Milwaukee, WI- Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has reassigned goaltender Mark Dekanich, defenseman Jonathon Blum and forwards Ben Eaves and Andreas Thuresson to the Milwaukee Admirals.
Dekanich played his first professional season last year with the Admirals and set single season franchise record with a 2.09 goals against average and a .923 save percentage to go along with a 15-10-2 record. His GAA was second among AHL netminders as the North Vancouver, BC native allowed two or fewer goals in 24 of his 30 appearances last season. A Colgate University alum, Dekanich left the school as the all-time leader in all-time leader in games played (118), saves (3,071), save percentage (.923), shutouts (11), and ties (16).
Thuresson begins his third season in Milwaukee after setting career highs last year with 29 points on 14 goals and 15 assists to go along with a +6 rating. The Kristianstad, Sweden native also chipped in three goals and an assist in 11 Calder Cup Playoff contests last year. In two years with the Admirals, Thuresson has accumulated 47 points (25g-22a) and 69 penalty minutes in 151 games.
Blum recently finished his junior career as the Vancouver Giants' (WHL) all-time leader in defensive scoring, in addition to ranking third overall on the franchise's scoring list with 204 points (49g-155a) in 248 regular season games and 42 points (14g-28a) in 67 postseason contests from 2005-09. Nashville's first choice (23rd overall) in the 2007 Entry Draft captained the Giants to their best season in club history in 2008-09, ranking third among WHL defensemen in points (66) and assists (50) despite missing 19 games. Blum also skated in five games for the Admirals in the Calder Cup Playoffs last season.
Eaves has played the past two seasons for the Espoo Blues of the Finnish League, posting 25 points (6g-19a) in 32 regular season games and 36 points (11g-25a) in 27 postseason contests. During the 2009 playoffs, the Minneapolis, Minn., native broke the league record for most points (24) in a postseason, leading all skaters in both points and assists. In the 2008 postseason, he paced the SM-Liiga in goals (7) and ranked second in points (12), helping Espoo to the championship series. The 5-9, 182-pound center played 48 AHL contests with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in his first two professional seasons from 2004-06, notching 13 points (5g-8a). His younger brother, Patrick, plays for the Carolina Hurricanes, while his father, Mike, played 324 NHL games from 1978-86, and is now the head coach for University of Wisconsin's hockey team.
The Admirals will kick off the 2009-10 season on Saturday, October 3 in Chicago and have their home opener set for Saturday, October 24th against Manitoba at the Bradley Center. Season tickets for the Admirals 2009-10 season are on sale now for as little as $145. For more information or to order season tickets, fans should call the Admirals office at (414) 227-0550. Don't forget to follow the Admirals on Twitter (@mkeadmirals) and on Facebook!
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