AHL: Will Cal

The Nashville Predators continue to boast impressive depth in their development system, as the Milwaukee Admirals have several prospects with legitimate chances of making a future NHL impact, such as Cal O'Reilly who has come up with a very strong effort thus far.

Cody Franson (Nsh), D, Milwaukee Admirals

Big and skilled puck moving defenseman that needs to improve his mobility .. at home with the puck, as he makes a good first pass and works the point well where he is a threat to manufacture offense with his gifted passing game or his great release .. sees the play developing before him well, as he's poised and smart with the puck, which he displayed when skating the puck up ice to only switch to skating backwards to buy his teammates time to setup the breakout .. skating mechanics need work however, his speed is okay as each stride covers a lot of ice .. regardless of his skating issues, he does a nice job handling his man off the rush by maintaining a tight gap and using his long reach to strip the opposition of the puck .. despite his heightened physical intensity, he still needs work defensively, as he relies too much on his long reach to mask skating issues and tactical errors that allow his man to get a step on him .. prized prospect that is more than holding his own in his first year as a pro.

Mike Santorelli (Nsh), C, Milwaukee Admirals

Natural goal scorer that needs to improve his strength .. owns soft hands with a goal scorers release and a nose for the net, as he is dangerous sneaking down the back door .. instinctive and patient with the puck, as he will attack the defense laterally from the top of the slot to find the shooting lanes .. should become a fruitful skater once he fills out, as he has good length to his stride with adequate acceleration and top speed.. anticipates the play well, as the puck seems to find him allowing him to manufacture turnovers in the opposition's zone .. not a physical player, although he competes adequately despite lacking the strength to win one-on-one battles for loose pucks .. making a considerable effort to improve his defensive play, as he actively seeks to help in the defensive zone .. looks like a boy amongst men right now but he is blessed with a lot of talent and remains an intriguing prospect in the system.

Pekka Rinne (Nsh), G, Milwaukee Admirals

Big and healthy goaltender that has regained his confidence after performing below expectations in last year's injury-riddled season .. carrying the heavy workload for the Admirals this season including a recent six-game-winning streak .. difficult to beat low thanks to his big and athletic frame along with a compact butterfly .. has good footwork for a goalie of his size and moves swift laterally, as he does not break form while moving side-to-side .. skates well and likes to play the puck, as he does a good job sending it hard off the glass .. owns a nimble glove hand that he uses well to aide in his rebound control .. guilty of not leaving his stick home and opening up the five-hole at times .. needs to be more patient while the puck is in close, as he will be beaten low when he tries to recover back to his stance when he should have just stayed in his butterfly .. is getting back on track.

Alexander Sulzer (Nsh), D, Milwaukee Admirals

Methodical two-way defenseman with encouraging smarts and mobility .. can be relied on to make the steady play, as he is receiving icetime in all situations .. does a good job keeping his feet and the puck moving while on the point, although he manufactures most of his offense from his own end with his hard tape-to-tape passes that hit his man in full stride .. possesses a heavy, low point shot that he releases quickly and gets on net .. good but not great skater that can generate the speed according to the situation, whether to win foot races or to skate with his man step for step off the rush .. not a physical player but he is strong and is no softy in the trenches .. relies on positioning more than brute force to defend, as he does a fine job fronting the puck and blocking shots or passes .. steady and reliable puck moving defenseman that is performing well in his first year in the AHL.

Cal O'Reilly (Nsh), C, Milwaukee Admirals

Highly skilled playmaking dynamo that is knocking on the NHL's door with his improved defensive play .. the Admiral's most dangerous offensive player, as he is a magician with the puck that can execute some beautiful passes and dangles .. displays great patience and vision with the puck and can slow the game down while weaving past the opposition with relative ease in congested areas .. skating is a non-issue despite lack of a top gear, as he is slippery one-on-one and sturdy on his feet with slick, lateral agility .. much improved defensively this season, as he has learned how to use his skilled hands as a defensive weapon to become a master of stripping the opposition off the puck .. playing on the penalty kill, as he is a threat to create a turnover with his sneaky stickwork and transition to offense at any time .. not the biggest or most physical player but he will be the first in the corners to retrieve the puck .. should expect the call soon.

Ryan Maki (Nsh), RW, Milwaukee Admirals

Defensive-first player that has yet to score a goal despite playing in 20-plus games .. skating is the main issue right now, as he must improve his sluggish acceleration by quickening his first step .. the type of player that is good without the puck but one that brings almost nothing to the table with it .. does not see the ice well and is timid to have the puck on his stick, as he is anxious to chip it in deep or put it on net as quickly as possible .. the first man in on the forecheck that competes hard and is strong along the boards .. defensively pressures the puckcarrier well and is a dedicated shot blocker that receives time on the penalty kill .. does the little things but is a long ways away from receiving NHL consideration.

Andreas Thuresson (Nsh), RW, Milwaukee Admirals

Being experimented with on the top line despite not producing offensively with only one goal in 20-plus games .. has adapted to the North American game well, as he is a gritty competitor that will hit and compete for the puck .. must upgrade his quickness, as he skates so low to the ice that it hinders his ability to generate any speed out of the gates .. his on-ice awareness and work ethic get him chances but he lacks the skill to cash in, as his shot is weak .. reliable with the puck, as his motor never quits and he works tirelessly to get up and down the ice to pressure the opposition .. young player that will need to and possibly take major steps up in his game next year.

John Vigilante (Nsh), LW, Milwaukee Admirals

Crafty and competitive playmaker that still suffers from horrid skating .. scoring at a better pace this year while playing on the first line and in all situations .. skating is still his Achilles heel, as he is an ugly skater that baffles with his ability to generate more speed with his lateral bursts than his straight-line stride .. has no quit in him, as he comes up with some creative changes of direction and head fakes to find a way to get around the opposition despite his evident lack of speed .. struggles to finish with his weak shot, although he moves the puck well and can set up some pretty plays at full speed off the rush .. astute and hard working defensively, as he's an asset to the penalty kill for his knack of generating turnovers and helping out with his deep, defensive-zone positions .. developing well but must find a way to improve his skating.

Oliver Setzinger (Nsh), LW, Milwaukee Admirals

A main fixture in the lineup despite his inability to produce for his mature two-way play .. despite this being his first year crossing the pond, he looks like he's a natural in the North American game, as he's deceptively strong and can get under the opponent's skin with his relentless but clean checking game on the forecheck .. anticipates the play soundly and is a reliable player without the puck that gives a consistent effort .. owns a quick first step and sharp lateral mobility, although he lacks a top gear .. shows glimpses of offensive awareness, as he will make smart plays away from the puck such as breaking down the middle off the rush to exploit the defense drifting to far to the boards .. solid prospect despite his lack of production.

Janne Niskala (Nsh), D, Milwaukee Admirals

Offensive defenseman with good creativity and a wicked shot, although he must improve his ability to defend one-on-one .. threat to score from the point with his soft hands and strong wrists that propel his dynamic shot that he shoots to score with by utilizing screens and by shooting for the top corners of the net .. natural moving the puck from the point, as he sees the ice well and displays the knack for identifying the opportunity to sneak down low to exploit holes in the oppositions defenses .. owns a quick and galloping stride that gives him swift, all-compass mobility but void of a top gear .. mixed-bag defensively, as he's utilized on the penalty kill for his sound positioning and active stick but he lacks strength and can be soft one-on-one around his net at times .. useful depth player but is not the next Ville Koistinen.