Listen to the season premiere of SlapShot Radio here...
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News broke last yesterday afternoon that Predators super-prospect Eeli Tolvanen will follow the same path of Preds stars Filip Forsberg and Kevin Fiala and proving once again the long followed Preds tradition - the Road to Nashville Goes Through Milwaukee. Although, in this case… that road may be a significantly shorter one.
The difference here? Tolvanen has a clause in his contract that gives him a little more power over this situation than Fiala and Forsberg. If Tolvanen play at least 10 games in the AHL, he has the right to choose to go back to the KHL’s Jokerit franchise where he set rookie scoring records last season. If Tolvanen makes that choice, he would be committed to stay with Jokerit until their KHL season concludes.
I hope this young prospect is getting solid advice from his advisors because the simple fact is this; Tolvanen needs this time to develop into the kind of professional and the kind of player he can be. The impatience of youth is a minefield that Predators GM David Poile has to navigate his way through to have this player develop properly.
This is a difficult situation for such a young player. Tolvanen has not only succeeded, he has dominated at every level he has played… but… the NHL is different. Tolvanen has played on the smaller ice surface in his time with the USHL’s Sioux Coty Musketeers over two seasons, including a point per game season in 2016-17, so the smaller ice surface issue is not the issue. The issue is this is a 19 year old young man attempting to make the jump to the best hockey league in the world. The NHL is a completely different animal.
We are looking at a top six prospect here, he needs top six minutes and right now, bumping another winger off the top six in Nashville is not warranted. So let’s get him those top six minutes in the AHL. As we talked about on last night’s SlapShot Radio, if a prospect isn’t mad at being sent down, then you may question his heart. I expect Tolvanen to not be the happiest of campers this morning however, if he goes down with the right attitude and pushes himself, his stay in Milwaukee could be a short one.
With the move of sending Tolvanen to Milwaukee and the release of Brian Cooper from his PTO, the Predators roster is now down to 26 (including the suspended Austin Watson.) So that means there are two more cuts coming unless an injury occurs in camp. Most everyone I have spoken to expect the team to go with 8 defensemen so that means the cuts will come from the forward group.
Two more to go…
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Random Notes
- Join us for PredsFest 2018 on Friday, starting at 3pm at Pete and Terry’s Tavern 96. There is also a meet and greet, Gold Walk, free open skate at Bridgestone Arena and locker room tours.
- Pekka Rinne unveiled his new mask… The IronPred. Pretty cool take on Iron Man
- Practice is scheduled for noon today and 11am tomorrow at Centennial Sportsplex.
- Injuries became a big story yesterday as Corey Perry was announced to be missing 5 months after knee surgery and Columbus announced that Seth Jones will be out for 4-6 weeks with a sprained MCL.
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We are very excited to announce an event to benefit Best Buddies of Tennessee… It’s a Murder Mystery specifically written for this event called Five for Murder! This is presented by
The Murder Mystery Company , the nationwide leader in mystery-themed entertainment. Our presenting sponsors are SlapShot Radio and by
Jackalope Brewing Company.
So, what’s the story? The hockey community is rocked when a high-profile hockey personality is found dead! Now it is up to you and your teammates to find the ice-cold killer… and put him in the penalty box – for life!
If you ever wanted to take part in a live game of Clue, this is your chance!
Join us for a hockey-themed murder mystery show where guests will enjoy an evening full of fun, food, drinks, and a chance to meet some Predators personalities. Throughout the night, the plot will unfold and we need your help to solve the mystery! Guests will get to interrogate suspects, gather clues and work with their team to crack the case before the suspect gets away.
All proceeds benefit Best Buddies programs devoted to changing the world for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through meaningful one-to-one friendships and supported employment.
This will be a show you won’t want to miss, so grab your tickets today… click
here to get your tickets.
The details…
When? Friday, October 12, 2018
6–7 pm: VIP Reception (early access and seat choice, meet and great with the cast and Predators personalities)
7 pm: Doors open for General Admission
8–10 pm: Show
Where? The Barn at Chavis 4054 Wilson Pike Franklin, TN 37067
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SlapShot Radio’s 11th season is on! As the longest running hockey show in the region, SSR feeds hockey fans what they crave… intelligent, fun, entertaining talk about their favorite sport and we do it from the opening of training camp all the way through UFA day. We are on every Wednesday night on the Predators flagship station, 102.5 the Game. We debut our 11th season tomorrow.
We have been delivering great hockey talk to the most energetic and engaged fans in radio and advertising with us drives results at a reasonable price. Just ask our sponsors… including day one sponsor
Drs. Jane Bacon and Aileen Krueger at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at (615) 872-7762 and Patrick J. Brown’s Farmer Insurance Agency in Mt. Juliet… I switched to them a few years back and their service has been incredible! Give Pat and his team a call at 615-288-2086.
Advertisers… reach out to me in order to access our activated listener base though great preseason advertising deals available for our eleventh season. You can send me a message on the SlapShot Radio Facebook page or by messaging me right here on HockeyBuzz.
You can also keep up with all the goings on with SlapShot Radio by following the show on Twitter @SlapShotRadio1 … Also... make sure to "like" SlapShot Radio on Facebook... here's the
link.
If you are outside of the listening area, listen live online at
The Game website or check out the podcast about two hours after the show at
on SoundCloud.
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