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Here are some of my photos from Saturday night's preseason game in Hoffman Estates (IL). |
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27 September |
Here are some of my photos from Friday night's preseason game at Wilson Park.
Jeremy Smith - Chet Pickard - Jason Jozsa
Scott Ford/Anthony Stewart/Smith - Mark Santorelli - Wacey Rabbit
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27 September |
Preseason wrap up
The Admirals less-than-inspiring pair of preseason games were earlier this weekend. Friday night, the Chicago Wolves toasted the Admirals like a Quizno sub 5-1 at Wilson Park. Saturday night in Hoffman Estates (IL), the Admirals improved but lost 3-2 in overtime.
These games shouldn't be an indication of what we'll see once the season begins, as both teams dressed several non-contract tryout players who will not make the opening day roster. However, I did learn a few things from these two games.
My assumptions on the Admirals goaltender situation were shot down. Nashville has five goaltenders under contract - two in the NHL (Rinne and Ellis), two in Milwaukee, and one who will report to an ECHL team. The returning Mark Dekanich is tabbed as Milwaukee's #1 goaltender. Until this weekend, I thought his backup would be Chet Pickard based on the fact he was a first round draft pick (18th overall in 2008). The fifth guy in the picture is Jeremy Smith, a second round pick in 2007.
Smith and Pickard played half of each preseason game. In both games, Pickard looked very shaky... at times needlessly flopping and having trouble snagging pucks with no zing to them. Smith looked confident and appeared to be in good position, but he didn't dazzle me with any incredible saves. Smith shutout the Wolves in game two and allowed three power play goals in game one. Pickard allowed five goals between both games.
If it were up to me, Smith would begin the season in Milwaukee and would trade places in the ECHL with Pickard from time to time. Of course, one injury among Nashville's top-3 will force both guys into the AHL spotlight.
Some other observations...
** Mark Santorelli did not show me any improvement over last season. Against ECHL talent, he should've stood out, but he didn't. The sophomore season is key for lower prospects to have any chance at a decent career. I'm hoping that he just had a few bad games and will soon prove to all of us that he belongs at this level.
** Wacey Rabbit. I mentioned him on this site a few years ago on a list of cool player names around the AHL (22 October 2007). He has spent the last 2 1/2 seasons in Providence and scored a career high 16 goals last season. He's 5'8", but plays with a ton of energy. He scored a sweet goal Saturday night from the seat of his pants. A series of photos of the goal can be seen at Short Shifts. With that said, he lost the edge of his skates several times. Maybe it was bad ice, or maybe it's just a sign of him skating too hard. I like guys like him and hope that he gets a contract to stick around.
** Ian McKenzie and Mark Van Guilder. Two bigger guys who spent some time here last season. McKenzie looked improved. Van Guilder did not.
** Defenseman Reid Cashman played a solid couple of games. Although he's on a two-way AHL/ECHL contract, I would be surprised if he doesn't spend more than half of the season here.
In the next few days, we'll have a better idea of how the roster will shape up. Some players will report from Nashville, and most of Milwaukee's training camp invitees will be cut.
Later today I will post some photos from this weekend.
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27 September |
During the offseason, I kept a list of roster moves at the top of the front page of the site. For archive purposes, I've copied it into the news blog:
Still under contract:
Forwards
Patric Hornqvist
Hugh Jessiman
Ian McKenzie
Mark Santorelli
Mike Santorelli
Nick Spaling
Andreas Thuresson
Defense
Jonathon Blum
Robert Dietrich
Cody Franson
Teemu Laakso
Alex Sulzer (OWC)
Goaltender
Mark Dekanich
Recently re-signed:
Forwards
Triston Grant
Ryan Jones (OWC)
Ryan Maki
Cal O'Reilly
Mark Van Guilder (g)
Defense
Scott Ford
Mark Matheson
Russ Sinkewich
Nolan Yonkman
To be determined:
Forwards
Geoff Peters
Bryan Smolinski
Stephen Werner
Possible new players:
Forwards
Ben Eaves (e)
Marcel Goc (f)
Ben Guite (c)
Bryan Leitch (g)
Mike McLean (g)
Peter Olvecky (d)
Colin Wilson (a)
Defensemen
Reid Cashman (g)
Jason Jozsa (g)
Goaltenders
Chet Pickard (b)
Jeremy Smith (b)
Signed elsewhere:
Oren Eizenman (Stockton-ECHL)
James Sixsmith (Utah-ECHL)
Tim Ramholt (Davos, Switzerland)
Drew MacIntyre (Atlanta-Chicago)
Jed Ortmeyer (San Jose-Worcester)
Antti Pihlstrom (Karlstad, Sweden)
Kelsey Wilson (Salzburg, Austria)
Notable former Admirals
John Vigilante signs with Grand Rapids
Dov Grumet-Morris (Utah-ECHL)
Ramzi Abid to Chelyabinsk, Russia (KHL)
Ville Peltonen leaves Florida for Minsk, Belarus (KHL)
Wyatt Smith signs with Pittsburgh (Wilkes-Barre)
Karl Goehring retires to be Syracuse Asst. Coach
Bracken Kearns signs with Rockford
Brad Tiley retires to coach junior hockey
Brandon Segal to Los Angeles (Manchester)
Darren Haydar to Colorado (Lake Erie)
Karlis Skrastins to Dallas
Ville Koistinen to Florida
Mathieu Darche to Montreal (Hamilton)
Greg Zanon to Minnesota
Vern Fiddler to Phoenix
Notes:
OWC = one way NHL contract
(a) - Colin Wilson signed a three year entry level contract with Nashville. It's possible he will skip the AHL and debut at the NHL level.
(b) - With Mark Dekanich returning, either Chet Pickard or Jeremy Smith will likely join the Admirals. Both players have signed with Nashville through 2011.
(c) - Free agent signed by Nashville played 168 NHL games in the last three seasons with Colorado. Common sense dictates that he could play in Nashville all season.
(d) - pronounced "ohl-VEH-tskee", the 23 year-old Slovakian forward has played the last four seasons with Houston and made his NHL debut last season with Minnesota.
(e) - 27 year-old center has played in Europe after two partial seasons in the AHL with Wilkes-Barre from 2004-05. Knee and arm injuries have limited him to only 64 games played in the last four seasons. His father coaches the UW hockey team and his brother plays for the Carolina Hurricanes signed with Detroit after being traded to Boston in July.
(f) - 26 year-old German center has played the last four seasons in San Jose. The 2001 first round pick signed a two way contract with Nashville.
(g) - signed a two-way AHL/ECHL contract.
24 September
2009
Summer ends now.
The Admirals take to the ice for their two preseason games this weekend. Friday night, they host the Chicago Wolves at the Wilson Park rink (22nd St. and Howard Ave). Saturday night, they travel to the western Chicago suburbs to face the Wolves at the Hoffman Estates Park District Community Center and Ice Arena (on Higgins Rd. - 2.2 miles west of Roselle Rd.).
Several future Admirals remain in the NHL training camp in Nashville, so this weekend's games will feature several ECHL-level players auditioning for a midseason callup. In addition, we'll see some new players under contract for the first time, including Chet Pickard, Jeremy Smith, Reid Cashman, Jason Jozsa, Bryan Leitch, and Mike McLean. Needless to say, I'm psyched up.
The regular season starts on Saturday, October 3, when the Admirals travel to Rosemont to play the Wolves for the third time in eight days. I'll be in attendance for all three Admiral wins games.
Since my last blurb at the beginning of the month, three 08-09 Admirals signed on with other teams. Tim Ramholt returned to his native Switzerland to play for HC Davos, and Oren Eizenman and James Sixsmith signed ECHL deals with Stockton and Utah respectively.
1 September
2009
The list of unsigned players who finished last season in Milwaukee got a little shorter this evening.
Nashville re-signed center Cal O'Reilly to a two year contract. This season, he will be playing under a two-way contract... meaning that he could spend time in Milwaukee. Next season, his contract becomes a one-way deal, which will likely end his Admiral career.
Players who haven't signed (to my knowledge) elsewhere include Oren Eizenman, Geoff Peters, Tim Ramholt, James Sixsmith, Bryan Smolinski, and Stephen Werner.
Right after the season ended, I heard that Ramholt was returning to Europe to play next season, however my trusty source of European transactions (eurohockey.net) has not reported him signing anywhere this summer. Ramholt was never a Nashville "prospect", rather he was a warm body received in a trade when the Predators dealt bad-apple Josh Gratton to Philly last October.
The rest of the unsigned players were under AHL contracts last season and could potentially re-sign with Milwaukee if a roster spot is open after the Admirals roster is filled with Nashville prospects. Of course, most (or all) of them will likely sign with another minor league team.
Click here for July-August 2009 Archives
Still under contract: |
Recently re-signed: |
To be determined: |
Possible new players: |
Signed elsewhere: |
Notable former Admirals |
Notes: |
|
24 September |
Summer ends now.
The Admirals take to the ice for their two preseason games this weekend. Friday night, they host the Chicago Wolves at the Wilson Park rink (22nd St. and Howard Ave). Saturday night, they travel to the western Chicago suburbs to face the Wolves at the Hoffman Estates Park District Community Center and Ice Arena (on Higgins Rd. - 2.2 miles west of Roselle Rd.).
Several future Admirals remain in the NHL training camp in Nashville, so this weekend's games will feature several ECHL-level players auditioning for a midseason callup. In addition, we'll see some new players under contract for the first time, including Chet Pickard, Jeremy Smith, Reid Cashman, Jason Jozsa, Bryan Leitch, and Mike McLean. Needless to say, I'm psyched up.
The regular season starts on Saturday, October 3, when the Admirals travel to Rosemont to play the Wolves for the third time in eight days. I'll be in attendance for all three Admiral wins games.
Since my last blurb at the beginning of the month, three 08-09 Admirals signed on with other teams. Tim Ramholt returned to his native Switzerland to play for HC Davos, and Oren Eizenman and James Sixsmith signed ECHL deals with Stockton and Utah respectively.
|
1 September |
The list of unsigned players who finished last season in Milwaukee got a little shorter this evening.
Nashville re-signed center Cal O'Reilly to a two year contract. This season, he will be playing under a two-way contract... meaning that he could spend time in Milwaukee. Next season, his contract becomes a one-way deal, which will likely end his Admiral career.
Players who haven't signed (to my knowledge) elsewhere include Oren Eizenman, Geoff Peters, Tim Ramholt, James Sixsmith, Bryan Smolinski, and Stephen Werner.
Right after the season ended, I heard that Ramholt was returning to Europe to play next season, however my trusty source of European transactions (eurohockey.net) has not reported him signing anywhere this summer. Ramholt was never a Nashville "prospect", rather he was a warm body received in a trade when the Predators dealt bad-apple Josh Gratton to Philly last October.
The rest of the unsigned players were under AHL contracts last season and could potentially re-sign with Milwaukee if a roster spot is open after the Admirals roster is filled with Nashville prospects. Of course, most (or all) of them will likely sign with another minor league team.
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