Prospects Turn Playoff Heroes
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I was thinking about the Preds, as I often do, and was thinking about what to write about today and I thought "There's just not enough talk about the Predators prospects," so I figured I'd write about the 3 guys from Milwaukee (by way of Quebec, Switzerland, and Sweden) who gave us a boost in the
playoffs when we had other guys go down.
Let's first discuss Kevin Fiala who is the most likely of the 3 guys we will discuss in this column to make the opening day roster.
Fiala isn't new to the Predators' roster. He spent 5 games in 2015-16 on the Preds accounting for only a single goal. Fiala was hopeful to make the Preds' roster coming out of camp for the 2016-17 season but came just short. It was thought he still had some fine-tuning to do on his defensive game and consistency. He did, however, eventually play in 54 total games for the Preds amassing 16 points. (11 g, 5 a)
When Fiala was called up just prior and during the playoffs he looked like a different player. He was consistently getting shots on net, his effort had improved and you had guys like the infamous sniper James Neal looking to set Fiala up rather then posting up and waiting for an opportunity for himself. Fiala was skating and playing that well. No one will soon forget the effort he showed in the 3rd period and in overtime of game 3 in Nashville vs. the Chicago Blackhawks when he seemingly took over the game, determined to net the game winner and net it he did at 16:44 into overtime and the crowd went nuts. It led to Joey saying this of Fiala:
Unfortunately Fiala's playoff experience was short-lived. In game one of the Blues series Fiala went awkwardly into the wall behind the goal legs-first and suffered a fractured left femur ending his year. He healed up remarkably well though resuming skating just two months after suffering the inury. All indications are he will be healthy headed into the 2017-18 season.
Head Coach Peter Laviolette has said that Fiala will have to make the team in camp just like any other prospect and that's a good thing. You never want to give anything to a young player. You want them to earn it and I think most will be very surprised if Fiala doesn't earn the right to open the season a full-time member of the Preds.
Pontus Aberg wasn't a virgin to the NHL when we called him up to replace an injured Craig Smith. He played in two playoff games last season and 15 total games in the 2016-17 NHL regular season in which he acquired 1 goal and 1 assist for a total of two points. Not spectacular but it was the work he was doing in Milwaukee that attracted the attention of Predators' staff.
Altogether Aberg accounted for 52 points in 56 games including 31 goals which netted him a 3rd place finish among AHL scoring leaders in 2016-2017. A productive season to say the least but what was really remarkable and why I'm writing about him now is the performance he had in the Stanley Cup Playoffs
And that's not to say he went on a goal-scoring tear but he showed up when we needed him the most and his remarkable play was pointed out even in games where he did not show up on the scoring sheet.
As I said earlier Aberg was brought up to replace Craig Smith before the playoffs had even begun. It obviously took him a little while to get his legs under him in the playoffs as he didn't score his first playoff goal until the 3rd series the Predators played vs. the Ducks and it wasn't until 8:59 of the third period of game 5 in Anaheim but it helped lift the Preds to a 3-1 victory over the Ducks making game 6 a potential series-clinching game for the Predators.
His second goal was in game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final and it opened the scoring for the Predators.
With Johansen out of commission Coach Laviolette decided Gaudreu would be given a shot centering the 4th line. Until this time Gaudreau had seen only 9 games of NHL action but he was no stranger to success on the AHL circuit.
Gaudreau is quite a story -- going undrafted two years straight he signed his first AHL contract with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2014. In the middle of a breakout 2015-16 season the Predators had seen enough to award him his first NHL contract with the Predators. His first call-up to the NHL was in the 2016-17 season when the team was dealing with a food poisoning problem affecting several players and remarkably he took part in a 5-1 victory over the Penguins. He returned to the Admirals after that game where he was putting up a pretty impressive season.
I was thinking about the Preds, as I often do, and was thinking about what to write about today and I thought "There's just not enough talk about the Predators prospects," so I figured I'd write about the 3 guys from Milwaukee (by way of Quebec, Switzerland, and Sweden) who gave us a boost in the
playoffs when we had other guys go down.
Let's first discuss Kevin Fiala who is the most likely of the 3 guys we will discuss in this column to make the opening day roster.
Fiala isn't new to the Predators' roster. He spent 5 games in 2015-16 on the Preds accounting for only a single goal. Fiala was hopeful to make the Preds' roster coming out of camp for the 2016-17 season but came just short. It was thought he still had some fine-tuning to do on his defensive game and consistency. He did, however, eventually play in 54 total games for the Preds amassing 16 points. (11 g, 5 a)When Fiala was called up just prior and during the playoffs he looked like a different player. He was consistently getting shots on net, his effort had improved and you had guys like the infamous sniper James Neal looking to set Fiala up rather then posting up and waiting for an opportunity for himself. Fiala was skating and playing that well. No one will soon forget the effort he showed in the 3rd period and in overtime of game 3 in Nashville vs. the Chicago Blackhawks when he seemingly took over the game, determined to net the game winner and net it he did at 16:44 into overtime and the crowd went nuts. It led to Joey saying this of Fiala:
Unfortunately Fiala's playoff experience was short-lived. In game one of the Blues series Fiala went awkwardly into the wall behind the goal legs-first and suffered a fractured left femur ending his year. He healed up remarkably well though resuming skating just two months after suffering the inury. All indications are he will be healthy headed into the 2017-18 season.
Head Coach Peter Laviolette has said that Fiala will have to make the team in camp just like any other prospect and that's a good thing. You never want to give anything to a young player. You want them to earn it and I think most will be very surprised if Fiala doesn't earn the right to open the season a full-time member of the Preds.
Altogether Aberg accounted for 52 points in 56 games including 31 goals which netted him a 3rd place finish among AHL scoring leaders in 2016-2017. A productive season to say the least but what was really remarkable and why I'm writing about him now is the performance he had in the Stanley Cup Playoffs
And that's not to say he went on a goal-scoring tear but he showed up when we needed him the most and his remarkable play was pointed out even in games where he did not show up on the scoring sheet.
As I said earlier Aberg was brought up to replace Craig Smith before the playoffs had even begun. It obviously took him a little while to get his legs under him in the playoffs as he didn't score his first playoff goal until the 3rd series the Predators played vs. the Ducks and it wasn't until 8:59 of the third period of game 5 in Anaheim but it helped lift the Preds to a 3-1 victory over the Ducks making game 6 a potential series-clinching game for the Predators.
His second goal was in game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final and it opened the scoring for the Predators.
As you can see, it was a beauty.
The Predators went on to lose game 2 4-1 but Aberg at least gave us a goal few of us will forget anytime soon.
So the discussion now turns to how Aberg fits into the Predators' plans moving forward for the 2017-18 season. Aberg will try out for the Preds just like many prospects but given his body of work and the fact that James Neal is now playing in Las Vegas, I like his odds of making the roster opening day.
Last but certainly not least is the man they call "Freddy Hockey." Frederick Gaudreau got the call to play when our #1 Center Ryan Johansen's season was cut short during the 2nd period of game 4 vs. the Anaheim Ducks when he was checked into the boards by Ducks' defenseman Josh Manson. Johansen suffered an acute compartment syndrome of his left thigh which could potentially cause nerve and muscle damage but it was quickly diagnosed and surgery was successful.
Gaudreau is quite a story -- going undrafted two years straight he signed his first AHL contract with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2014. In the middle of a breakout 2015-16 season the Predators had seen enough to award him his first NHL contract with the Predators. His first call-up to the NHL was in the 2016-17 season when the team was dealing with a food poisoning problem affecting several players and remarkably he took part in a 5-1 victory over the Penguins. He returned to the Admirals after that game where he was putting up a pretty impressive season.
In 66 games in 2016-17 with the Milwaukee Admirals Gaudreau amassed 25 goals along with 23 assists for 48 total points. Not too shabby but what was more remarkable is what he did in the NHL playoffs. He scored his first NHL playoff goal in a game 1 loss in Pittsburgh and netted the game-winning goal in game 4 on a wraparound that was not scored as a goal until a full 35 seconds later all the while winning the majority of his faceoffs and being generally notable each and every time he was on the ice.
Gaudreau was a playoff hero but do not think that gives him an automatic spot on the roster. He will compete in camp and Laviolette will determine whether or not he has earned the right to start the season on the Predators roster. With only Johansen, Nick Bonino, and Calle Jarnkrok sure things to make the roster, he will have every opportunity to earn as spot on the Predators this upcoming season.
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