BTW, you want to know why prospects haven't developed in Milwaukee lately? Because Poile has traded away tons of picks this decade. We've had 6 1st round picks. He used one on Watson in 2010, he developed fine for the type of player he was going to be. None in 2011, None in 2012, Seth Jones went straight to the NHL in 2013,
Fiala played some in the AHL but was in the NHL full time at age 21, none in 2015, Fabbro went to college then straight to the NHL, Tolvanen is still just 20 and was the second to last pick of the 1st round, no pick in the first 3 (!!!) rounds of 2018 and Tomasino is still in juniors.
There's just not going to be a huge talent pipeline going through the AHL when the majority of your picks are coming in rounds 4-7 and not only does that not lead to a lot of high end prospect talent, it also necessitates signing veteran players to literally fill roles on the team so they aren't playing with a bunch of ECHL (or worse) worthy players.
So to recap this decade:
6 1st round picks - One was never going to be more than a bottom 6 player, one went straight to the NHL from Juniors, one went straight to the NHL from college,
one played around 120 games in the AHL over the course of 3 seasons, was in the NHL full time at 21 and was traded, one was drafted a couple years ago, is struggling a little now at 20 years old and another was drafted 6 months ago.
10 2nd round picks - One was a goalie, another is Salomaki who 95% of this board hates but maybe placing the team somewhere else would've turned him into a top 6 forward
Aberg and Sissons came in 2012, so a 50% hit rate in that draft
No 2nd rounder in 2013
2014 was Kamenev, who was used in the Turris trade and Dougherty who was traded to Buffalo, not tendered a contract there and signed in Ottawa. Two talent starved NHL rosters that he couldn't break through but again, surely wouldn't have been the case if the team was in Atlanta.
2015 Trenin was a 2nd round pick who I and a few others who watch the Admirals regularly said should be playing more but again, nothing was stopping Poile, Fenton, Nichol etc. from making that call to the coaching staff that they hired and demanding that he get more time in all situations.
2016 was Girard who played 6 games in the NHL before he was traded for Turris.
2017 was Mismash who's still in college
2018 had no 2nd round pick
2019 is in Juniors
10 3rd round picks
Aronson might have actually been an NHL player at some point but he got pissed that Poile called up a different defenseman, left the Admirals, signed in the KHL and then in the German League.
Vesey - Didn't sign
Leipsic is a bottom 6 spark plug/speed guy
Diaby was terrible and I think he retired a couple years ago.
Kirkland was terrible at everything except shootouts.
Novak and Pitlick just recently signed.
Farrance is still in college
No pick in 2018
Campbell just drafted
Saros and Arvidsson spent significant time in the AHL as 4th rounders, Richard and Carrier I feel still have a chance to be NHL players as 4th rounders and Allard as a 3rd rounder.
Maybe you guys would have a point if some of these players left the organization and lit up the AHL and then got a chance and ran with it at the NHL but this just seems like **** drafting (for the most part) on top of just not having the picks available to actually get prospects in the system and developed.