The Nashville Predators have selected center Rem Pitlick with the first of two selections in the third round of the 2016 NHL Draft. This draft pick comes courtesy of the Predators trading away the rights of wayward son Jimmy Vesey to the Buffalo Sabres.
Pitlick is a Minnesota native and product of the famed Shattuck St. Mary’s system. Last season he played for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and scored 89 points (46 goals, 43 assists) in 56 games. Pitlick is the first forward selected by the Predators in the 2016 NHL Draft and will be joining the University of Minnesota in the Fall.
The Nashville Predators have selected defenseman Samuel Girard with their second round selection in the 2016 NHL Draft. Following in the footsteps of yesterday‘s first round selection of Dante Fabbro the Predators have made it two-for-two in drafting defensemen.
Notes via Curtis Joe of Elite Prospects:
A flashy offensive defenceman who takes advantage of opportunities and is always looking to make an impact each shift. Works very hard and isn’t afraid to play the body. Skates with exceptional exuberance and fluidity. Accurate release on his shot and a good eye for open passing lanes. Proactive defensively and puts the pressure on the opposition. Needs to have a more active stick and a more felt presence in shooting lanes, but he has shown a willingness to learn, and these skills will develop. All-in-all, an exciting offensive defenceman who displays noteworthy offensive and defensive instincts.
Girard plays for the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and was named the 2016 QMJHL Defenseman of the Year and the 2016 CHL Sportsman of the Year. He scored 74 points (10 goals, 64 assists) in 67 games for Shawinigan last season as well as 22 points (2 goals, 20 assists) in 21 playoff games. You can read up on other insights on Girard here courtesy of Jeremy K. Gover on 102.5 The Game.
Dante Fabbro – Defenseman, 18th-ranked North American Skater, NHL Central Scouting. 6-0, 189 pounds – Penticton, BCHL. June 20, 1998 – Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada.
Named the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s Top Defenseman in 2015-16, leading all British Columbia Hockey League blueliners with 67 points in 45 games. Led defensemen in points per game (1.49) and finished second in both goals and assists to help Penticton finish with the BCHL’s top regular-season record.
Set up the gold medal-winning goal for Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge in 2015. Won gold with Canada at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Led all defensemen with eight assists at the 2016 Under-18 World Championship.
Dante Fabbro is a dependable two-way defenseman with high offensive upside. He plays with poise and makes mature, high-percentage decisions under pressure. In his own end, he is proactive with both his body and stick, and does everything right to interrupt passing lanes and win back possession. With the puck on his stick, he is mobile at an elite level and can direct plays like a quarterback. He possesses a hard and accurate release on his shot, that he gets off quickly and on-net. All-in-all, a complete defenseman that plays a refined game at both ends of the ice.
Fabbro only just turned 18-years old this past Monday. He will be joining Boston University in the Fall. When you look around at the current crop of Nashville Predators prospects there are plenty of forwards making waves in the prospect pool but the defensive depth is lacking. He might not impact the system immediately but he will impact the system effectively once he arrives.
Milwaukee, WI—The Milwaukee Admirals have signed defenseman Teddy Doherty to a American Hockey League Contract for the 2016-17 season.
This past season Doherty captained Boston College to the regular season Hockey East title and a berth in the Frozen Four. The Hopkinton, MA native led BC defenseman with 13 goals on the year and was second among team blueliners with 26 points, while posting a +17 rating and playing in all 40 games in four seasons at Boston College Doherty tallied 22 goals and 58 assists for 77 points in 144 games and helped the club to the NCAA tournament all four seasons and a pair of Frozen Four appearances.
The Admirals will open up the home portion of their 2016-17 season on Saturday October 29th at the UWM Panther Arena. The remainder of the schedule will be released later this summer.
Doherty is a 22-year old left-handed shooting defenseman who comes from two phenomenal hockey factories: Shattuck St. Mary’s and Boston College. Players who’ve come through the Shattuck St. Mary’s pipeline include Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, and Zach Parise. Following that experience he joined Boston College where he played in 144 games, scored 80 points (22 goals, 58 assists), and amassing 64 penalty minutes with a plus/minus rating of +52. He was team captain in the 2015-16 season and did make his pro debut at the ECHL level at the end of the season with the Missouri Mavericks.
One might make a quick assessment of this signing by looking at Doherty’s height, 5-9, and wondering if the Admirals are doubling up on a similar style defenseman in Trevor Murphy. They’re both small in size but skate well and have an eye for offense. If anything it is a really a nice depth signing with upside. It will bring into question a matter of speed versus strength, though. If you put Dogerty in the mix down the left, behind Murphy and Jimmy Oligny but over Jonathan Diaby, the Admirals don’t have a defenseman standing above 5-10. Size might not be everything but some variety does make a difference in my book.
Trevor Murphy looks like how we all feel right now. (Photo Credit: Scott Paulus)
Struggling through the off-season blues? Well, fear not. Some news should be on the near horizon. This week features the NHL Awards on Wednesday with the 2016 NHL Draft taking place on Friday and Saturday. Plenty of interesting things to come from the next week or so. Will the Nashville Predators be making any trades at the NHL Draft? Where should the go with their first round selection, forward or defenseman? And what remaining restricted or unrestricted free agents get left out in the cold?
Of note, I will be making my first trip to Nashville in a week’s time for the Nashville Predators Rookie Development Camp. Exact details of when I’ll be arriving are up in the air for now but I want to be there for the first day of on-ice activities. I suspect I’d be on my way out either on or right after the Fourth of July fun (might be worth checking out those festivities in that setting).
Announced last week were the official team names and logos for the new AHL affiliates of the Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers. The Springfield Falcons are no more as they will now be the Tucson Roadrunners. Thankfully fans in Springfield weren’t completely dumped, Portland Pirates, as their new AHL team courtesy of the Panthers will be the Springfield Thunderbirds.
I can’t say enough positive things about that Roadrunners logo. It’s fun. It’s paying homage to a previous iteration of Arizona based hockey (1967). Plus, their Twitter handle is replying to people with, “meep meep.” That’s a win. Also, as pointed out to me, it is also humerous to think that Roadrunners are trying to elevate themselves into being Coyotes. That organization needs to keep up with the Looney Tunes team names with an ECHL update to the Rapid City Rush… affiliation agreement pending that is.
As for the Thunderbirds. Don’t even get me started about how much I love that. The more Tracy Island and “F.A.B.” jokes the better, I say.
Of course, I suspect that another slight realignment is in order. My thought? Swap the Charlotte Checkers and former Springfield Falcons organization in terms of their Conference standing, relocate the Tucson Roadrunners to the Pacific Division so that those teams can play a full league schedule, and easy as you like – that’s it. Odds of that happening are probably slim. These are the same minds in suits that said the Pacific Division and points percentage make sense, after all.
~Former Admirals On The Move~
Italian League Champion Mark Van Guilder is leaving Ritten for Stavanger Oilers. Van Guilder’s new team competes in the top flight of Norway (GET-ligaen). Josh Shalla has signed for this year’s runners up for the ECHL Kelly Cup – the Wheeling Nailers. The odyssey, but all-around great guy, Charles-Olivier Roussel will be heading to France with Les Ducs d’Angers. The league Roussel will be competing in is Ligue Magnus which is the top flight of French professional hockey. Scott Valentine will be switching from one German club (Krefeld Pinguine) to another in the form of Augsburger Panther in their top flight (DEL). Mathieu Tousignant signed an extension to remain with Ravensburg Towerstars in Germany’s second flight.
This morning the Milwaukee Admirals and the Wisconsin Center District held a ceremonial ground breaking at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The event officially dropped the puck on the $6.3 million worth of upgrades and renovations due to be installed during the course of the Admirals lease that was announced in March. Construction starts on Monday via JP Cullen Construction with a goal for completion by October.
Press Release via Milwaukee Admirals:
Milwaukee, WI—Renovations and upgrades to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther Arena will begin this Monday, June 20th in anticipation of the 2016-17 Milwaukee Admirals season, their first at the arena since 1986-87.
The total cost of the project will be $6.3 million, of which $2 million will be provided by the Admirals and the remainder paid for by the Wisconsin Center District, who operates the Panther Arena as well as the Milwaukee Theatre and the Wisconsin Center.
“We are excited to get the renovations and improvements underway here at the Panther Arena,” said Admirals Governor and CEO Harris Turer. “The facilities that will be created for players will be NHL-caliber and combined with the intimacy and fan-friendly atmosphere of the Arena, we will have a tremendous home ice advantage.”
The keystone project to the renovations will be the addition of a new locker room for the Admirals, as well as a new locker room that will be used by the Milwaukee Wave Soccer team and visiting hockey and basketball teams. Here is a complete list of projects to be completed this summer:
Ø New Admirals Locker Room
Ø New Wave/Visiting Hockey/Basketball Locker room
Ø Commissary Kitchen Upgrades
Ø Seat Replacement Phase 3 (Replacement of remaining blue seats)
Ø Replace Existing Sport Lights and Work Lights with LEDs
Ø Install WiFi Access Points in Arena Bowl
Ø Purchase New Dasherboards with Optimized Acrylic
Ø Purchase Retractable North Risers and Rink Side Risers
Ø Purchase Necessary Equipment for Hockey
Ø Upgrade South Upper and North Box Offices & Will Call Room
Ø Team Store Expansion
Ø Convert Police Room to 1st Aid Room
Ø Kitchen & Concession Upgrades
Ø Elevator Refurbish Ceiling and Floor
Ø Concourse & Restroom Upgrades
Ø Renovate Ticket Lobby & Concourse Floors
Ø Arena Roof
Ø Upgrade Media Room
Ø Painting Upgrades
“The UW Milwaukee Panther Arena is home to the best variety of sports and entertainment events in Milwaukee,” said Russ Staerkel, President of the Wisconsin Center District. “Facility investments including free WiFi, new seats, and expanded concessions will solidify our place as the best fan experience as well.”
JP Cullen Construction, which is based out of Janesville, will oversee the projects which are scheduled to be completed this fall in advance of the Admirals home opener on October 29th. In business since 1892, JP Cullen is a $380 million full-service pre-construction and construction company with 600 employees, managing projects from $1,000 to over $80 million in size, including the Camp Randall Student Athlete Performance Center at the University of Wisconsin and the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences building.
Shown at this morning’s press conference were details of the new Milwaukee Admirals locker room which included a rendering of how it will look. For those who may have entered the player locker room during a season ticket holder event you would immediately spot the changes.
(Photo Credit: Milwaukee Admirals)
The locker room will no longer have a “road” atmosphere look about it. Rather than being squared off, pushing players far apart, it will instead be rounded to keep the team nestled together just as many teams at the NHL level have. The area in which the Admirals will be calling home is also fairly expansive.
(Photo Credit: Milwaukee Wave // Facebook)
Additionally, there will be renovations and an expansion of the Milwaukee Admirals team store as well as upgrades made to additional locker rooms in the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena for youth, high school, college, and adult hockey teams.
LED lighting is going to be introduced to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. If utilized in the capacity I’ve seen with some NHL teams around the league I feel Wisconsin Center District President Russ Staerkel’s comment of, “the first hockey match we have here I will want you to be here,” has me all the more giddy. Staerkel also made mention that concessions at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena will also be getting upgraded. There will be new food items made available around the concourse so options aren’t limited to a choice of hot dog or hot dog. The goal with upgrades outside of the locker room are aimed at making the fan experience second to none.
Thoughts on the upcoming renovations and upgrades to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena? When was the last time you attended an event in that building? Are there any questions, comments, or concerns that you might have in regards to the current state of the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena that you would like asked? The plan today was for a Chatterbox. Due to car trouble that couldn’t be done -but- perhaps the silver lining could be presenting your questions to the higher-ups of the Admirals. So, please, ask questions if you have them!
The Nashville Predators have just announced that they have re-signed goaltender Marek Mazanec to a new one-year, two-way contract to keep him in the organization through the 2016-17 season. Mazanec has spent the past three seasons in the Predators organization and has logged 118 career games with the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL.
Nashville, Tenn. (June 13, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed goaltender Marek Mazanec (MAIR-ehk muh-ZAN-ehk) to a one-year, two-way contract worth $575,000 at the NHL level and $100,000 at the AHL level for the 2016-17 season.
Mazanec, 24 (7/18/91), tied for 12th among AHL netminders in goals-against average (2.45), tied for 14th in wins (19) and tied for sixth in shutouts (4) with Milwaukee during the 2015-16 campaign, his third season in North America. In 27 career NHL contests since 2013-14, the 6-4, 202-pound native of Pisek, Czech Republic has posted an 8-11-4 record with a 2.77 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage and two shutouts in 27 appearances. Mazanec played the fifth-most minutes of any rookie NHL goaltender (1,369:32) in 2013-14, appearing in 25 contests for the Predators and being named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for November 2013 after going 5-4-1 with two shutouts, a 2.00 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.
In his final season in the Czech League in 2012-13, Nashville’s ninth choice, 179th overall (sixth round), in the 2012 Entry Draft led Plzen to its first title by stopping 48-of-51 shots in a Game Seven double-OT victory in the league final. He ranked fourth in 2013 playoff goals-against average (2.13) and sixth in save percentage (.932), in addition to tying for second in shutouts (2). During the 2012-13 regular season, Mazanec ranked sixth in the Czech Extraliga in goals-against average (2.49).
Despite not logging a game in the NHL this past season I would go on record by stating that the 2015-16 campaign from Mazanec was his best since arriving in North America. In the past, there would be moments, stretches, or spurts where it would seem as if Mazanec was a deer caught in headlights. There was no such occurrence of that with Mazanec this season and his numbers reflect that: 39 appearances (38 starts), 19-15-5-2 record, 2.45 goals against average, 0.912 save percentage, and 4 shutouts. If not for the last game of the regular season, where he was hung out to dry in Rockford, he would have set career bests for himself in goals against average and save percentage. Additionally, his shootout numbers greatly improved going from a 0.565 shootout percentage (10 shootout goals allowed) to a 0.800 shootout percentage (3 shootout goals allowed).
What’s interesting about this signing is that it doesn’t quite signal the end of Carter Hutton‘s tenure with the Predators organization just yet. This deal for Mazanec is 100% identical to that of last season when he re-signed to a one-year, two-way contract for the same amount of money. It isn’t to say Mazanec won’t be in the running to back-up Pekka Rinne. He will be. It just doesn’t mean he is an immediate lock for the job.
The goaltending group is right now could be set organization-wide with Rinne and Mazanec in Nashville, Juuse Saros and Jonas Gunnarsson in Milwaukee, and Brandon Whitney in Cincinnati. This could all be given an extra curveball should Hutton come back into the picture or if the back-up role to Rinne is a two horse race between last year’s goaltending duo in Milwaukee.
Welcome to a work week which will not feature hockey. I know, it is a very sad thing to think about. Back on Thursday night the Allen Americans won the Kelly Cup for a second consecutive season. Saturday night saw the Lake Erie Monsters win the Calder Cup in sweeping style. And last night the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup to finish off the 2015-16 season of pro hockey in North America.
~Calder Cup Champions~
When I was into full-on numbers crunching to determine when the Milwaukee Admirals could clinch the Central Division title I completely overlooked the Lake Erie Monsters in my calculations. I had the Grand Rapids Griffins and Rockford IceHogs on the brain. Makes sense given their successes during the season but that entire time the Monsters were building for a run. And what a run.
The Monsters road to Calder Cup glory saw the following: a first round sweep of the Rockford IceHogs, a six-game series against the Grand Rapids Griffins, a sweep of the defending Calder Cup champions the Ontario Reign in the Western Conference Finals, and a sweep of the Hershey Bears to win the Calder Cup.
It’s an overall playoff run of 15-2 with the only team to earn wins against the Monsters being the team that eliminated the Admirals in the opening round. The Griffins won back-to-back games while facing elimination after the Monsters jumped out to a 3-0 series lead. The Griffins won 5-4 at home in Game 4 and -shockingly- 6-1 in Cleveland in Game 5. The Monsters wouldn’t lose again. That final hot run of the Monsters, from the regular season to the finish line, was a record of 27-5-1-0 in their last 33 games of the 2015-16 season.
Where do this year’s Calder Cup champion Lake Erie Monsters rank among past winners? Let’s just look at the records and a few stats of the Calder Cup winners in the past ten-years.
2006, Hershey Bears: 21 games… 16-5 record… goal differential of +37 (84 GF, 47 GA)… 21.0 power play percentage (34/162)… 83.8 penalty killing percentage (124/148)… 428 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Tomas Fleischmann, 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists)… Top Goalie: Frédéric Cassivi, 21 games, 2.10 goals against average, 0.931 save percentage, 4 shutouts…
2007, Hamilton Bulldogs: 22 games… 16-6 record… goal differential of +23 (69 GF, 46 GA)… 15.4 power play percentage (20/130)… 86.9 penalty killing percentage (113/130)… 375 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Corey Locke, 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists)… Top Goalie: Carey Price, 22 games, 2.06 goals against average, 0.936 save percentage, 2 shutouts…
2008, Chicago Wolves: 24 games… 16-8 record… goal differential of +23 (80 GF, 57 GA)… 24.3 power play percentage (34/140)… 83.7 penalty killing percentage (118/141)… 514 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Jason Krog, 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists)… Top Goalie: Ondrej Pavelec, 24 games, 2.34 goals against average, 0.921 save percentage, 2 shutouts…
2009, Hershey Bears: 22 games… 16-6 record… goal differential of +22 (69 GF, 47 GA)… 21.6 power play percentage (24/111)… 80.4 penalty killing percentage (82/102)… 288 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Alexandre Giroux, 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists)… Top Goalie: Michal Neuvirth, 22 games, 1.92 goals against average, 0.932 save percentage, 4 shutouts…
2010, Hershey Bears: 21 games… 16-5 record… goal differential of +24 (75 GF, 51 GA)… 22.3 power play percentage (21/94)… 82.2 penalty killing percentage (74/90)… 302 penalty minutes… Top Scorer(s): Alexandre Giroux, 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists)… Chris Bourque, 27 points (7 goals, 20 assists)… Top Goalie: Michal Neuvirth, 18 games, 2.07 goals against average, 0.920 save percentage, 1 shutout…
2011, Binghamton Senators: 23 games… 16-7 record… goal differential of +22 (81 GF, 59 GA)… 22.0 power play percentage (24/109)… 83.0 penalty killing percentage (73/88)… 231 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Ryan Potulny, 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists)… Top Goalie: Robin Lehner, 19 games, 2.10 goals against average, 0.939 save percentage, 3 shutouts…
2012, Norfolk Admirals: 18 games… 15-3 record… goal differential of +29 (59 GF, 30 GA)… 12.6 power play percentage (13/103)… 93.3 penalty killing percentage (97/104)… 353 penalty minutes… Top Scorer(s): Alexandre Picard, 16 points (9 goals, 7 assists)… Trevor Smith, 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists)… Top Goalie: Dustin Tokarski, 14 games, 1.46 goals against average, 0.944 save percentage, 3 shutouts…
2013, Grand Rapids Griffins: 24 games… 15-9 record… goal differential of +19 (80 GF, 61 GA)… 19.8 power play percentage (20/101)… 87.0 penalty killing percentage (94/108)… 350 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Tomas Tatar, 21 points (16 goals, 5 assists)… Top Goalie: Petr Mrázek, 24 games, 2.31 goals against average, 0.916 save percentage, 4 shutouts…
2014, Texas Stars: 21 games… 15-6 record… goal differential of +19 (70 GF, 51 GA)… 15.9 power play percentage (14/88)… 84.9 penalty killing percentage (62/73)… 217 penalty minutes… Top Scorer: Travis Morin, 22 points (9 goals, 13 assists)… Top Goalie: Cristopher Nilstorp, 19 games, 2.17 goals against average, 0.919 save percentage, 1 shutout…
2015, Manchester Monarchs: 19 games… 15-4 record… goal differential of +23 (68 GF, 45 GA)… 17.1 power play percentage (12/70)… 79.4 penalty killing percentage (54/68)… 188 penalty minutes… Top Scorer(s): Michael Mersch, 22 points (13 goals, 9 assists)… Jordan Weal, 22 points (10 goals, 22 assists)… Top Goalie: Jean-François Bérubé, 17 games, 2.30 goals against average, 0.898 save percentage, 0 shutouts…
2016, Lake Erie Monsters: 17 games… 15-2 record… goal differential of +21 (59 GF, 38 GA)… 24.2 power play percentage (15/62)… 84.7 penalty killing percentage (50/59)… 165 penalty minutes… Top Scorer(s): Oliver Bjorkstrand, 16 points (10 goals, 6 assists)… Lukas Sedlak, 16 points (9 goals, 7 assists)… Top Goalie: Anton Forsberg, 10 games, 1.34 goals against average, 0.949 save percentage, 2 shutouts…
Would you rate this year’s Lake Erie Monsters as the best Calder Cup winning team in recent memory? I have to say, I felt as if that 2013-2014 Texas Stars team was explosive but didn’t necessarily have the dominating playoff run that went down this year by Lake Erie.
An end note. This season attendance in the AHL has done phenomenally well. Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals saw a crowd of 19,665 fans fill the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland to watch the Monsters clinch on home ice. For perspective, the NBA Finals are going on at the moment at that exact same building and LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers brought in 20,562 fans for their Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors. That’s the AHL Calder Cup Finals battling it out with the NBA Finals strongly. What an awesome turnout in Cleveland. And it put a great final stamp to the 2015-16 AHL season as it was the first season in league history to average 6,000 fans in attendance for the regular season and playoffs.
Prior to the weekend I thought it would be fun to get another Admirals Roundtable “Mailbag” going to get some early off-season thoughts thrown out there and discussed. I had a few responses yesterday. I’d be happy to add even more today if you want to join in the discussion. Here are your questions from yesterday with my take.
~Mailbag~
Brett Sharp (via Facebook): If Cody Bass stays in Milwaukee and Colton Sissons stays up in Nashville do you think Bass will get the “C” for this season?
Admirals Roundtable: There are two factors for that to happen. One, Bass actually beginning his season with the Milwaukee. Two, the Milwaukee Admirals locker room votes for their captains ahead of the season so he would need to win the vote. I feel like if he does start the season at the AHL level he would be a perfect candidate for a captain. He is a leader off the ice. Does great things on the ice. You really could not go wrong by having Bass wear the “C” and this past season showed why it shouldn’t be viewed as a negative to wear that at the AHL with thoughts it might hinder NHL opportunities. It doesn’t. Nashville liked what they got out of Sissons and are expecting him to take part next season. I think Bass won over coaches up top for what he brings to the table and, as a low line veteran worker, he won’t play shoot yourself in the foot hockey. That was a high quality depth signing to keep him in the picture between Nashville and Milwaukee over the next two-seasons. He can captain the Admirals and contribute here and there for the Predators when called upon to do so.
Noah Faerber (@PredatorsFan2): How do you think moving to a new arena will affect the Admirals for next season? Will it help them or will it hurt them?
AR: I don’t mean for this to come off wrong but I don’t think it matters. A rink is a rink at the end of the day. That said, for the returning faces and coaches, the new locker room will need to start feeling a bit more like home. It is your cooldown, work out, and let your guard down center after all. Beyond that, the lower ceiling and more intimate setting of playing hockey in the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena should only elevate the noise levels that Admirals fans are capable of and make games feel bigger than in the past. It won’t really impact the players hugely but it might create a fun buzz amongst the fans to play a bigger part in establishing home ice advantage. There won’t be an empty upper tank anymore. Where that was the roof has been lowered. I can’t wait to hear what a goal will sound like with our fans roaring at max capacity in that barn.
Robin (@wannabe21): With all the players going overseas, what do you think the Preds need to do to stock the admirals with quality players?
AR: Same ol’ same ol’ I’d imagine. The prospect pipeline has a beginning and an end point. As some exit others enter. We’re due for some exciting first-year players in Milwaukee next season with Justin Kirkland, Anthony Richard, Alexandre Carrier, and Jack Dougherty. Plus, who knows where the next “out of nowhere” stories come from? Frédérick Gaudreau and Jimmy Oligny were undrafted free agent signings of the Admirals. Adam Payerl was a pre-season roster invitee out of the Cincinnati Cyclones after he signed an ECHL contract with them. Matt White was brought in early last season on a PTO from the Manchester Monarchs (ECHL). More than in the past I feel very confident in how the Admirals roster gets filled with talent. Some names do come and go, sure, but that’s the AHL for you. It’s replacing them that is the tricky part and lately that has been nicely done from the likes of David Poile and Paul Fenton.
Cutler Klein (@CutlerKlein): In your professional opinion, do Frédérick Gaudreau and Jimmy Oligny have a shot at the Preds roster out of camp?
AR: They don’t, especially Oligny because he isn’t signed to any sort of a contract through the Nashville Predators. The next time I see Poile there might be a moment where I implore him to change that. I do think all members of the French Fries start their season in Milwaukee but I do think that Gaudreau being brought up as a member of the Black Aces at season’s end wasn’t a simple pat on the back by Nashville. I think they wanted to see just what all the fuss is about up close. The guy works tremendously hard and made a quantum leap forward in 2015-16. Should he play as well or better this coming season he would be a great call-up candidate in the event of an injury at center or wing because of how defensively responsible he is. I’d say the same for fellow French Fry Félix Girard. That trio, which will be expanding this year with the incoming Québec natives, isn’t just popular for how they are away from the rink. They’re great playing in it. I’d love to see all three get NHL action next season. They would all perform well in a lower line capacity.
Jonathan Nowicki (@frontrowjon): With [Austin Watson]’s departure almost a for sure and other vets in NSH being cleared for youth what is our MKE roster looking like? If they win Saturday is this year’s LE team the best team we’ve seen in the West in years. Sweeping Hershey isn’t easy.
AR: I don’t see a Watson departure. If anything this season, now that Eric Nystrom and Paul Gaustad are on the out, should be all systems go to let Watson off a leash and go. He’s just experienced a full NHL season and has probably all kinds of feedback on what is needed for him to be a more consistent and reliable NHL player. That’s what his off-season should be all about and I want to see him get a strong run out in the Fall. As for those gosh darned Lake Erie Monsters… who saw this coming? They were a good group, yes, but I could never have imagined a playoff run the likes of which they’ve had. Let me update what I said last Ramblings: When you dip back into the regular season the Monsters have gone 26-5-1-0 in their last 32 games played. They are 14-2 in the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs having faced the Rockford IceHogs, Grand Rapids Griffins, Ontario Reign, and Hershey Bears. I thought that the 2013-14 Texas Stars were good but they lost 6 games en route to their Cup win. This has been beyond belief for the Monsters. It really has been.
Brandon Marshall (@BrandoWriter): Your prediction for most surprising player to NOT play for Nashville on opening night.
AR: As soon as I saw this question I said, “That’s an easy one.” Because of that I don’t know whether or not saying Kevin Fiala starting the 2016-17 season with the Milwaukee Admirals will really surprise that many people but I think he does. It isn’t a knock against his ability, his behavior, or his maturity. I just feel like if you want to play Fiala in Nashville at the start of the season you need to place him in a role that brings out the best of him. Him in a bottom-six capacity isn’t going to cut it for right now. So, be patient, and let him keep getting sharper and more well-rounded in Milwaukee. It’s not a bad thing. In fact, using the experiences of last pre-season camp, I bet Fiala enters way more relaxed and takes all that comes in his stride. Not making the team last yer hurt him. I think he enjoys pre-season camp more this season, has a better showing, but gets told to keep it up in the AHL and be ready.
On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck): If NBC greenlit a sitcom about Juuse Saros, what would the theme music be and who would play Saros? Dean Evason?
AR: Sweet mercy is this question the stuff of legend. First of all, the part of Evason would be played by Stephen Lang. I’m torn between those two but either would be a great pick. After using the CelebsLikeMe website the title role of “Little Bear” Saros would be played by Dylan O’Brien. I think the resemblance is uncanny. And as for that theme song? It already exists with the show title. We just need someone to film Saros trekking through the locker room and rink like that.
Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro): You and 4 AHL-related people (media members, officials, coaches, etc..) head to bar. Who are they and who buys first round?
AR: Let’s make this a very un-hypothetical situation because this generally happens after home games. My people would be Theresea Taylor, Sam Sirna, Dave Boehler (Did you guys know he has a blog?), and -recent entry for this season- Kristen Wooten. Now, anyone of us would be willing to buy a round but I guarantee you -without hesitation- the man to offer up first would be Dave because that’s how great that guy is. Always tends to offer up first.
Don’t adjust your eyes when reading the headline. Max Reinhart will be joining Corey Potter at Kölner Haie of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Reinhart has officially signed a one-year deal that will have him playing his first season of European hockey in 2016-17.
It wasn’t that long ago when the Potter news struck. That could kind of be seen coming but this one was a question mark once the season ended. Reinhart, despite the lack of NHL playing time, just stamped down one of his best pro playing season of his career. He logged a career best 73 games at the AHL level as well as a career best 23 goals and plus/minus rating of +16. The games that he missed weren’t due to injury, either. He was sent home to clear his head after being upset with a lack of NHL opportunities. He returned, conducted himself like a professional, continued to wear an “A” on the front of his jersey that his teammates voted for him to wear, and finished a solid season for himself.
At 24-years of age Reinhart leaves the North American game behind temporarily. If he were to follow-up what he did in 2015-16 as a member of the Milwaukee Admirals in the Europe scene for a few years I don’t see why his path to an NHL career would be disrupted. It may be a slightly different story but Derek Ryan out of the Carolina Hurricanes organization this past season comes to mind as someone that can come back and get NHL playing time after such a long time away from North America. Ryan is 29-years old and spent his pro playing career in Austria and Sweden after a junior and collegiate playing career. Reinhart should do very well overseas. I can see him transitioning away from the DEL to a more competitive European league such as Russia, Finland, or Sweden off of the 2016-17 season before potentially coming back towards the NHL and AHL scene.
Admirals Roundtable 