Welcome to the month of July and the start of NHL Free Agency. It has already been a wild time this afternoon with the inspiration for most movies Roland Emmerich directs, Alexander Radulov, signing with the Montréal Canadiens. You know that narcissistic lunatic that borders on being a lightning rod for attention? Didn’t the Canadiens just trade away someone they felt was a bit too much like that for a guy who has a history of not liking Radulov that much? You simply cannot make this stuff up.
~Free Agency~
By the time I’m writing this the Nashville Predators have reportedly made two signings: Yannick Weber and Matt Irwin. Weber will likely fill the Predators void of having a right handed shooting defenseman named Weber who wears the #6. Irwin will likely provide the Milwaukee Admirals with some solid veteran stability operating on a two-way contracted role.
Irwin probably just picked up the offer perhaps the Predators might have been thinking about with Corey Potter. Either way, the veteran defenseman has been brought in as the veteran on defense. Irwin is 28-years old and will turn 29 at the end of November. He has played 155 games in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks and Boston Bruins. Last season he was mainly reduced to an AHL role with the Providence Bruins but provided 30 points (5 goals, 25 assists) in 64 games with a plus/minus rating of +1. To put that in perspective that puts him behind Taylor Aronson and Trevor Murphy on last year’s Admirals roster for points produced by a defenseman.
~Chatterbox~
Today was the final practice for the Nashville Predators Rookie Development Camp at Centennial Sportsplex before tomorrow’s scrimmage at Ford Ice Center. Rounding off the final wave of soon to be, or pending, Milwaukee Admirals I chatted with Alexandre Carrier, Anthony Richard, Jonas Gunnarsson, and Mark Visentin.
Today was the second day of on-ice activities at the Nashville Predators Rookie Development Camp. Where yesterday’s drills seemed to cover some of the warm-up style drills you can see when the Milwaukee Admirals practice at the MSOE Kern Center today’s work at Centennial Sportsplex was far more about stretching out the legs. If there is anything that can be said in a concise fashion about the future of the organization it is that it will be one that can move fast. These kids have some serious speed.
Anthony Richard was a very fun watch in practice today. He arrived late last season in Milwaukee and made his professional playing debut with the Admirals in the playoffs. He played in the entirety of that opening round playoff series against the Grand Rapids Griffins and was one of the few bright spots. He seemed to get better and better. If you might remember though – he wasn’t playing at 100%. He was nursing a lower body injury when he arrived. Didn’t get into the final regular season games. And just squeaked into that playoff series. In practices back then I was impressed. Today? Even more so. He looks to be fully fit and his skating ability is outstanding. The more comfortable he becomes finding that balance between speed and skill the more successful I think the 2016-17 Admirals are going to be.
I was slightly bummed out yesterday that I didn’t see Trevor Murphy on the ice. Seems like he took a knock early on and dialed back. He was on the ice today and you can see what a difference a year of pro experience does when compared to other defensemen in camp. His passing wasn’t just crisp but it was very accurate. If the goal of the Predators defense is to be mobile and play with speed you can look at a guy like Murphy as one of the first proper prospects in the pipeline that exemplifies the qualities the NHL team are looking for the finest. Defensively, he’ll need to clamp down harder -but- he was a first year pro last season. I feel the 2016-17 season in Milwaukee is going to really be a good gauge on how Murphy projects. Is he NHL caliber or not? His shot certainly is. But a shot alone isn’t enough.
~Chatterbox~
After practice I was able to round up two players and a very familiar looking bloke. I chatted with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason to get his thoughts on camp and a few players we’ll be seeing in Milwaukee later this year. I also spoke with Murphy about an embarrassing spill into the boards that he took during breakout drills. Murphy was then kind enough to help assist in doing a mock-interview with Vladislav Kamenev. I deleted the audio out of respect for Kamenev’s nervousness to test his English. He is progressing really well though I think. More than capable to have your standard locker room chatter. Analytical discussions though? Still tough and understandably so. I was happy to give him a go at it and even happier that he took a shot. For those wanting Kamenev audio? Fret yet not. He interview bombs Murphy. Lastly, Thomas Novak who is listed as being from River Falls, Wisconsin but has his heart firmly set in Minnesota. Listen in and you’ll know what I mean quickly.
Greetings from Nashville, everybody. Today was the first day of on-ice activities at the Nashville Predators Rookie Development Camp. There was much to take in from the practice sessions at the Centennial Sportsplex. Faces that we’ve all seen before. Faces that we will be getting more familiar with later this year. As well as some faces that should arrive in Milwaukee in due time.
~Development Camp Roster~
Let’s start by tacking who is all here this week because names in attendance aren’t just limited to Nashville Predators property.
Invitees to this week’s camp in Nashville included: Bennett (Saginaw), Lettieri (University of Minnesota), Boudreau (Chicoutimi), Walker (US NTDP), Doherty (Admirals), Healey (Ohio State), Reinke (Cedar Rapids), Sinard (TPH Thunder), Sawchenko (Moosejaw), Visentin (Rockford).
There were two players listed as injured for today’s practice: Allard and Visentin. I did see Visentin working practice drills for a good while, though. I did not see much or Murphy on-ice while practice went on. There are two separate rinks at the Centennial Sportsplex. I don’t think my timing could have been that unfortunate to have missed him practice as I flipped between the two. So, I’m not sure if he picked up a knock during the skate.
The entire coaching staff of the Milwaukee Admirals is in attendance for this week. That means Dean Evason, Stan Drulia, Scott Ford, and David Rook are all testing the young crop of kids out just as you may have ever watched a practice run at the MSOE Kern Center.
~Notes~
I was incredibly impressed by what I saw out of Gunnarsson who is the potential second choice goalie in Milwaukee. His lateral movements were quick. He had a quick read on shots. And, even for a practice session, there wasn’t much getting through him. I figured his role for next season was going to Janne Juvonen. The 21-year old Finnish goaltender was a seventh round pick of the Predators in the 2013 NHL Draft and he attended the final games of the regular season and playoffs here in Milwaukee. Gunnarsson not only took that spot but Juvonen went from being on the preliminary development camp roster to just not being here.
One of the biggest talents heading to Milwaukee at the start of the season will be a 19-year old winger by the name of Kirkland. Elite Prospects lists him as standing at 6-3. He looks even bigger than that. I was impressed for someone of his size to move as well as he does. His shot looked sharp. He has a quick release, as well. With how successful the Kelowna Rockets were last season he had missed out on getting introduced to the pro experience like a few others on ATO contracts would have. He’ll be coming in completely fresh to the pro scene, and Milwaukee for that matter, but I think he’ll do just fine.
If you’ve read my work closely this off-season you might have noticed how timid I am when it comes to the right-handed shooting defenseman Dougherty. I have no shame in admitting that was simply because I didn’t know if he was coming back to Milwaukee for the 2016-17 season. Having spoken with him this afternoon, huzzah, I can confirm he will be in Milwaukee. This will mark the fourth different team and the fourth different league for Dougherty in the last four years. Can you blame my timidness? The great news is that he not only showed up at the end of the season in Milwaukee he already made his pro debut, logged 3 games of work, earned his first career pro point (an assist), and is familiar with his surroundings. That should make stepping into the 2016-17 season a little less stressful for Dougherty. The only real stresser will come in how often people such as myself, or the equipment managers, botch the two defenseman coming to town: Dougherty and Doherty.
When Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile addressed the media earlier today he made mention of an absentee from this week’s camp: Yakov Trenin. Unfortunately the Russian forward suffered a broken leg as a result of a mountain biking accident last week. He needed to have an operation to mend the break and is expected to be out of action for the next four months while recovering. Trenin will be arriving to Nashville in a month’s time for evaluation and is due to return to the Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) once the season begins.
~Chatterbox~
There were plenty of people to chat with. I suspect I will be getting to as many different players or coaches as I can in the week that I am here in Nashville. That being said, I had to go right for the familiars on my Nashville debut. It was fun seeing a lot of these guys and actually felt like it has been ages since the season ended. All players featured today should be back in Milwaukee this season. Interviewed today were: Poile, Saros, Doherty, Dougherty, Fiala, and Kirkland. Here is what they had to say after practice.
For anyone due to catch practices this week at the Centennial Sportsplex or the scrimmage game on Saturday at the Ford Ice Center – I would be more than happy to meet up with you Nashville fans this week. I’ll be there or looking to be a total tourist from the end of practice to, well, the next practice. Hope to see you while I’m in town.
Happy Monday, everyone. Today marks the day that all NHL teams must submit qualifying offers to their crop of restricted free agents (RFAs) by 5 pm EST or else they will become unrestricted free agents (UFAs). The Nashville Predators current RFAs include: Filip Forsberg, Calle Järnkrok, Petter Granberg, Cody Hodgson, Stefan Elliott, Garrett Noonan, and Gabriel Bourque. Who stays and who becomes a free agent?
Well, let’s be serious here. Forsberg is going to be getting paid, BIG, and is likely getting a long-term contract worked out. Järnkrok is also likely getting a rather nice contract worked out. As for everyone else on that list? It’s questionable.
Granberg was put in an awkward place last season. He was entering the 2015-16 season injured and up with the NHL outfit of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs attempted to pass him through waivers to get him to the Toronto Marlies (AHL) but the Predators claimed him instead. He spent a cup of coffee as part of the Milwaukee Admirals in his first in-game action in the season and was thrust into the fires of the NHL in Nashville where the 23-year old had only played a career number of 8 games previously. He was never going to blow people away how he played. He was injured to start the year and needed to really find his stride in-game at a level of professional hockey he wasn’t used to. Should he be brought back it might be smarter to attempt to sign him to a new deal with a two-way contract in-mind. He can be a solid shutdown defenseman. He just needs a healthy Summer without the instant microscope of NHL quality of play weighing on top of him.
Hodgson was signed last season hoping to bank on a low cost high reward type of signing. His contract wasn’t bad. His play at the NHL, more than anything really his consistency, was bad. He turned up in Milwaukee after clearing waivers. Acted like a professional from the moment he arrived. And then he vanished towards the end of the season. This was due to a nagging injury, back spasms, which were greatly hampering more than just his ability to play the game. I’m hoping that the treatment he sought out has worked out for the absolute best and that Hodgson is able to return to a rink this Fall. I doubt that the Predators will be the ones to to offer up an opportunity to do that though. Even if NHL teams are fishing for him it would have to be with starting in the AHL first as the option. That or he could venture overseas where he could possibly pocket some more cash than he otherwise would as an NHL/AHL fringe player.
Elliott is someone who I not only want to be given a qualifying offer but a proper multi-year contract. I feel a potential third defensive line of Elliott on the right with Anthony Bitetto on the left would work extremely well. It would be a good pairing on opening night of the Predators 2016-17 season if it had to be. Otherwise, Elliott can start in the AHL and be your go-to option in the event of a call-up. Elliott should be brought back. He’s a strong two-way player who seems to be getting better the longer his pro experience goes.
Noonan might make some in Nashville sigh given how his pro career has panned out through his first two full pro seasons have manifested themselves as mainly an ECHL defenseman. That said, he was the Cincinnati Cyclones best defenseman last season by a good margin and had no ability to really push anyone out of the Admirals AHL defensive group. That chance is there for him in the 2016-17 season and he could look to take a very strong ECHL season and carry it into the AHL. It worked for Taylor Aronson in the 2014-15 season. Why not Noonan?
Bourque is a real mystery man to me who will likely be left out in the cold because of names such as Miikka Salomäki, Viktor Arvidsson, Colton Sissons, and Austin Watson passing him by. You can even make the argument that Cody Bass, Kevin Fiala, and Pontus Åberg surpassed him. I don’t know what Bourque’s injury was last season that caused him to miss as much time as he did, do a conditioning assignment (look good), get called up from the conditioning assignment early just to not play, get another conditioning assignment (looked even better), and then sat the rest of the season. Either it was an undisclosed injury that came in waves and shut him down or he was given the notification that he might get today which is that the Predators just don’t have ice-time for him anymore. I would be shocked if he gets brought back.
~Nashville Bound~
By the way, that last sentence will be a rather legitimate one in regards to how all of these RFAs receiving or not receiving qualifying offers will go today. Why is that? Because I will be driving from Caledonia, Wisconsin to Nashville, Tennessee all day today. I won’t be able to bring up any of the RFA news or signings that crop up. My focus will be on the road. So, I advise you to keep your eyes open towards the Nashville Predators website and your trusted Nashville media peoples for all the latest on that front today.
So, I won’t be dropping any news today when it comes but I will be attending the Nashville Predators Rookie Development Camp. I’m greatly looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces on the ice, getting to know some of the new ones that will be heading to Milwaukee later this Fall, and some of the newbies that were drafted just days ago. I also think it will be a fun way for me to get to see a lot of you Nashville readers in-person. I’m guessing that I’ll be the one who looks the most like a tourist. Still, if you see a person with this face, give him a wave. I’d be happy to give a wave right back.
The Nashville Predators selected defenseman Dante Fabbro with their first selection of eight in the 2016 NHL Draft. Who hits the pro ranks first and hits it the hardest? (Photo Credit: Sarah Fuqua)
When you really look at everyone that the Nashville Predators drafted at this year’s NHL Draft you might question just what’s going on. There were five defensemen selected by the Predators out of a possible eight draft picks. There were two European players selected, a Swedish defenseman and Russian goaltender, who have yet to play a game of senior level hockey. There were three players drafted that are joining college programs for the first time in the Fall and one that just completed his first season in college. In fact, there aren’t really any names that leap out as players that will have an immediate impact on the organization.
(Photo Credit: Sarah Fuqua)
Dante Fabbro (1st Round, 17th Overall) will be heading to Boston University for the 2016-17 season. Samuel Girard (2nd Round, 47th Overall) has only played two seasons of junior hockey with the Shawinigan Cataractes and should be returning for the 2016-17 season. Rem Pitlick (3rd Round, 76th Overall) will be joining the University of Minnesota for the 2016-17 season. Frédéric Allard (3rd Round, 78th Overall) has logged three full-seasons with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens and could likely play out his fourth for the 2016-17 season. Hardy Häman Aktell (4th Round, 108th Overall) is such a ghost that the only known photograph I can find of him is his Skellefteå AIK headshot which no longer appears on his player profile page on the team website. Patrick Harper (5th Round, 138th Overall) will be joining Fabbro this Fall at Boston University. Konstantin Volkov (6th Round, 168th Overall) has yet to play a single game of senior level hockey and joins the back of the line in the Predators goaltending waiting list which includes: Marek Mazanec, Juuse Saros, Jonas Gunnarsson, Janne Juvonen, and Karel Vejmelka. Adam Smith (7th Round, 198th Overall) is a 20-year old defenseman but he only just logged his first year of collegiate hockey at Bowling Green State University which is where he would likely develop for at least another season or more.
So, what does all of that mean? Is this a bad draft by the Predators? The answer to that is no and a firm “NO” at that. This was a draft class selected with eyes set not on there here and now but on the two or four years from now mentality.
Forget about the Predators prospect pool itself for a moment and think about the Predators themselves. They’re solid, young, and trending upward. Their mission is to really maintain the team that they had last season while allowing the younger pieces to the program to mature and improve them well enough that they can get over the hump. There isn’t a need for any crazy trades or major free agent signings. The bigger goal should actually be re-signing certain players to long-term contracts. Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, and Calle Järnkrok all come to mind when I say that.
As for the Predators prospect pool it is in a really great place. You could look at the Milwaukee Admirals last season to get a good understanding of just that. The team entered the season as the second youngest in the American Hockey League and finished the regular season with a record of 48-23-3-2 (101 points, 0.664 points percentage). They won the Central Division and narrowly missed out on having the best record based on points percentage in the entire Western Conference. That was accomplished with young talents that were drafted by the Predators such as: Saros in net… Pontus Åberg, Kevin Fiala, Max Görtz, Vladislav Kamenev, and Félix Girard leading the charge up front at forward… and then Taylor Aronson on defense.
(Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
I am not saying that final point as a negative, because Aronson’s 2015-16 season with the Admirals in the AHL was a terrific one, but really give a good hard think about it. The Admirals, the Predators AHL affiliate, had one real legitimate drafted homegrown player pushing the bill for NHL playing time by the end of the season. Perhaps that was another circumstantial reason for why Aronson packed his bags, left the team, and signed for HC Lada in Russia’s KHL. Where did all the defensive depth go? If someone big in Nashville goes down due to injury, one of the top four defensemen, who is really going to legitimately step up from Milwaukee and fill that void for a long spell if called upon? The depth isn’t drafted depth, or long-term depth, it is relegated to signing mid-20 defensemen in the off-season with the hopes that their form can hold up or that they don’t regress or have to go up to Nashville in the event of an injury in the first place.
(Photo Credit: Todd Reicher)
There is a good reason the Predators drafted five defensemen with their eight draft picks in the 2016 NHL Draft. They need them. They don’t necessarily need them instantly but they need to know that their near-here defensive pipeline isn’t limited to Trevor Murphy, Jack Dougherty, Alexandre Carrier, and -for what it’s worth- Jonathan Diaby. Options are needed. Depth is needed. The prospects that the Predators have eyed up over the last many years that we are all experiencing and watching now are still really an aftershock of the Barry Trotz defensive-minded Predators where the need for a scorer was paramount. There are lots of those hanging around now or getting really to make impacts in the next few years. For example, we’re about to experience Justin Kirkland here in Milwaukee during the 2016-17 season. That out to be fun. As for the Admirals defense? It’s still rather bare. That will need to be fixed similarly to how it was last season -in free agency- through depth signings that are willing to take on two-way contracts.
Free agency is the short-term option when it comes to depth for NHL fringe players. As for the way the Predators drafted this weekend that is the long-term option where eventually a lot of these defensemen are going to be nestled into the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena playing Admirals hockey knocking on that first NHL opportunity… much like a good handful of forwards are doing right now. The two forwards that they drafted? They join that expansive forward pool that is only getting better. That Russian goaltender that was taken late with a sixth round pick? He either does tremendously well and joins the mix or prospects such as Saros, Gunnarsson, Juvonen, or Vejmelka simply edge him out as a matter of competition.
When it comes to a draft class such as this, with no real groundbreaking name talent selected, it isn’t a bad thing at all. When a lot of these players aren’t going to instantly join either Nashville (NHL), Milwaukee (AHL), or Cincinnati (ECHL) right away it isn’t a bad thing at all. As my pal Macho says, “the cream rises to the top.” When it comes to defensive prospects right now? There hasn’t been much cream. Thankfully that has been addressed. Now the real fun can begin.
BUFFALO, ON – Sep 23, 2015 : Ontario Junior Hockey League game action between Toronto and Newmarket at the Showcase, Adam Smith #4 of the Newmarket Hurricanes battles for control with Adam Deluca #19 of the Toronto Jr Canadiens during the second period. (Photo Credit: Andy Corneau // OJHL Images)
The Nashville Predators have selected defenseman Adam Smith with their final selection in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Smith turned 20-years old two weeks ago and split his 2015-16 season between the Newmarket Hurricanes (OJHL) and Bowling Green State University (NCAA). Between the two teams he amassed a combined 17 points (6 goals, 11 assists) in 54 games.
The Predators 2016 NHL Draft Class features eight selections and a total of five defensemen taken out of those eight draft picks. It was clear, heading into the draft, that the Predators needed to do some restocking in that position with recent draft years being focused more towards the offense. I say job done and it is going to be a fun time here in Milwaukee seeing which of these young defensemen end up really hitting an extra gear and making an NHL leap in the next few years.
This is Konstantin Volkov aka Константин Волков. (Photo Credit: SKA.ru)
The Nashville Predators have selected goaltender Konstantin Volkov with their sixth round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Volkov is an 18-year old Russian goaltender who is 6-3 in stature and has been playing between the top two flights of Russia’s junior hockey league (MHL). In the 2015-16 season he played 17 games for SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL) where he had a 2.33 goals against average and 0.902 save percentage. He also played in 6 games during the 2015-16 season for SKA-Varyagi Vsevolzhsk (MHL-B) where he had a 2.14 goals against average and a 0.925 save percentage. He is the first goaltender selected by the Predators in the 2016 NHL Draft and just the second European selected.
The Nashville Predators have selected center Patrick Harper with their fifth round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Harper will be turning 18-years old at the end of July and is expected to be joining Boston University this Fall. In 2015-16 Harper primarily played with Avon Old Farms School (USHS) where he produced 59 points (20 goals, 39 assists) in 27 games. He also played for Neponset Valley River Rats U-18 (MHSL U-18) where he scored 32 points (19 goals, 13 assists) in 13 games as well as participating in 9 games with the Omaha Lancers (USHL) where he scored 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) in 9 games. He is the second forward, and center, selected by the Predators in the 2016 NHL Draft through their first six selections.
There’s really not photos of Hardy Häman Aktell out there so here is this photograph of Skellefteå AIK’s rink. (Photo Credit: Tobias Lindgren)
The Nashville Predators have selected defenseman Hardy Häman Aktell with their fourth round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft.
Aktell is now the fourth defenseman selected by the Predators out of their first five draft selections in the 2016 NHL Draft. Aktell also happens to be the first non-North American selection but is coming from a place fairly familiar to the Predators organization by the name of Skellefteå AIK. Of note, Aktell has yet to play a game of senior level hockey with Skellefteå AIK. He has been going through their youth academy and last season surged from the Junior-18 program to the Junior-20 team. The bulk of his 2015-16 season was spent as part of the J-18 side.
The Nashville Predators have selected defenseman Frédéric Allard with their second of two selections in the third round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Notes via Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects:
A tenacious two-way defenceman that has a distinct willingness to do whatever it takes to keep his team up. Battles hard for puck possession and has a very good active stick. Not consistent enough to be relied upon in all situations, especially under high pressure, but is definitely getting there and his game is rounding out well at an accelerated pace. Possesses a hard, accurate shot and is creative with his passes. As such, his primary function as an offensive defenceman is to be played on the forecheck and in situations where pressure is sustained. All-in-all, a hard-nosed two-way defenceman that has the raw tools and the upward-trending tendencies that point to a positive development path.
Allard becomes the Predators third defenseman selected from their first four draft picks in the 2016 NHL Draft. Allard has been playing for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). The 18-year old defenseman is coming off of a 2015-16 season in which he scored 69 points (14 goals, 45 assists) in 64 games as well as 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in 6 playoff games.
Admirals Roundtable 