Tagged: Milwaukee Admirals

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2nd year center Michael Latta(15) was originally a Nashville Predators‘ 3rd round pick in the 2009 draft (#72 overall) and spent all of his first season and a half with their minor league affiliate Milwaukee Admirals racking up some fairly impressive numbers.

He scored 14 goals and 14 assists in 51 games in his rookie campaign and although his production hitting the back of the net went down to 9 in his sophomore season his helpers total almost doubled to 26.

The 5’11” 209 lbs. forward also saw a marked increase in penalty minutes going from 100 to 184.

He also put up triple digits in pims the last two seasons of juniors with Guelph Storm.

Recently involved in a trade that brought him to Washington Capitals organization for the final year of his three-year NHL entry level deal, he was reassigned to their AHL team Hershey Bears.

In 6 games he has one assist and has spent 12 minutes in the box.

He’s also has a -5 rating, a first in the negative column for the 25-year old.

His style of play is very tenacious, in-your-face and there seems to be little doubt that he will be able to impact the scoresheet as he fits in with team chemistry.

7th year center Kyle Wilson(25) joins his 5th NHL team as he was involved in a recent trade that sent him from Tampa Bay Lightning to Anaheim Ducks‘ organization.

He never suited up for the Lightning in his short time with the team after an offseason deal with Nashville Predators.

Signed in 2011 for two years (1-way in the 2nd year), he spent almost his entire first campaign with minor league affiliate Milwaukee Admirals, where the 6’1″ 200 lbs. forward had an AHL career high 32 assists in 68 games. He did suit up for 5 games with the Preds but registered no points.

As the lockout loomed to put off the start of 2012/2013 season, the 28-year old sat out until it was resolved, reporting to Tampa Bay training camp but reassigned to Syracuse Crunch, where he stumbled with only 5 goals in 22 games.

A former Minnesota Wild 9th round pick in the 2004 draft (#272 overall), he spent the first 4 seasons of his pro career with Washington Capitals but only appeared in 2 games (2 assists) with them.

He won back-to-back Calder Cup Championships in 2009 and 2010 with farm club Hershey Bears.

Looking for renewed opportunity, he reports to a streaking Norfolk Admirals to play out the remainder of his contract unless recalled by the equally hot Ducks.

Where the unrestricted free agent ends up from here is another puzzle piece but we’re guessing he heads to Europe to see what’s left in the tank.

Kyle Wilson

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Nashville Predators‘ undrafted 4th year defenseman Victor Bartley(64) signed a two-year, two-way contract to join the team after spending a successful season overseas with Rögle of Allsvenskan, the second tier Swedish pro league.

He started his career after his fifth season in juniors, playing as an overage skater, in the ECHL with Utah Grizzlies.

His numbers in the league were good enough to get him an All-Star Game nod and subsequent call-up to the AHL by Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

He unfortunately suffered an injury that put a stop to his rookie campaign.

Returning to North American hockey he appeared in all 76 games in 2011/2012 with Milwaukee Admirals scoring 9 goals and 30 assists while going +12 plus/minus.

The 6′ 203 lbs. blue liner picked up pretty much where he left off on the scoresheet in the current season notching 7 goals and 19 assists in 54 contests. He also was chosen to represent at the 2013 AHL All-Star Game.

His consistent play has earned him a first recall and in his NHL debut.

He skated 23 shifts for 19:15 total ice time, third most on the team in a 6-0 blasting of Edmonton Oilers.

At the end of the season the 25-year old becomes a restricted free agent.

He’s likely a no-brainer to be signed for another one or two-year extension.

5th year unrestricted right wing Dan Gendur(9) started the 2012/2013 season with an invite to participate in Springfield FalconsAHL training camp.

Originally a Vancouver Canucks‘ 7th round pick in the 2007 draft (#206 overall) he has some experience in the league with 20 games played but only a goal and an assist to show for it.

The 5’11” 190 lbs. forward spent most of the last two seasons in the Central Hockey League with the now extinct Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, where in 2011/2012 he posted 28 goals and 45 assists for 73 points in 62 regular season appearances, all career highs and good enough for top ten scoring in the league.

He was originally signed to a three-year entry level deal that expired as an unrestricted free agent with Nashville Predators in 2011 after being involved in a minor league deal.

 

The 25-year inked a deal with Evansville IceMen in the offseason to join the team for their inaugural season in the ECHL, moving up from the CHL to the better AA league, where he had played during his first two pro campaigns. In 14 games he tallied 4 goals and 3 assists.

But found himself to be involved in another trade that dished him and a teammate to another first season team, Orlando Solar Bears, where he currently resides and has posted 6 goals and 3 assists in 10 contests.

The winger put up 5 of those points (4 goals and an assist) in one game (12/28).

Dan Gendur

 

 

8th year, former New York Rangers‘ 1st round pick in the 2003 draft (#12 overall), gigantic right winger Hugh Jessiman(19) signed a one-year, two-way deal with Ottawa Senators for the 2012/2013 season.

He (and every other eligible player) was reassigned to their AHL affiliate Binghamton Senators to start the new campaign.

The 6’5″ 233 lbs. mammoth has only ever skated in a pair of NHL games a couple of seasons ago with Florida Panthers.

He’s played 455 AHL regular season games with 7 different teams and last season posted a career high 27 goals and 44 points with Lake Erie Monsters and Abbotsford Heat.

By all accounts he should be a power forward that is impossible to move from the front of the net and a consistent 20+ goals, 20+ helpers forward.

In 25 games so far this season the 28-year old has 6 goals and 4 assists.

Hugh Jessiman

After starting 2012/2013 on a training camp invite from Providence Bruins, undrafted 7th year veteran left wing Kelsey Wilson(11) was released by the team before the regular season got underway.

From there he bounced from coast-to-coast in the ECHL with San Francisco Bulls then Trenton Titans, his first appearances in the league, before finally settling on a contract overseas to join Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL.

He’s skated in 395 total AHL games (mostly with Milwaukee Admirals), while signed to a somewhat undocumented 3-year entry level deal with Nashville Predators. After his contract was up he left North American hockey for a year to play in Austria, where he won the Erste Band Liga with EC Salzburg.

Upon returning he accepted his qualifying offer to rejoin the Preds‘ organization and was once again reassigned to their affiliate, Milwaukee. But his point production seemed to have ticked down a notch until the postseason, where he struck for almost a point-per-game.

In 2011/2012, the feisty 6’1″ 209 lbs. forward played the full campaign with eventual Calder Cup finalists Toronto Marlies although he appeared in only one playoff game.

At 26-years old, he’s likely still got plenty left in the tank and will probably do well with his abilities in the English pro league but will need to find it from within if he wants to climb back up the ranks in North America.

Kelsey Wilson

 

 

6th year, former 1st round draft pick of Nashville Predators in 2005 (#18 overall) defenseman Ryan Parent(3) has over 100 games of NHL experience but none since a couple of seasons ago, 4 games with Vancouver Canucks despite signing a two-year one-way contract with the team.

He spent all of 2011/2012 that he was healthy enough to play for with their new AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves but only managed to be 22 of a 76-game season.

Ironically he finished the season with a goal and 5 assists, which would have put him on pace for career highs on the scoresheet.

He also have a goal and 6 assists in the NHL.

As an unrestricted free agent approaching 2012/2013, he signed a pto with Norfolk Admirals a couple of weeks into the season.

The 6’2″ 205 lbs. d-man has one assist in 6 games but is a -5 plus/minus.

Admirals must like having the 25-year old on their team though, because they inked him to an spc. Still, it looks to be a smart move on their part.

 

 

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8th year undrafted veteran center Bracken Kearns(16) signed a 1-year, two-way deal with San Jose Sharks just as free agency started in the offseason.

The 6′ 195 lbs. forward was coming off one of his best all around seasons in the AHL with San Antonio Rampage, where he posted a career high 22 goals and 52 points in 69 games and added another 7 points in 10 postseason contests.

He also played in his first 5 NHL games on a couple of recalls by Florida Panthers but failed to register a point in roughly 7 minutes of playing time a night.

The 31-year old brings a gritty style game to the table and can definitely connect on the scoresheet. He also knows that it takes hard work on the ice to achieve his goals having come up from over 100 games in the ECHL in his first couple pro seasons to make his mark felt in the higher level of play.

In just 10 games with Worcester Sharks to start 2012/2013 he already has 3 goals and 5 assists, roughly putting him on pace for another record setting season.

5th year, undrafted big guy (6’3″ 202 lbs.) defenseman Russ Sinkewich(32) signed on for a third season with Alaska Aces of the ECHL.

His time with the team last year was limited to only 23 regular season games as he was recalled on two separate occasions: first by Abbotsford Heat for 21 games, then Bridgeport Sound Tigers rang him up in late February and signed him to an spc out of the gate. He only skated in 8 AHL games but was also watching from the cheap seats for a lot of that call-up.

The 27-year old may spend the duration of 2012/2013 with one ECHL team, like he did with Johnstown Chiefs in his sophomore campaign, mainly due to the glut of players occupying the higher league.

He has skated AHL games in each of his pro seasons including 10 games for Lake Erie Monsters and Milwaukee Admirals after leaving his college team early in his final year. He eventually signed to a two-way AHL/ECHL deal with the latter for his 2nd season.

 

Former Worcester Sharks‘ captain/defenseman Mike Moore(8) and former Bridgeport Sound Tigers‘ left wing Micheal Haley(18) had an axe to grind all season mixing it up on a number of occasions when the two teams met during the 2011/2012 season. The sluggers match up fairly well at roughly the same size and weight.

They won’t get to see much of one another next year though as both players have signed contracts that will see them play in different conferences.

Moore will likely be guarding the blue line for Milwaukee Admirals, while Haley moves up the highway joining Connecticut Whale.

Both could see some time in the NHL with affiliates Nashville Predators and New York Rangers, which could reopen the can of worms.