20th Season: The Road Through Milwaukee

The 11th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Predators forward Kevin Fiala arrived in North America anticipating a quick ascension into the NHL ranks.
What he didn't necessarily bargain on was playing 110 of his first 116 North American games in Milwaukee, home to the Predators' American Hockey League affiliate.
It wasn't until this season that Fiala became rooted in the Predators' lineup, a top-six player who produced 13 points in his first 20 games.

But looking back now, Fiala, like almost all of the Preds' prospects, realizes how valuable the time he spent in Milwaukee was - even if it didn't necessarily feel that way in the moment.
"Every time I got sent down, I wasn't happy exactly," Fiala said. "But I always worked hard, and right now when I look back, I wouldn't change anything. I'm glad I was there because it helped me. It was a great road for me."
The Preds' famed "road to Nashville goes through Milwaukee" approach has produced many a similar story for prospects since the affiliation was agreed to in 1998-99.
This is a franchise that emphasizes preparation time on the AHL level at least as much, if not more, than any other NHL organization. Playing in the minors - as opposed to jumping straight into the NHL from juniors, college or Europe - readies prospects for the top of the ladder in all kinds of ways.
When the Predators played the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 22, for instance, 15 of the 20 players on Nashville's roster that night had spent at least some time in Milwaukee.
"A lot of these guys just don't happen overnight," said Predators Assistant General Manager Paul Fenton, who oversees the franchise's Milwaukee operations. "There are a lot of growing pains, conversations and education to what it takes to be a pro, and we pride ourselves on handling these guys like a parent would their children. You have to give them the right tools and the right message in life, both as hockey players and as people, to succeed."

Only a few prospects in the Predators' organization advanced straight to the NHL without at first getting some seasoning in Milwaukee.
One was center David Legwand, the first draft pick in team history, who brought much-needed speed and offense to an expansion-era Predators team in need of both. Another was forward Scott Hartnell, a physically mature 18-year-old who brought size and strength to a Preds team that was short on both.
Jordin Tootoo went straight from juniors to the NHL in 2003, but would eventually spend a good chunk of time - a combined 100 games in 2004-05 and 2005-06 - in Milwaukee.
One other prospect who made the leap was defenseman Seth Jones, the fourth overall pick in 2013, a player both talented and mature enough not to need Milwaukee as a stepping stone.
But the list of Predators who honed their skills in Milwaukee before ascending to the NHL - which includes the likes of Kimmo Timonen, Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, Pekka Rinne, Ryan Ellis, Alexander Radulov and Filip Forsberg among many others - is far, far longer.
"I can tell you there is a value on what a player is able to learn and accomplish down there," Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. "Not everyone that comes out of the Draft is ready to play in the NHL. So the AHL is a league where they can learn the right roads they need to take in their pro career. They might get benched, they might get extra power-play time, they might get pulled from a lineup. It's a big learning process."
For European prospects like Forsberg, Fiala and Josi, time spent in Milwaukee served at least two significant purposes: It helped them adjust to North America's longer hockey seasons and narrower rinks.
"It's a different game here," Fiala said. "There are so many more games than in Europe, so you've really got to learn how to take care of your body. That's the most important [lesson]. The rink size also because you have to play a different game."

Predators forward Austin Watson, a 2010 first-round pick who spent three full seasons in Milwaukee, said increased maturity was one of the byproducts of his AHL tenure.
"I think one of the things that was important was just being a good pro, showing the consistency you have to bring in your game day in and day out," Watson said. "When you get to the NHL, it's a full-time job and you have to be consistent in what you do every night. So you learn how to do that in the AHL, where it's not on the stage of the NHL, but it's pretty close. You're fighting for playing time and fighting for your spot in the lineup, and that gets you prepared to come here."
Predators prospects have received some quality coaching over the years in Milwaukee as well.
Prior to current Admirals Head Coach Dean Evason, the last five Milwaukee coaches - Peter Horachek, Claude Noel, Lane Lambert, Kirk Muller and Ian Herbers - all advanced to jobs as NHL head coaches or assistants. Evason was a seven-year assistant for the Washington Capitals before taking the Milwaukee head-coaching job.
That tutoring is likely one of the reasons Milwaukee has advanced to the AHL playoffs in 14 of the past 15 seasons, winning the league's Calder Cup in 2003-04 and reaching the league final in 2005-06. The success has allowed Nashville's prospects to experience a postseason atmosphere before they reach the NHL.
"We're developing kids and we're also showing them how to win," Fenton said. "If you're getting yourself in the playoffs every year at the AHL level, you teach your kids that your expectations are to win. I think that's probably what we do the best."