the first two rounds, we’d love to hear what you think.  Leave a comment in those posts, after you speak your mind in this one.

Again….classic A through F scale, and write a sentence or two to back it up.

Jon Blum

Kelsey Wilson

Ryan Thang

Mark “The Proof” Santorelli