AHL: Milwaukee’s Best

The Nashville Predators have generally kept the Milwaukee Admirals stocked with quality veterans, strong prospects, and talented rookies. The 2007-08 season is no different, as a strong contingent of European prospects, led by goaltender Pekka Rinne and two-way spark plug Antti Pihlstrom, is leading the charge for several Admirals eager for a promotion to the NHL.

Pekka Rinne (Nsh), G, Milwaukee

A confident netminder whose 6-foot-5, 207-pound frame leaves little room for shooters .. lateral movement in the crease is impressive and exceptional for a goalie his size .. able to get up from the butterfly with both legs simultaneously, even after having been on the ice for a while .. has strong push-offs with his right leg to slide across the crease while the pads are in the butterfly position .. has a good glove hand and can even make a backhanded glove save .. very adept at playing the puck from his glove to his stick and playing it into the corners or to a teammate .. also very adept at getting his paddle down on the ice outside of the crease to stop dump-in attempts and play them into the crease or to teammates as well .. confident puckhandler who will even make some fakes on forecheckers .. no reason why Rinne cannot play in the NHL, just needs the chance and a roster spot.

Antti Pihlstrom (Nsh), LW, Milwaukee

Has very good speed with or without the puck .. can beat defensemen wide with his speed, but is also willing to go through players, as he can dish out the classic "Forsberg-check", while handling the puck .. has very quick feet .. pivots from backwards to forward better than some defensemen .. has good offensive awareness and can spot teammates and make nice plays through traffic with accurate passing .. also uses his speed for an energy game, as the 5-foot-11, 184-pound Pihlstrom plays larger than his size and dishes out many hits on the forecheck, many of which are heavy .. does not hesitate to rush into the corners regardless of the size of the opponent rushing in with him .. nothing preventing this 23-year-old Finn from being at least an energy-line forward in the NHL other than the roster spot.

Cody Franson (Nsh), D, Milwaukee

Puck movement is his strong suit .. makes quick, crisp, accurate passes on the breakout and can regularly connect on long-distance passes .. excels at d-to-d passing .. has a hard slapshot from the point but also has a hard wristshot from the point .. is poised with the puck, is not rushed into poor decisions with the puck by checkers, and shows patience with the puck at the point .. has the agility to circle back and spin away from forechecks .. forward speed is decent .. needs to improve backwards acceleration and power to help him keep his gap shorter, so as not to start skating backwards early, which allows the opposition a lot of space to gain momentum .. somewhat upright when he accelerates backwards and needs to maintain a power position in his stance.

Alexander Sulzer (Nsh), D, Milwaukee

Good puckmoving defenseman .. accurate passer who can also skate the puck out of the zone and into the attack zone himself with poise and decent speed .. good d-to-d passing .. distributes the puck well from the point on the powerplay .. has a hard slapshot .. adept in knowing when to pinch deep into the offensive zone for a centering pass from a forward down low or along the boards .. gap control is decent, but could afford to be more aggressive in playing the body earlier and not backing in so much, especially against forwards who do not have the speed or puckhandling to overwhelm him.

Cal O'Reilly (Nsh), C, Milwaukee

Hockey sense and skill makes up for lack of speed at the AHL level .. does have some quickness and agility and when mixed with his stickhandling ability, it allows him to succeed in tight spaces and compensate for his lack of top-end speed .. positions body well to shield the puck and make plays .. has good offensive awareness in his playmaking and makes accurate passes .. breaks up his share of plays through position and effort when the other team is attempting to transition the puck to offense .. additional speed would help this 5-foot-11, 180-pound pivot play in the NHL.

Mike Santorelli (Nsh), C, Milwaukee

Center with good offensive awareness and agility .. utilizes switchbacks often, circling away from opponents behind the net or in the corners .. likes to make a centering pass from the corner or behind the net after making switchbacks and creates many chances this way .. able to maintain control of the puck well along the boards and can execute textbook cycling .. has decent speed, but not top-end .. showing more commitment in the defensive zone, as well as forechecking, and backchecking.

Oliver Setzinger, (Nsh), LW, Milwaukee

Has good speed and can be hounding on the forecheck and create turnovers .. 6-foot-0, 200-pounder can finish his checks with some authority .. ends up running around on the forecheck from time to time .. fills in holes down low in the offensive zone by reading the play and moving from the slot and into the corners accordingly .. able to cycle the puck well and has the speed and stickhandling to emerge from the corner with the puck .. had a number of good two-on-one chances but was unable to finish .. has a booming slapshot that he must harness .. 24-year-old has a lot of good tools, just needs to bring them all together and some luck.

Andreas Thuresson (Nsh), RW, Milwaukee

Responsible two-way player .. hustles into the corner and on the forecheck and creates opportunities from turnovers .. reads the play well defensively and puts himself in position to break up plays on the PK .. has decent speed without the puck, but only average speed with the puck in these viewings .. stride can be somewhat choppy at times .. impressive defensive game for a player not yet 20 years old.

John Vigilante (Nsh), LW, Milwaukee

Able to get decent speed through the neutral zone, but does not have high-end speed .. has soft hands and can stickhandle in tight spaces, but does not always appear to be in control .. forechecks with effort and puts himself in position to intercept breakout passes, but is not an overtly physical player .. showed some playmaking ability.