Once again, the team that knocked out the Predators is competing for the Cup, congrats to the San Jose Sharks… that has been a long time coming and should give hope to Pred fans everywhere. Another thing to give hope to Pred fans is the prospects that have been developing in Milwaukee. When development camp starts in just under a month, keep an eye out for a few of these guys, who just so happen to be some of the leaders for the Admirals last season.
Kevin Fiala - I know, that is a name we have heard a lot of in the past two seasons and it is tempting to say that he may not have what it takes to make it in the NHL… not from a skill level, but from a maturity level. Fiala led the Admirals in scoring this season with 18 goals and 32 assists, that’s the skill side. He also took 78 penalty minutes and was a -19, worst +/- on the team… that’s the maturity side. Talent of this time sometimes takes a little while to mature, and Fiala has shown signs of that growth with every call up. Remember, Fiala turns 20 in July… I think that Nashville will see a lot more of this player in 2016-17.
Max Reinhart - You won’t see him at dev camp, heck, you may not see him next season, but the 3rd round 2010 draft pick came over from the Calgary organization and quickly settled in with the Admirals. The 24 year old center posted 23 goals for the Ad’s and showed a nice penchant for going to the net. He may be a bit of a 4-A player, but bears watching for potential midseason call up, even though there are rumors of Reinhart going to Europe to play.
Max Gortz - The second leading scorer for the Ad’s, Gortz has been a bit of a revelation for the organization in his first full season of North American hockey. He is a 6’3” 202 pound right wing that grew up quickly in Milwaukee and may contend for a spot in training camp.
Juuse Saros - I do wonder if Saros is ready yet for an NHL backup job even though he posted excellent numbers last season. He may get pushed into duty if the Predators can’t come to a reasonable agreement with UFA netminder Carter Hutton.
There are plenty of others to watch as the offseason progresses, Yakov Trenin, Frederick Gaudreau, Vladislav Kamenev just to name a few… Solid prospects abound at forward and in goal and for all the talk of Nashville's vaunted depth at defense… the only place where the prospect cupboard is a bit bare is on the blueline.
Taylor Aronson seemed to be developing well in the Roman Josi model, but he left Milwaukee in a snit at the end of the regular season after he wasn’t called up to the big club… something he felt he deserved. Left the team with three regular season games left and the playoffs upcoming. That’s one you shake your head at… Some great reporting on this comes from our friends at
Admirals Roundtable a great blog for all things Ad’s, they connect the dots well on this situation. Aronson is probably not part of the mix now as he has signed with HC Lada of the KHL. Another example of a lack of maturity.
You can look at a player like Jimmy Oligny, who had a good season for the Ad’s as a rock solid, stay at home defenseman or you can hope for the continued development of Jonathan Diaby as stretch callups, but the fact is, it is time to restock the pantry with blueliners at this year’s draft.
We will look at potential picks in an upcoming blog.
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Wednesday’s SlapShot Radio featured Phil Bourque and a great interview with the Voice of the Crimson Tide (and former radio play-by-play man for the Preds) Eli Gold.
We are stepping aside Wednesday for Stanley Cup Final coverage on 102.5 the Game but will be live Saturday morning at 8am from the Music City Sports Festival at Music City Center… come on out and say hi!
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Random Notes
- Mattias Ekholm was added to Team Sweden's World Cup roster this morning, bringing the total number of Preds on WC rosters to five.
- Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins on making the Stanley Cup Final. Should be a good one.
- Give Steven Stamkos credit… or was it the miraculous healing powers of the playoffs? Unfortunately, the “Willis Reed” moment never happened as Stamkos had two shots, two hits and went a -1 in his 11:55 of ice time.
- Even though the NHL is dark till Monday, you still can haz hockey… Memorial Cup hockey is on NHL Network tonight, Red Deer vs Rouyn-Noranda, winner plays London in the final Sunday afternoon. Faceoff at 7pm central.
- Former LA King Slava Voynov has been added to the Team Russia World Cup roster… Voynov is under indefinite suspension from the NHL due to domestic violence charges that he pleaded no contest to… this one will get messy.
- The broadcast schedule for the final is now set… games 3 and 4 will be broadcast but NBC Sports hasn’t announced if they will be on NBC or NBCSN yet.
G1: Monday, May 30, 7 pm San Jose at Pittsburgh - NBC
G2: Wednesday, June 1, 7 pm San Jose at Pittsburgh - NBCSN
G3: Saturday, June 4, 7 pm Pittsburgh at San Jose - NBC/NBCSN
G4: Monday, June 6, 7 pm Pittsburgh at San Jose - NBC/NBCSN
G5: *Thursday, June 9, 7 pm San Jose at Pittsburgh - NBC
G6: *Sunday, June 12, 7 pm Pittsburgh at San Jose - NBC
G7: *Wednesday, June 15, 7 pm San Jose at Pittsburgh - NBC
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Season eight of SlapShot Radio is on! Join us every Wednesday night at 7 on 102.5 the Game. Pete Weber and I cover the playoffs from pillar to post. We are on Saturday at 8am next week as we step aside for play-by-play coverage of the Stanley Cup Final, game 2.
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