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Pipeline to the NHL
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As affliate of expansion team, Admirals give to big leagues
BY MIKE MOORE Journal Times
photo by Liana J. Cooper
MILWAUKEE Imagine a work environment where the best employees are regularly plucked from the office and sent to work elsewhere. Now imagine the office is expected to continue without a drop in productivity.
Because of the Admirals' new affiliation with the NHL's expansion Nashville Predators, their roster was overhauled, tweaked, twisted and bent into a whole different species from last season's animal before the season even started. Only three players remain from last year's team, as the Admirals essentially rented the rest of their players from Nashville. But the roster didn't stabilize once the season started; the banged-up Predators have called up several players from Milwaukee to fill out their lineup.
``I almost feel guilty about how well they have served us, because we have had so many injuries the past two weeks," said Racine's Craig Leipold, who owns the Predators.
``We've had guys up and down and goalies in and out, and some guys (have) gone down with injuries," said center and team captain Jeff Nelson, who spent nine games with Nashville earlier this season. ``We've had players around, and everyone who's come in to fill those roles has done a good job. ... As the season goes on, players get more accustomed to each other, and they understand that they might be playing with a different linemate (in) different games. So you start to know everyone's tendencies on the ice, not just one line."
The most praiseworthy job of filling in has been at goaltender, a position the Admirals have had trouble just keeping in stock.
Already this season, Eric Fichaud, Tomas Vokoun and Chris Mason all have gone from guarding the net for the Admirals to protecting that of the Predators. Leipold said Vokoun's solid play has allowd Nashville to rest starter Mike Dunham, who is out with a strained groin muscle. Mason's recall last week after he was named the IHL Goaltender of the Week sent Admirals general manager Phil Wittliff to the phones to scare up a body to put in goal. He brought in Mike Minard from Dayton of the East Coast Hockey League, and Minard proved more than just a stopgap. He quickly earned his own Goaltender of the Week award, going 2-1 last week and giving up an average of just one goal per game.
The negative effect the call-ups have on the Admirals' team chemistry is also offset by the hunger bred by the chance to play in the NHL.
``We wanted to get guys that the Milwaukee Admirals isn't necessarily the end-all for them," Wittliff said. ``They have the carrot, if you will, of the National Hockey League; the bigger paychecks and the gratification of being able to play in the National Hockey League. That's a terrific motivator."
Coach Al Sims said the call-ups are just as common for affiliates of more established NHL teams. But he said because Nashville is still experimenting with its lineup, IHL players have a better chance of sticking with a team like the Predators.
And he's convinced the changes don't hurt the Admirals as much as it might seem.
``The personnel changes, but it's always the same people moving," Sims said. ``It's not like you're changing identities. ... It definitely hurts you. The one advantage we do have is if we make the playoffs and Nashville doesn't, we have a chance to get all our players together at the end of the year for a stretch drive."
The Predators may throw a wrench in that plan. With help from former Admirals such as Vokoun and right wing Vitali Yachmenev, they came into Wednesday night's action 10-14-3 and among a group of teams in position to fight for Western Conference playoff spots.
That may not mean much to Admirals fans, though; the ever-changing roster can be a turn-off to them because it's hard to become familiar with the new players.
``That's one of the downsides of it," Wittliff said of affiliation. ``When we started the season, the fans really didn't know who the players were, other than Jason Cipolla and Eric Fenton, who were with us last year. Fans become acquainted quickly with the players, particularly when they do well."
Wittliff's prediction for the next fan favorite is center Mark Mowers, who's tied for the IHL lead for goals among rookies (10). He's the leader of a youth movement that has swarmed the Milwaukee roster. With an average age of 24.4 on their opening day roster, the Admirals are tied with Grand Rapids as the youngest team in the IHL. Sims sees a positive change from last season's team, which was 3.4 years older on average than this one.
``At times when our club would be tired like this four-game-in-five-night stretch (two weeks ago) we never won four in a row, and this year we've done it," he said. ``Youth will definitely pay off for us in the end. These kids are going to be a lot better in March than they are right now."
Besides being young, the 1998-99 Admirals are also cosmopolitan, with seven Europeans and seven Canadians on the team. Leipold said the international flavor is due in large part to the longtime overseas presence of Predators scouts and general manager David Poile, who was a personnel official for the U.S. team in last year's World Championships.
A few players have had to overcome the language barrier, such as 19-year-old center Petr Sykora, who came from the Czech Republic and is tutored in English once a week. He may one day follow in the footsteps of his brother, Michael, who had a stint with the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning.
``It's tough on them coming over here," left wing Jeff Daniels said. ``It's tough enough learning the league, but learning the language, living on your own ... It's a big adjustment for them, and they've handled it really well."
To keep this diverse crew improving, Sims, assistant coach Claude Noel and Wittliff have plenty of training to do, especially since the Predators are counting on many of those young players in their future plans.
The Admirals' staff has daily contact with the Predators' officials, and each Milwaukee player is rated on a scale of 1 to 5 after each game. For the most part, Sims said the parent club gives him freedom to coach as he sees fit, although Leipold said there are occasions when the Admirals defer to Nashville's wishes.
``If there's a certain player or a couple of players we want to take a good, hard look at, if we just want to see them in certain situations, we'd ask them to do that and they'd be very helpful," Leipold said.
Leipold and Wittliff agree the window has all but closed for an NHL team coming to Milwaukee, but both say the Admirals and the IHL may be a better fit f the area anyway. While tickets to an Admirals game range from $5 to $18, the average NHL ticket hovers in the $40 range. ``I don't know that that would work here in Milwaukee," Wittliff said. And with the Bucks and Brewers already taking their share of sports fans' money and interest, Leipold said, ``It would be very, very difficult for that market to support a third professional team."
Yet Leipold said because players with NHL-level ability play daily for the Admirals, area hockey fans are almost seeing a major league team.
So, when it comes to having an NHL team, who says it's better to buy than rent?
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