Prospect Info: In the System Part VII (Preds Prospect/Minor League Talk)

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cjerina

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Nov 5, 2008
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Dean Evason is leaving the Admirals to be an assistant for ... The Wild.

I blame Fenton for this.

It is on Facebook under Admirals.

John Anderson was let go, so there is good news!

Dean Evason Named Assistant Coach of Minnesota Wild

I wouldn't say I "blame" him... I loudly applaud Fenton for moving him to different pastures! ;)

So... we're hiring John Anderson? :D (I kid, that last season with the Wolves was rough, but may have been more due to the fact that his structure requires a lot of run & gun, and that Wolves team just didn't have a ton of talent.)
 

nomorekids

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Feb 28, 2003
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I wouldn't say I "blame" him... I loudly applaud Fenton for moving him to different pastures! ;)

So... we're hiring John Anderson? :D (I kid, that last season with the Wolves was rough, but may have been more due to the fact that his structure requires a lot of run & gun, and that Wolves team just didn't have a ton of talent.)


I don't think Fenton leaving is an overly bad thing either. His go-to move as GM of Milwaukee was "scrape the ECHL for whatever former US-based, eastern NCAA-bred players he could find and reward them for those attributes with a contract."

I think Kealty and Poile also being northeastern NCAA products probably plays in as well, but Fenton was the one making the call. Evason may have been the day to day scapegoat for the failure in Milwaukee the last few years, but Fenton's hands aren't clean either.
 
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TitansVolsPreds615

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Is Milwaukee really that big of a failure? I feel like they have pumped their fair share of players onto the NHL roster.
 

adsfan

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Is Milwaukee really that big of a failure? I feel like they have pumped their fair share of players onto the NHL roster.

Yes and no. The Admirals didn't qualify for the playoffs this season, only the third time in 17 AHL seasons and the 4th time in the last 30 seasons.
The 4th line was ECHL guys. They were exposed like the Preds 3rd D pair was last year in the playoffs. (This year wasn't a big improvement.)

They had only 1 effective goalie for most of the season. Dean Evason had 1 playoff victory in 6 seasons versus 12 losses. He isn't a bad coach, he had a 1st, a second and two thirds in the division in those 6 years. The team scored 216 goals in 76 games, but gave up 235 goals along with the .539 winning percentage and 38 wins (27 ROW) in 76 games. He didn't have the team depth to win in regulation (11 SO wins). Fenton was the GM, he was in charge of getting AHL level players. The defense was porous at times. The players were a mixed bag at best.

Milwaukee had 2 Forwards with 10 or more games played and ZERO goals. Bobby Butler 67 GP, 24 G 21 A -9, Harry Z 73 GP 21 G 21 A -12, Trevor Smith 66 GP 17 G 26 A -11. Derek Army 22 GP 1 G 4A -2. At least Army wasn't a liability out on the ice.

Freddy Gaudreau 54 GP 21 G 22 A and +9. Trenin got hurt, Kam was traded. How do you win with that group of forwards? The last three guys can't carry the team for a season! Anthony Richard 75 GP 19 G 17 A +2. He showed a lot of improvement this year. I am sure that was Evason's coaching.
 

AdmiralsFan24

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Milwaukee itself isn't that big of a failure. They just need to look at the way they do things and the players they bring in and try to get to why the playoff failures have been so spectacular. I get that the first thing is to prepare players for Nashville but a lot like the Sounds, it gets pretty annoying when you're either missing the playoffs or not doing anything when you get there.
 

cjerina

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As a whole, was the Evason tenure a failure? In terms of development for Nashville, no, in terms of how one will look back at that point of time in Milwaukee, I think it will be a disappointment due to the inability to perform in the playoffs. Was he to blame for everything? Definitely no.

However... when you fail to give your starting goaltender any days off, it catches up and I put that on Evason. When they acquired Groesnick, he only played 5 games in the time that Lindback was there as well (who started 14 times in that duration)

Lindback clearly showed signs of being tired, yet Evason would not play Groesnick. Give your starter some rest, and maybe he doesn't make as many gaffes in the games he plays. I get the reasons for not playing the other back-ups before then, and that was obviously on Fenton more than Evason in poorly evaluating talent for the back-up role.
 
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AdmiralsFan24

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I honestly couldn't believe Fenton was okay with the backup goalies to begin the year. I mean, I get what he was trying to do. Lindback is good enough to be a #1 goalie so at that point you're just looking for a guy that can come in and keep you in games 1 out of every 5 or something but it was pretty clear to everyone from the first game that backup goalie was going to be a disaster and instead of acting on it, Fenton just sat on his hands and at that point, of course Evason is going to continue to ride Lindback. No coach in their right mind would send out O'Connor or Paterson knowing that the team is most likely going to need at least 5 goals to win or hell, maybe even get the game to overtime.
 
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cjerina

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I honestly couldn't believe Fenton was okay with the backup goalies to begin the year. I mean, I get what he was trying to do. Lindback is good enough to be a #1 goalie so at that point you're just looking for a guy that can come in and keep you in games 1 out of every 5 or something but it was pretty clear to everyone from the first game that backup goalie was going to be a disaster and instead of acting on it, Fenton just sat on his hands and at that point, of course Evason is going to continue to ride Lindback. No coach in their right mind would send out O'Connor or Paterson knowing that the team is most likely going to need at least 5 goals to win or hell, maybe even get the game to overtime.

My problem was, when we got Groesnick, he played outstanding his first game (and won!), yet still didn't see any additional playing time. At some point, the starter's gotta rest.
 
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AdmiralsFan24

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My problem was, when we got Groesnick, he played outstanding his first game (and won!), yet still didn't see any additional playing time. At some point, the starter's gotta rest.

Ehh, Lindback started 11 and Grosenick started 7 after the trade. It was a fairly even split. The problem was it took so long into the season to happen, it didn't really matter. If they would've had that split at the beginning of the season, Lindback would've started 46 games and Grosenick would've started 30.
 

cjerina

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Ehh, Lindback started 11 and Grosenick started 7 after the trade. It was a fairly even split. The problem was it took so long into the season to happen, it didn't really matter. If they would've had that split at the beginning of the season, Lindback would've started 46 games and Grosenick would've started 30.
My notes (and now you made me double-check) have Lindback starting/playing 14 games from March 2nd to April 10th.

I disqualfied the last two games as Lindback was not on the roster at that point, so Groesnick started by default. That puts it at an almost 3:1 ratio of games played.
 

nomorekids

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My statement about Fenton\Evason owes mostly to something that predates even those two -- Nashville's inability to draft\develop a scoring forward that comes through Milwaukee. Forsberg spent pretty minimal time there and was basically a sure-thing. Arvidsson was drafted overrage and had spent his formative years in Sweden torching their top league. Kevin Fiala had a mixed experience there, though I put some of that on the player.

What's even more concerning is that even the defensive factory is drying up a little bit. Jack Dougherty was supposed to be a stable second pairing defenseman, and has struggled to even be that at a minor league level. Alex Carrier, who was a darkhorse to make the roster this year, took a big jump backwards. Freddy Allard looks promising, but we'll see where that goes. The best defenseman, Trevor Murphy...was traded out of the blue for two mediocre career AHLers, while Murphy was promptly called up to the NHL for the admittedly moribund Coyotes.

I don't know, maybe this doesn't all fall on Evason(the playoff record is hard to ignore though), but Fenton absolutely owns being on top of player development, as well as finding the right players to supplement.

We can say these guys are great and did wonders with what they had, etc...but at the end of the day, all that matters is results, and the Admirals have been a punching bag in the postseason since Evason came in. Someone has to own that, and it isn't just "the players didn't try hard enough"
 
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King Weber

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Development camp roster: https://nhl.bamcontent.com/images/assets/binary/299016838/binary-file/file.pdf


Forward invitees:

21-year old forward Charlie Kelleher who played for University of New Hampshire and had 4 goals and 15 assists in 34 games. And yes, he's related to former Admiral Tyler Kelleher.
Jake Jaremko who is also 21-years old and had 39 points in 40 games for Minnesota State University.
Alex Overhardt, 21, who I believe was an invitee last season as well. 40 pts in 70 games in the WHL for Portland Winterhawks.
and finally Bobby McMann, 21, who played for Colgate University and had 30 pts in 40 games.

Defensemen invitees:

22 year old big bodied defenseman Anthony Wyse who had 8 points in 33 games for University of New Hampshire

Goalie invitees:

6'3 200 lbs 22 year old Hayden Lavigne who played for Michigan State in 33 games posting a GAA of 2.81 and sv% of .908.
 

BigFatCat999

First Fubu and now Pred303. !@#$! you cancer
Apr 23, 2007
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Development camp roster: https://nhl.bamcontent.com/images/assets/binary/299016838/binary-file/file.pdf


Forward invitees:

21-year old forward Charlie Kelleher who played for University of New Hampshire and had 4 goals and 15 assists in 34 games. And yes, he's related to former Admiral Tyler Kelleher.
Jake Jaremko who is also 21-years old and had 39 points in 40 games for Minnesota State University.
Alex Overhardt, 21, who I believe was an invitee last season as well. 40 pts in 70 games in the WHL for Portland Winterhawks.
and finally Bobby McMann, 21, who played for Colgate University and had 30 pts in 40 games.

Defensemen invitees:

22 year old big bodied defenseman Anthony Wyse who had 8 points in 33 games for University of New Hampshire

Goalie invitees:

6'3 200 lbs 22 year old Hayden Lavigne who played for Michigan State in 33 games posting a GAA of 2.81 and sv% of .908.


It's only development camp but I wish there was more RHD invites. My spreadsheet says Dougherty, Carrier, Allard in Milwaukee and Fabbro in the pipeline and that's it.
 

Viqsi

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Oct 5, 2007
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It's only development camp but I wish there was more RHD invites. My spreadsheet says Dougherty, Carrier, Allard in Milwaukee and Fabbro in the pipeline and that's it.
Compared to some other teams, that's living in the lap of luxury and complaining that the servant feeding you grapes may have accidentally brushed against your nose and thus made you sneeze.
 

adsfan

#164303
May 31, 2008
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Development camp roster: https://nhl.bamcontent.com/images/assets/binary/299016838/binary-file/file.pdf


Forward invitees:

21-year old forward Charlie Kelleher who played for University of New Hampshire and had 4 goals and 15 assists in 34 games. And yes, he's related to former Admiral Tyler Kelleher.
Jake Jaremko who is also 21-years old and had 39 points in 40 games for Minnesota State University.
Alex Overhardt, 21, who I believe was an invitee last season as well. 40 pts in 70 games in the WHL for Portland Winterhawks.
and finally Bobby McMann, 21, who played for Colgate University and had 30 pts in 40 games.

Defensemen invitees:

22 year old big bodied defenseman Anthony Wyse who had 8 points in 33 games for University of New Hampshire

Goalie invitees:

6'3 200 lbs 22 year old Hayden Lavigne who played for Michigan State in 33 games posting a GAA of 2.81 and sv% of .908.

Is Charlie Kelleher taller than 5'6"?
 

adsfan

#164303
May 31, 2008
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The Admirals Round Table is going out of business after a number of years. The Admirals are defunding it, which I think is a TERRIBLE mistake.

I posted a lot of info from that source, they were always timely and accurate. After the Development Camp in Nashville is over, Daniel Lavender, the Editor of the last 5 years, will be out of a job. It is a shame and we will be less informed about what is going on in Milwaukee and Nashville in the future.

The Admirals signed Matt Donovan (D).
Admirals Sign Matt Donovan to AHL Contract
 
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Porter Stoutheart

We Got Wood
Jun 14, 2017
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I like the Donovan signing. That's basically the 1 top-pairing style of more veteran minor league d-man I was hoping they'd add. Had him in an FHL at one time when he was coming up through the Isles system, he was a fairly high impact D at that time. Bit of an edge in his game too.
 

cjerina

Registered User
Nov 5, 2008
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Its the ebb and flow of minor league hockey journalism, give it a year and someone else will step up to fill the void. Considering that some AHL teams blogs have been ran by essentially credentialed fans, I can't blame the Admirals for looking to cut costs in areas that could be done by others at no-cost to them.
 

nomorekids

The original, baby
Feb 28, 2003
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Hopefully it leads to something better. When Josh Cooper got sacked from the Preds beat, I was frustrated because even though he was a pinhead that didn't hide the fact that he didn't actually care how the team did or cover it from a fan-interest standpoint, it was better than years of neglect from the Tennessean on the part of John Glennon -- who, while a decent guy, was a terrible hockey beat.

I know Adam Vingan isn't to everyone's taste, but listening to him on Sirius for his radio spots, etc...it's clear he's invested in the team in a way no one had been previously. I don't think coverage should seem like a fan blog, especially since every single Predators blog is cheerleading propaganda since Dirk Hoag left On the Forecheck, but I like to think the reporter actually *likes* the team and city, and I think Vingan has gotten there. He's a little condescending\cocky, which I think is sometimes hard for this market to swallow -- but coming from the NY sports market, it actually helps when covering a team and making sure you get details and stories that matter.
 
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hockey diva

RIP Pred303
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I disagree, nomorekids. I get the impression that Vingan still wants to be in DC covering the Caps. He has the attitude that covering the Preds was a step down for him. My ideal would be someone local who has grown up with the Preds and wants to cover the team. Not a cheerleader of course but someone who really cares. Willing to praise or criticize where it's due.
 

adsfan

#164303
May 31, 2008
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My statement about Fenton\Evason owes mostly to something that predates even those two -- Nashville's inability to draft\develop a scoring forward that comes through Milwaukee. Forsberg spent pretty minimal time there and was basically a sure-thing. Arvidsson was drafted overrage and had spent his formative years in Sweden torching their top league. Kevin Fiala had a mixed experience there, though I put some of that on the player.

What's even more concerning is that even the defensive factory is drying up a little bit. Jack Dougherty was supposed to be a stable second pairing defenseman, and has struggled to even be that at a minor league level. Alex Carrier, who was a darkhorse to make the roster this year, took a big jump backwards. Freddy Allard looks promising, but we'll see where that goes. The best defenseman, Trevor Murphy...was traded out of the blue for two mediocre career AHLers, while Murphy was promptly called up to the NHL for the admittedly moribund Coyotes.

I don't know, maybe this doesn't all fall on Evason(the playoff record is hard to ignore though), but Fenton absolutely owns being on top of player development, as well as finding the right players to supplement.

We can say these guys are great and did wonders with what they had, etc...but at the end of the day, all that matters is results, and the Admirals have been a punching bag in the postseason since Evason came in. Someone has to own that, and it isn't just "the players didn't try hard enough"

I have to agree with most of what you said. However, Allard, the AHL rookie, was right behind Murphy in stats. Murphy had a hard shot, which led to a lot of goals on rebounds. He is kind of small and I don't think he will last in the NHL. Ramage and Granberg played well at times, Ramage didn't get enough games in Milwaukee and Granberg isn't coming back.
 

Flgatorguy87

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Is anyone going to be at dev camp? It's nice getting inside reports from people watching all week. This will be the first year I have missed since we drafted Watson.
 
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