Chatterbox, Scouting March 20, 2016

Chatterbox, Vol. 121

First things first, this edition of Chatterbox will be your “Jack of all trades” to recap last night and prep you for this afternoon’s contest on the road against the Chicago Wolves.

In the recap department, the Admirals 6-2 win over the Charlotte Checkers was a real feel good performance for the team. I say that because it could have well gone drastically different. After such a one-sided first period where the Admirals generated three power-play chances, out-shot the Checkers 14-5, and had numerous other shots aimed for damage get blocked – they still ended the period scoreless. Worse, the Checkers came out of the first intermission and scored in the opening minute of the second period. That could have been a punch in the gut or a “it’s going to be one of those games” sort of moments. But, thankfully, it wasn’t.

I think a big credit should be given to the Admirals for sticking to the program and doing what they did in the first period until they got the breakthrough that they needed to open the floodgates. The Admirals weren’t doing anything wrong. The Checkers defensively were just doing an incredible job selling the body, blocking shots, and allowing for good sight-lines for John Muse to make relaxed saves in net. The pressure was mounting, it was forcing the Checkers to get sloppy in their own zone detail wise as well as to take some bad penalties, and the Admirals first goal of the night seemed to finally lessen some of the stress levels to their game. If not that first goal – the power-play goal that followed it 2:43 of ice-time after it certainly did. From there the momentum that was brewing was finally unleashed and it lead to a quick goal out of the second intermission and a fourth successive goal not too far after that. The following damage that was done was just a welcome sight to see the team operate so strongly in attack at even strength.

~Chatterbox~

After last night’s game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as Matt White, Max Görtz, Eric Nystrom, and Kevin Fiala. I also was able to speak with the President of the Admirals Jon Greenberg prior to the game and he was very kind to speak at great length about the move to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. This was all the chatter from around the rink yesterday.

~Scouting the Enemy~

Before even making Amtrak Rivalry shrapnel jokes I feel like it’s worth looking at the Admirals themselves. The Admirals record now stands at 39-20-3-1 (82 points). That is more points than the Admirals hauled in all of last season and there are still twelve-games remaining in the schedule. With the Rockford IceHogs going on a bit of a cold stretch as of late it has the Admirals 0.641 points percentage up into second place of the Central Division and third place in the Western Conference standings. Those division leading Grand Rapids Griffins though? They’re still rolling on a now thirteen-game winning streak.

The Chicago Wolves enter today’s game with a record of 28-28-5-3 (64 points). Their 0.500 points percentage has them seated sixth in the Central Division and twelfth in the Western Conference standings.

In the Wolves last ten-games they’ve been on a run of 4-3-2-1 (11 points). As their overall points percentage suggests – that’s nothing too special. Allow me to counter that by directing you to what the Wolves have accomplished in their last two games as they beat the IceHogs 4-1 in Chicago and then 4-3 in overtime last night in Rockford. Needless to say that is impressive – especially given the IceHogs were still the aggressors. The man in the spotlight there to bail the Wolves out was Jordan Binnington who started both games and stopped 66/70 shots on goal for a 0.943 save percentage in those contests.

It’s in saying exactly that where you get a sense for where this game might possibly be won or dictated all within the opening period of today’s game. The Wolves, like the Admirals, are at the end of a three-in-three weekend. The Wolves, unlike the Admirals, were the ones playing high stress defensive minded hockey and did so while also having to bus back and forth between games. It doesn’t sound like much but it takes a toll. The Admirals are fresh off of a game that was a freeing experience to the one Friday night was. The offense exploded. And the Wolves might be dreading the snowball effect that they could have felt they dodged last night finally rolling them over – finding them again today wearing an Admirals uniform instead.

The start of this afternoon’s game should provide a lot of answers as to: (1) Are the Admirals still in goal frenzy mode? (2) Are the Wolves going to be able to match the work-rate of the Admirals? I don’t feel as if the Wolves provide anywhere near the level of defensive quality that the Admirals just battled through with the Checkers blocking so many shots. If anything, it may have opened the team’s eyes as to how to better manage their offensive zone time and generate offense by way of cycling to open up areas of the ice due to defensive misalignment or draw penalties and attack on the power-play. The Wolves are 3-5-1-1 against the Admirals this season. What do they have left in the gas tank to do what the Checkers couldn’t last night?

Comments on the comments from last night? What impressed you the most in rehards to the improvements made by the Milwaukee Admirals from Friday to Saturday’s game against the Charlotte Checkers? Will the Admirals offense of last night be packing the same level of heat today in Chicago at the end of this three-in-three weekend?

Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.

Game Recaps March 19, 2016March 20, 2016

Pushing The Pace; Admirals Win 6-2

The Milwaukee Admirals won 6-2 against the Charlotte Checkers Saturday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Tonight’s meeting between the Admirals and Checkers wasn’t at all like the struggle that last night. Instead, the Admirals offense unloaded thirty-nine of shots on goal and went on a string of scoring four unanswered goals to leap back into the win column tonight.

“Certainly, we’ve talked about five-on-five not having the success as of late,” said Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason after the game. “Fortunate our [power-play] got a real big goal there as well. Penalty kill was good again. Hopefully that gives our group confidence that we can score five-on-five and, if we do the right things – which we thought we did, that we’ll get rewarded for it.”

Similar to last night’s game the opening goal wouldn’t come until the second period. Unlike last night’s game it came the way of the enemy in red. A rapid-fire start for the Checkers gave them a two-on-one rush and goal just fifty-eight seconds into the second period. Ethan Werek passed over to Checkers top scorer and team captain Derek Ryan who snapped a one-timer off from the left wing and past Juuse Saros for his nineteenth goal of the season.

In the final four-minutes of the second period the Admirals finally found rewards for all their attacking pressure. Kevin Fiala made a strong drive from the left wing wall, caught John Muse getting low with his paddle down early, and snapped a shot off his back and in for his fifteenth goal of the season.

“I mean, a goal is a goal,” smiled Kevin Fiala. “It counts but it was not beautiful. Not every goal is beautiful but it was important I think. To score 1-1 is very important to get us going.”

The Admirals needed 2:43 of ice time to tack-on to Fiala’s tally and take the lead. Kyle Hagel was called for tripping to get the Admirals on their fourth power-play of the night. This set the stage for Max Görtz to whip a wrister from the top of the left wing face-off circle and score his fourteenth goal of the season. The shot by Görtz appeared to take a glancing touch off of Keegan Lowe’s stick and sent it fluttering up and over the blocker of Muse into the roof of the net.

The Checkers scored in the opening minute of the second period. The Admirals decided to mirror that and score their third unanswered goal to start the third period. Stefan Elliott threw a puck to the net where Eric Nystrom was battling for the front of the crease with Mike Cornell. The puck deflected off the traffic in front of Muse and Nystrom was credited with the deflection for his first goal in the AHL since 2/17/08 when he scored twice as a member of the Quad City Flames.

Following the goal the Checkers decided to yank Muse from net in favor of Daniel Altshuller. It may have been a harsh move against Muse but his night ended with him stopping 23/26 shots on goal.

Altshuller was given a rather quick introduction to the game. The Admirals continued to pour pressure on offense and then came the fourth unanswered goal. Patrick Mullen blistered a head hunter of a shot from the point and Matt White caught a piece of the puck as it whistled past with his stick. The puck flew in and there were immediate calls for that deflection by White to have been played with a high stick. The referees talked it out and decided against it. The goal counted and counted as White’s eighth of the season.

The run for the Admirals finally came to a halt when Checkers captain Ryan scored his second of the night. Werek’s initial shot on Saros appeared to be saved but the puck had enough juice on it to keep motoring behind the Finnish netminder and fall into the crease. Ryan continued his drive to the net and was rewarded with his twentieth goal of the season.

The Admirals would re-establish their three-goal lead once again and do so off of an incredible piece of skill by White. The Admirals forward dangled from the right wing, across the slot, dodging stick-checks, and bending a wrist shot against the grain and through Altshuller for his second goal of the game and ninth of the season.

“I wanted to pass it to [Adam Payerl],” commented Matt White of the goal. “He made a nice play at the blueline so I kind of wanted to return the favor. But I just tried to make a move, the goalie was sliding over, just tried to hit the net, and it went in.”

For good measure the Admirals smacked in one more goal and it would be a second tally for Görtz. The Swede fought off a defender, nearly fell down while doing so, but regained his balance to unload a wrister to the near post from the left wing face-off circle that smoked past Altshuller for Görtz’s fifteenth goal of the season.

“We actually reinforced after the game that if we get pucks deep and we cycle and get that part of our game in order – we’re going to score goals,” said Evason. “Because we have enough skill level once we get the puck in their zone to the middle of the ice but, a lot of times, we take it to the middle too quickly and then look for that opportunity. That’s where the blocks come in. If we can cycle, get people out of their position defensively, and then bring it to that core area we feel we are going to have a chance to have success.”

Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals played last night there were no roster moves made throughout the organization. Tonight’s line combinations were: Reinhart-Gaudreau-Åberg, Fiala-Kamenev-Payerl, Nystrom-Bass-Bourque, White-Girard-Görtz, Oligny-Potter, Elliott-Mullen, Murphy-Aronson. Tonight’s scratches tonight were: Kristian Näkyvä (healthy), Jamie Devane (healthy), Cody Hodgson (upper body), Joe Pendenza (healthy), and Johan Alm (lower body).

Thoughts on tonight’s game? Was this a return to form for the Milwaukee Admirals offense? How does a game like this bode for tomorrow’s game in Chicago?

Chatterbox March 19, 2016

Chatterbox, Vol. 120

As always, I really like to let games such as last night digest for myself before spitting out a take on the game. The Milwaukee Admirals lost 2-1 in a shootout to the Charlotte Checkers. It was a game that they led until 5:10 remaining but a 1-0 lead isn’t something I would consider all that comfortable. The Checkers force overtime, they had the best chance of the overtime period, and the Admirals heavy hitters in the shootout weren’t able to get a breakthrough. If any of the Admirals go-to guys in the shootout deliver that game was yet another shootout win. It didn’t happen. The Checkers won in the fourth round of the shootout and the Admirals left a point on the table.

The simple question I asked myself on the drive home last night was this: was that a bad game by the Admirals?

Again, this is why I digest these games before generally writing Chatterbox because, if asked right after that game, I probably say the Checkers just won that game more than the Admirals lost the game. Was it bad? No. I felt the Admirals had yet another great effort in net by Marek Mazanec. Players such as Pontus Åberg, Kevin Fiala, and Gabriel Bourque played with a great spark. John Muse just matched the performance down at the opposite end of the rink last night. There were rarely second or third chance opportunities off of either goaltender last night and that’s a credit to Mazanec and Muse handling rebounds and freezes so well.

If there were any area of concern attached to the Admirals performance last night it’s the offense. The scoreline through regulation sort of says enough but it also isn’t actually something all that new for the Admirals to have the offense struggling. In the Admirals last ten-games they have gone 5-4-0-1. In their last six-games they have traded wins and losses. Those last ten-games the Admirals have posted 30 shots on goal through three periods of regulation just three times. The forwards are being tied up and the defensemen have been the ones delivering lots of shots to the net which goaltenders are dealing with – with ease. A bit more has to be done from a creative standpoint for the Admirals than to simply take those wide perimeter level shots.

Was it a bad game by the Admirals? No. The Admirals are still going through a bit of a lull, taking a step forward – step back – forward – then back, but the Admirals are still better than eleven other teams in the Western Conference. The Admirals now have 80 points on the season. The Admirals had 81 points all of last season. The Admirals lull this season isn’t too bad in perspective. All they really need is what they get today in the form of a chance to deliver a better, out and out, sixty minutes of hockey.

~Chatterbox~

After last night’s game I had the chance to speak with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Dean Evason as well as forwards Pontus Åberg and Eric Nystrom. This is what they had to say after the game.

Comments on the comments? What are you looking for the Admirals offense to get done tonight that didn’t go right last night? What changes must be made overnight?

Game Recaps March 18, 2016March 19, 2016

Just Short; Admirals Lose 2-1 in Shootout

The Milwaukee Admirals lost 2-1 in a shootout against the Charlotte Checkers Friday night at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

This was the first shootout loss for the Admirals from eight shootout games on the season. It also marked the first loss for the Admirals after leading the game through two periods of play. Previously the team was 27-0-0-0 until tonight’s shootout loss.

It wouldn’t be until the second period when the game had its opening goal. Corey Potter snapped a stretch pass from deep in the Admirals defensive zone that bounced around Frédérick Gaudreau and Dennis Robertson. The two went to swat the puck at the same time and the path the puck chose to go was fortunate for the Admirals as it went directly into the path of an on-rushing Pontus Åberg. The speed that the Swede was carrying while Mike Cornell was caught puck watching left only John Muse in net to beat – and beat him he did. Åberg slammed on the breaks and flipped forehand to score his eighteenth goal of the season.

The AHL isn’t immune to some bizarre moments but what happened as soon as the second period came to an end has to stack up there as the wackiest moment of the 2015-16 season. The horn sounded, the Admirals left for the locker room, but the Checkers remained with their coaching staff seemingly upset. After a lengthy delay the announcement was made that they were using their challenge to see whether or not they had scored a goal with two-minutes remaining in the period. The Admirals coaching staff walked back out of the locker room to see what was what. The only players of the Admirals that stayed present through all of the delay were Marek Mazanec and Juuse Saros and all members of the Checkers stayed on their bench. The call came in and it was announced as, “no goal.” This delayed the start of the second intermission for a good amount of time but, hey, that was extra recovery time for the Admirals who were already in cooldown mode in the locker room as this challenge from the Checkers came and went with them losing and losing their timeout.

The third period was close to providing yet another dazzling goal from Åberg but instead left the game level with 5:10 remaining. Åberg cut through several members of the Checkers but Muse was able to fend off his shot this time. On the following counter rush from the Checkers they finally put a puck past Mazanec to end the shutout streak of the Admirals over the Checkers that lasted 115:40 of ice time over the course of three-games. Jake Chelios delivered a snapshot from the high slot that missed the sliding block attempt of Patrick Mullen and flew over the top of Mazanec’s gloves for the defenseman’s sixth goal of the season.

This game would be pushed into overtime and it was there that saw an incredible amount of nearly-almost moments. Derek Ryan whipped a backhander that beat Mazanec and banked off the crossbar, into the path of Keegan Lowe, and the follow up shot missed wide.

The game fell to a shootout where the Admirals would lose their first shootout of the season. The lone goal scored in the shootout came in round four where Justin Shugg beat Mazanec five-hole for a Checkers shootout victory.

Ramblings: Since the Milwaukee Admirals last played on Sunday the organization agreed to a new ten-year lease to make the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena the team’s home starting in the 2016-17 season. The Admirals also saw two members of the Nashville Predators, Gabriel Bourque and Eric Nystrom, arrive on long-term injury loan. The conditions of their loan should be fulfilled by completing this weekend’s games for the Admirals. Tonight’s line combinations were: Reinhart-Gaudreau-Åberg, Fiala-Kamenev-Payerl, Nystrom-Bass-Bourque, White-Girard-Görtz, Oligny-Potter, Elliott-Mullen, Murphy-Aronson. Tonight’s scratches were: Kristian Näkyvä (healthy), Jamie Devane (upper body), Cody Hodgson (upper body), Joe Pendenza (healthy), and Johan Alm (lower body).

Reactions to tonight’s game? Was this a slow offensive performance because of the time off you think? Despite the shootout loss, are you still satisfied with Marek Mazanec and the defense’s effort tonight?

Scouting March 18, 2016March 18, 2016

Checkers: Scouting the Enemy

You know in infomercials when they’re getting towards the finish and state: but wait – that’s not all. After the wild news week for the Milwaukee Admirals securing a venue to call home for the next ten-years the fact that we now approach a three-in-three weekend has that exact same feeling. The focus immediately shifts from the future to the here and now. And that should also be plenty exciting.

~Checking Out The Checkers~

The Charlotte Checkers enter tonight’s game with a record of 31-25-3-3 (68 points). Their 0.548 points percentage has them in fifth place of the Central Division and eighth place in the Western Conference standings.

Prior to meeting the Admirals twice this weekend in Milwaukee the Checkers just about played a mini-playoff series against the Rockford IceHogs and came up big. They had beaten the Chicago Wolves twice and proceeded to beat the IceHogs rather soundly on home ice by scores of 6-3 and 4-1. That was followed with a tight contest in Rockford Tuesday night when the lone goal of the game came in the third period for the IceHogs to squeak out a 1-0 shutout.

Of note, the man behind that shutout for the IceHogs just so happens to be a news-worthy subject in connection to these two-games in Milwaukee with the Checkers. Drew MacIntyre was in net for the IceHogs delivering the 30-save shutout against his old team since being traded for defenseman Dennis Robertson. In place of MacIntyre the Checkers received a familiar face to their blueline as Robertson played with the Checkers out of Brown University and for the entire 2014-15 season.

That wasn’t the only returning name to the Checkers, either. John Muse, the goaltender who Magnus Hellberg beat up (video highlight), also returned to the Checkers. Muse fills the void that MacIntyre left and has played in 6 games for the Checkers since his return and has a 1.63 goals against average and 0.929 save percentage.

You might also notice there is a familiar name for the Checkers no longer on the roster. Zach Boychuk, a noted fan of Admirals Roundtable, was swapped out with Andrew Miller of the Bakersfield Condors. While both are technically considered loans back-and-fourth it is very much like an AHL trade. Remember when Kevin Henderson and Francis Wathier were flipped between the Admirals and Stars? Same thing, really.

What the Checkers lose in Boychuk they certainly gain with the form that Miller has shown this season. While Boychuk is the Checkers all-time leading scorer it is Miller who has 16 points more of offense in 2015-16. Miller has produced 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 49 games between the Condors and Checkers this season. That makes him second on the Checkers roster in scoring this season behind team captain Derek Ryan who has 43 points (18 goals, 25 assists) in 60 games. Miller has scored 2 goals in his first 5 games as a member of the Checkers.

This Checkers team is fairly different from when the Admirals last played them. What are you expecting out of these games Friday and Saturday? Gabriel Bourque and Eric Nystrom are both active participants for the Admirals this weekend. Who do you feel ends up being the odd-men out of the lineup should Cody Hodgson and Jamie Devane remain banged up?

Feature March 17, 2016

Fifteen with Patrick Mullen

Being traded midway through a season is never easy. For 29-year old defenseman Patrick Mullen arriving to the Milwaukee Admirals from the Binghamton Senators was the second time in his career that he was moved out in the middle of an AHL season. In 2013-14 he was flipped from the Vancouver Canucks organization, where he had been playing for the Utica Comets, to the Ottawa Senators.

When he was traded away from the Senators organization in exchange for Conor Allen it was part of a big defensive transformation done in a way to balance out the Admirals who lacked right handed shots. The results of that change were rather immediate and effective. In his first 13 games with the Admirals the team went 9-3-1-0. Then the unfortunate happened.

While playing against the Iowa Wild in Milwaukee on 2/21/16 Mullen suffered an injury that always leaves me shocked that it doesn’t happen more often than it does. He was falling down and an opponent’s skate caught him underneath the cuff of his glove and sliced into him badly. I had initially been told he suffered thirteen stitches and narrowly avoided tendon damage. In sitting down with him Monday night at organization’s Celebrity Serve event he showed me the scar and said it was fourteen stitches. He went on to miss eight-games as his wound healed and has since suited up for the last three-games.

Mullen is yet another one of those players on the Admirals roster who I wonder if folks know the family from which he comes from. His father, Joe Mullen, had a tremendous collegiate and professional career. He was a three-time Stanley Cup winner, the recipient of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy twice, and inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2000. His uncle, Brian Mullen, also had an outstanding professional playing career that included an NCAA Championship with the Wisconsin Badgers (1980-81), an NHL All-Star Game selection (1988-89), and 832 games of NHL experience as a member of the Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, and New York Islanders.

~Fifteen~

Thanks very much to Patrick Mullen for taking the time to conduct this interview as well as our ol’ pal Max Reinhart for his cameo appearances in it. Fifteen currently is at a stand still until the next wave of interviews can be conducted. Until then, keep tuned because the list of players is almost completed.

Chatterbox, Feature March 16, 2016

Chatterbox, Vol. 119

Perhaps the weather today in Southeastern Wisconsin is fitting because it has been an absolute whirlwind of a day for the Milwaukee Admirals organization. The team will be moving across the street starting next season after being approved to a ten-year lease to make the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena their new home. That makes these final six home games of the Admirals regular season all the more special because it serves as a countdown to the final games of Admirals hockey at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

This news comes with multiple angles of interest and questions. It is hitting some negatively and others joyously. Some understand the landscape of the move quite well and others are clutching at thin air making remarks that are bitter and false regarding the situation. What I’m sure so many seem to have their finger pointed at is that shiny attention seeking missile of a term: the new Bucks arena. So, let’s address that first.

The Milwaukee Bucks were tasked with creating a new playing arena by the NBA under the threat that the team would be moved out of the city. For many of us in the hockey community some might say, “who cares,” and others might see the major benefits that such a new arena could bring to downtown Milwaukee. The biggest point on this issue in connection to the Admirals though is that the Bucks were the ones under the threat of relocation. They had to look after themselves and, throughout all of these new arena talks and plans, that’s the gist being given off by the Bucks organization and it’s not that hard to understand why. Whether the Bucks did or didn’t get the new arena this fact remained certain. The BMO Harris Bradley Center had a future demolition date attached to it and there was no escaping that. The Admirals needed to follow suit and start looking after themselves. As talks weren’t being had between the two organizations it forced the Admirals hand to plunge into their options and pursue the one that befitted themselves and their fans the absolute best. That option wasn’t that far away. That option was across the street and connected at the hip of where the Admirals front office is located. That option was the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

What the Admirals are getting in the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is a home. I fear many people are looking at the headlines of today’s news without taking in the news underneath the venue change which is that you’ve just been guaranteed Admirals hockey for the next ten-years. In an age where professional hockey teams in the AHL or ECHL either move away, change leagues, change affiliations with parent clubs, or simply no longer exist – the Admirals appear to be a permanent anchor at the minor professional hockey league level and that is by no means something that should be forgotten or taken lightly. The Peoria Rivermen, gone. The Oklahoma City Barons, gone. So many organizations come and go yet the Admirals stay right here, functioning at a high level, in Milwaukee. The Calgary Flames have switched AHL affiliates three times in the last three years. The Admirals have been partnered with the Nashville Predators ever since the Predators came into existence. There is a model of consistency that is pretty much unheard of at this level of hockey with the Admirals and, thanks to today’s news, that model of consistency will continue.

For those looking at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena as a step backwards I encourage you to have a pause. The Admirals are leaving a pro level building that was made in 1988 and entering a pro level building made in 1950. In that respect you might view things as a step backward. If you were comparing that shiny new Bucks arena versus the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena you might be thinking it as a step backwards. Now, let me explain to you why you are wrong.

The moment the Milwaukee Admirals 2016-17 season begins they will be the premier professional sports organization playing games at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The Admirals front office will no longer have their hands tied in knots waiting to see what the Bucks need to get done first. This is the Admirals building and it will be every part the home they could have wanted moving out of the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Another area that screams improvement will come by way of cost. I can’t imagine most fans of the Admirals are going to want to be paying NHL level premiums at a new Bucks arena versus the beauty that awaits them as far as ticket packages will be concerned at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. The Admirals are not making this move entirely just to put a roof over their head. They’re making this move to also be able to provide their fan base with an entertainment experience that leaves you feeling as if you received more than the ticket price stated. The Admirals have long provided a bang for your buck experience and that same feeling of appreciation in fans wallets will be felt in kind starting next season.

UWPantherArena-2

One more item that I’m unsure of just how many people are unaware of was the restrictiveness of the Admirals ability to make money on game-days at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Admirals make zero money on concessions. They only just in recent years started making a percentage of merchandise revenue from their own merchandise that gets sold at the building. Where does the rest of your money for Admirals merchandise purchased at the BMO Harris Bradley Center go? For the lack of a better example let me just say it rhymes with the situation: sucks. When the Admirals 2016-17 season arrives it arrives with a team enjoying one of it’s best business years in memory and en route to finally start making revenue through game-day sales made at the arena that they play in. This wasn’t going to happen with further years in the BMO Harris Bradley Center. This certainly wouldn’t be a point that changed at the negotiating table for the new Bucks arena. Financially, the Admirals are about to experience something totally different than these last several years and those rewards will have a trickle down effect to the fans – big time.

The UW-Panther Arena is slated to see $6.4 million worth of upgrades during the duration of the Admirals ten-year lease. These upgrades will go above and beyond the team looking to get a pro level locker room installed. The fan experience will be a major point of focus in the years to come. Improved kitchens, concessions, concourse, and lobbies are all on the start of a list that is sure to grow as time moves forward now that this partnership between the Admirals and the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is a reality. Suggestions from fans to the front office over time, through personal experiences in these first few years back, may have a direct impact on some of the millions of dollars worth of upgrades due to come. This isn’t just a new home address being made for the Admirals it is a big community involved effort to see a 66-year old historical building become more of a home to our hockey team in Milwaukee ever has before.

The BMO Harris Bradley Center seats up to 17,845 in hockey mode. The current average attendance for the Admirals this season is 5,749 through 32-games. That is down just ever so slightly from where the team ended on last season with 5,809 but, hey, these next few (and final) games at the building are sure to boost that attendance figure. With that sort of an average, for many fans or readers suggesting there aren’t enough seats at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, I suggest you have a rethink about the scale and size of the arena you sit in the next time you attend an Admirals game. The BMO Harris Bradley Center has serve the team so very well but it was build with NHL hockey in mind not AHL hockey. What you’ll be getting at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is the exact same experience with a lowered ceiling to create a more intimate and loud setting. Say what you want but that sounds an awful lot like something I want to be every bit that part of. This isn’t a step backwards. It is exactly as the Admirals are calling this move: a step forward.

~Chatterbox~

I had the opportunity to attend this afternoon’s press conference in-person to get to take in everything live. For those unable to have done so you can watch that press conference right here:

After the press conference I had the opportunity to speak with Milwaukee Admirals Owner/CEO Harris Turer as well as play-by-play broadcaster Aaron Sims. Then, as a pleasant surprise, the French Fries were all in attendance to join in the big news for the Admirals. Here is what everyone had to say from the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.

What are your general thoughts to today’s major news? When was the last time you attended any sort of an event at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and will this news cause you to attend an event prior to the Milwaukee Admirals arrival later this fall?

News March 16, 2016

Bourque and Nystrom Assigned to the Admirals on Long-Term Injury Loan

Did you really think that today’s news cycle for the Milwaukee Admirals would be complete without some sort of roster activity? Of course not. The Nashville Predators have just assigned forwards Gabriel Bourque and Eric Nystrom to the Admirals under long-term injury loan conditions which specify that their loan duration cannot exceed up to either six-days time or three-games. All you need to do is look at the Admirals schedule to know that this weekend is a three-in-three which should fulfill that loan process.

Press Release via Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (March 16, 2016) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Wednesday that the club has assigned forwards Gabriel Bourque and Eric Nystrom to Milwaukee (AHL) on Long-Term Injury Loans. Both are expected to suit up for the Admirals this weekend when they host Charlotte (Friday and Saturday) and travel to Chicago (Sunday).

Bourque, 25 (9/23/90), has missed the Predators last 48 games after leaving the team’s Nov. 27 game at Philadelphia with an upper-body injury. In 22 NHL games in 2015-16, the Rimouski, Quebec, native has four points (1g-3a). Nashville’s ninth choice, 132nd overall (fifth round), in the 2009 Entry Draft, Bourque appeared in two games for the Admirals during a conditioning assignment last month, and has 64 points (27g-37a) in 120 career AHL games.

Nystrom, 33 (2/14/83), has missed Nashville’s last 21 games with a broken foot sustained on Jan. 26 at Vancouver. In 40 games for the Predators this season, the 6-1, 200-pound winger has seven goals/points. The Syosset, New York, native last appeared in the AHL with Houston in 2011-12, and has 42 points (21g-21a) in 109 career AHL contests.

The Nashville Predators return home from a five-game road trip tomorrow night, Thursday, March 17, when they face-off against the New York Islanders (7 p.m. on FOX Sports Tennessee; 102.5 The Game). The game will coincide with St. Patrick’s Day, where players will be wearing specialized jerseys during warmups which will be auctioned off that night. During the game, fans will also have the opportunity to purchase a commemorative St. Patrick’s Day Mystery Puck. For a $20 donation to the Nashville Predators Foundation, fans will be able to select a wrapped, themed puck autographed by a Predators player. Four lucky fans will win a special, additional prize. For tickets to the game, fans can visit NashvillePredators.com or call 615-770-7800.

This will be the second time this season in which Bourque will be handling one of these long-term injury loans in Milwaukee. He played only two out of three games of his loan condition before being recalled by the Predators in mid-February. Those both were unfortunately regulation losses for Admirals and Bourque didn’t register a point of offense – although he was far more lively in the second game of his loan.

If you thought Cody Bass was happy when Corey Potter joined the team to take the mantle as the oldest player on the roster then imagine how happy Potter can feel for just this weekend when Nystrom shows up. The 33-year old last played in the AHL during the 2011-12 season as a member of the Houston Aeros. That season he only played in a single game. You need to crawl back to 2007-08 when he logged more games in the AHL, with the Quad City Flames, and back to 2005-06 with the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights when he played a full season in the AHL.

No doubt that this beefs up the Admirals roster for the weekend when they’ll be taking on the Charlotte Checkers at home on Friday and Saturday before hitting I-94 and playing on the road against the Chicago Wolves on Sunday. Should Cody Hodgson return to fitness I believe the Admirals forward group should be more than capable of matching up with a Checkers team than really pushed the Rockford IceHogs their last three-games.

News March 16, 2016

Admirals Officialy Moving to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena

The Milwaukee Admirals will be officially moving to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena for the start of the 2016-17 season after being approved by the Wisconsin Center District for a 10-year lease. The lease also includes a mutual option for a further 5-years.

Report by Rich Kirchen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The Milwaukee Admirals will contribute $2 million and the Wisconsin Center District $4.3 million to upgrade the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, which will add the hockey team as a tenant starting with the 2016-2017 season.

The capital projects will be completed over the next two to three years and include a new kitchen, a new Admirals locker room and general updates to the 66-year-old arena.

“The arena needs to be brought back to a level that we know it’s capable of being,” Admirals owner Harris Turer said in an interview with the Milwaukee Business Journal. “It’s just gotten a little old and tired. We really want our fans to be able to come to games and just see a really beautiful place.”

The 10-year lease with a five-year mutual option extension was approved Wednesday morning by the Wisconsin Center District board. The public Wisconsin Center District owns the arena at 400 W. Kilbourn Ave. in downtown Milwaukee.

The lease will produce a positive financial result for the Wisconsin Center District and taxpayers, said board chairman Scott Neitzel. Adding 38 Admirals home games per year greatly increases the viability of the Panther Arena.

“From the community standpoint, I think it’s wonderful,” Neitzel said in an interview. “It keeps the Admirals downtown in Milwaukee and therefore it meets what I think is the mission of the Wisconsin Center District — to continue to bring as many people to downtown Milwaukee as possible.”

The Wisconsin Center District also owns the Milwaukee Theatre and the Wisconsin Center convention hall.

The Admirals, who play in the American Hockey League, had no other viable options for a home rink after the BMO Harris Bradley Center closes in 2018. The Admirals need a new home rink because they were not in the plans for the new Milwaukee Bucks arena that will replace the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Turer said he is excited about the new home rink and what he considers successful negotiations with the Wisconsin Center District leadership. The Admirals have played at the Bradley Center, which was a gift to the community from former owners Jane Bradley Pettit and Lloyd Pettit, since the venue opened in 1988.

“I had no desire to sell the team and that would have been a terrible thing for our community,” Turer said. “I’m just grateful that we have a home.”

Turer said he is not sure yet what he will spend the $2 million on other than a general facelift and modernizing of the Panther Arena. He would like to improve the concourse areas, main lobby and concession stands.

Turer, who bought the Admirals 11 years ago, said the team has been losing money at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. He said the Wisconsin Center District lease will result in profits because the team for the first time will receive a split share of merchandise revenue and a share of concessions revenue.

“This allows the Admirals to be a financially viable entity and that means a lot to me,” said Turer, who is the grandson of Master Lock founder Harry Soref.

The Wisconsin Center District will fund its portion of the arena improvements with part of a $5.25 million bond issue the board also approved Wednesday.

The district did make a couple of significant improvements after UWM agreed to a 10-year naming rights deal in June 2014. The district spent $1.1 million on a new scoreboard and video board at the Panther Arena and is replacing all the permanent seats in UWM black and gold colors over a three-year period.

UWM has 10-year naming rights agreement for the arena. The Admirals would like to add some signage at the arena but need to negotiate that with UWM officials, Neitzel and Turer said.

UWM and the Milwaukee Wave indoor soccer team also agreed to some flexibility in scheduling games to accommodate the Admirals, Neitzel said.

The Admirals lease at the BMO Harris Bradley Center runs through 2016-2017 but the team and Bradley Center officials have discussed an early exit from that agreement.

The ol’ MECCA will be seeing plenty of upgrades because of this move by the Admirals. A new locker room will be needed to match that of what the team has at the BMO Harris Bradley Center and the upgrades won’t be performed purely from a player experience, either. The fan experience is going to a focus as well. Upgrades to the concourse, lobbies and concession stands will be a point of focus during the course of this lease. As reported by Kirchen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel there are $6.3 million in upgrades in works with the Admirals set to contribute $2 million and the Wisconsin Center District set to contribute $4.3 million.

There will be a press conference this afternoon at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. I will be on-hand to take that all in and, hopefully, provide a Chatterbox later this afternoon with different parties associated with this move being able to shed some insight on this huge news for the Admirals.

Feature March 16, 2016

Fifteen with Cody Bass

For those that missed out on the festivities of Celebrity Serve at Major Goolsby’s on Monday night I did try my best to live tweet one of my favorite events that goes down: the player shirt auction. All players, who act as various servers on the evening, wear specialty shirts with their name and number on the back with a specialty theme behind the shirt. This year’s theme was Mardi Gras. This year’s top dollar shirt belonged to Cody Bass whose shirt was auctioned off for $2,000.

In short, it was a fantastic night for the Milwaukee Admirals and specifically the Admirals Power Play Foundation thanks to its tremendous fans.

Bass being the top dog for the shirt auction makes a great deal of sense for reasons that will come clear once you listen to today’s interview. He is far more than that guy you see stick up for his teammates and get into a fight on the ice. He’s been every bit the part of a captain for the Admirals this season as an on and off ice leader. When the Admirals last played at home, after a frantic first period, head coach Dean Evason left the locker room for Bass to conduct discussion among the team during the first intermission. If that sounds familiar that’s because Evason would allow current assistant coach, and long time Admirals team captain, Scott Ford do just that all the time when the time called for it to be done.

This season Bass has been able to log 14 games at the NHL level with the Nashville Predators. It was the first time since the 2013-14 season that he had played in the NHL and the most games he had logged in the NHL since the 2011-12 season when he also played 14 games as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. His season to date for the Admirals has seen him produce 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 32 games while accumulating 14 fighting majors.

~Fifteen~

Thanks so much to Cody Bass for taking the time to do this interview. It might have been one of the most fun interviews I’ve been able to have with a member of the Admirals since coming on-board here at Admirals Roundtable. Really appreciate that. Tomorrow will see yet another edition of Fifteen as Patrick Mullen joins in on the fun as well.

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