SB Nation - Cal O`Reilly

Nashville Predators assign Cal O'Reilly to Milwaukee

Dirk Hoag — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:13:25 -0000

From the Nashville Predators:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that forward Cal O’Reilly has been reassigned to Milwaukee (AHL).

O’Reilly, 23 (9/30/86), played in three games during his most recent stint with the Predators, recording his first point of the season on Dec. 2 at Minnesota. In nine games with Nashville during a pair of recalls this season, the Toronto native has one assist and two penalty minutes.

With Dave Scatchard back in the lineup, O'Reilly gets squeezed out of the 4th-line center position. Since his contract kicks into one-way status next season, it may be best for him to play a major role in Milwaukee for the time being.

Nashville Predators assign Cal O'Reilly to Milwaukee

Dirk Hoag — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:49:06 -0000

From the Nashville Predators:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that forward Cal O'Reilly has been reassigned to Milwaukee (AHL).

O'Reilly, 23 (9/30/86), was pointless in six games since being recalled on Oct. 15, averaging 13:00 per game. In the Admirals first three games of the season, he posted seven assists.

While Cal had to clear waivers on his way down to Milwaukee at the end of training camp, since he was called up earlier this month, there is a 30-day window that allows the team to send him back down without exposure.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Cal O`Reilly	6	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	5	0.0

It would appear that this move bodes well for Mike Santorelli's chances to stick with the team for the present time. In addition, John Glennon notes that a yet-to-be-named wing is likely to be recalled tomorrow for the game against Dallas.

Nashville Predators assign Mike Santorelli to Milwaukee, call up Cal O'Reilly

Dirk Hoag — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:09:57 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Despite scoring the shootout winner in the first game of the season, Mike Santorelli has been sent down to the minors by the Nashville Predators.

Browse more photos »

From the Nashvile Predators, as first leaked via their @NHLPredsInsider Twitter account:

Obviously the team is desperate to get some offense rolling, having scored just one goal in the last 3 games. Will this make an appreciable impact? In 14:00 of ice time per game, Santorelli had 11 shots on goal so far, the 3rd-best shooting total based on ice time on the team (behind Jason Arnott and Patric Hornqvist).

What remains to be seen is the role that O'Reilly will play. Santorelli's mission in training camp was to train as a winger, but it's doubtful that the Preds would throw O'Reilly into that situation right away. Will Legwand move over to the wing, perhaps, as happened last year to shake him out of an offensive slump?

Michael Santorelli

#18 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 189

Born: Dec 14, 1985

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Michael Santorelli	5	0	0	0	-5	0	0	0	0	0	11	0.0

The text of the press release follows...

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has recalled center Cal O'Reilly from Milwaukee (AHL), and reassigned forward Mike Santorelli to the Admirals. J.P. Dumont was also activated from Injured Reserve.

O'Reilly, 23 (9/30/86), amassed four assists in a 5-2 Admirals win over Peoria last night, and leads the American Hockey League in helpers with seven in three games. The Toronto, Ont., native registered five points (3g-2a) in 11 games with the Predators during the 2008-09 season, the first NHL action of his career.

Santorelli, 23 (12/14/85), suited up for each of the Predators first five games in 2009-10, posting no points while averaging 14:00 per game. A season ago, he Led Milwaukee in points (70) and goals (27) in addition to ranking second on the club in assists (43).

Nashville Predators sign Cal O'Reilly to two-year contract

Dirk Hoag — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:21:42 -0000

From the Nashville Predators:

Nashville, Tenn. (September 1, 2009) - Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed restricted free agent forward Cal O'Reilly to a two-year, contract. The first season of the contract will pay him $550,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 at the AHL level, while the second season is a one-way deal worth $575,000.

O'Reilly, 22 (9/30/86), registered five points (3g-2a) in 11 games with the Predators during the 2008-09 season, the first NHL action of his career. The Toronto, Ont., native notched an assist in his NHL debut against Detroit on Feb. 28, 2009, and posted a four-game point streak (3g-1a) in games No. 4-7 of his career during his second recall of the season from March 28-April 3. The 6-0, 187-pound center spent the majority of his third professional season with Milwaukee (AHL), tying for second in the league in assists (56) while ranking second on the Admirals and tied for 15th in the AHL in scoring (69).

In a nice compromise, the Preds get a two-way contract for this season, and O'Reilly gets a one-way deal in 2010-11. We should have quite a competition for that 3rd-line center spot this month...

Cal O`Reilly

#48 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 187

Born: Sep 30, 1986

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Cal O`Reilly	11	3	2	5	2	2	0	0	0	0	6	50.0

Poll

Who do you think will center the Predators 3rd line on Opening Night?

Marcel Goc

20 votes

Cal O'Reilly

37 votes

Mike Santorelli

4 votes

Colin Wilson

15 votes

other

4 votes

80 votes | Poll has closed

Jones, O'Reilly, Ortmeyer sent down for AHL Playoffs

Dirk Hoag — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:09:45 -0000

From the Nashville Predators:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has reassigned forwards Ryan Jones, Cal O’Reilly and Jed Ortmeyer to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League.

Jones played in 46 games for the Predators in 2008-09, posting 17 points (7g-10a) – all totals ranked first among the seven rookie skaters who played for the club this season. O’Reilly notched five points (3g-2a) in 11 games. All of his points came in his first seven career contests. Ortmeyer was pointless in two games.

The West Division Champion Admirals kick off the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs on Thursday night when they host the Rockford IceHogs.

The Week That Was... March 30 - April 5 2009

Dirk Hoag — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 01:06:06 -0000

More photos » by Frederick Breedon - AP

8 months ago: Nashville Predators left wing Steve Sullivan, right, congratulates Predators center Jason Arnott (19) for scoring his second goal of the night against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Frederick Breedon)

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The Drive for Five (straight playoff berths) is still alive, after a wild week of Nashville Predators action...

The Preds locked up the key 14,000 paid attendance mark, based on a report from the Tennessean on Monday and a projection for games remaining. As a validation of that thinking, the paper's update today showed an average paid number of 14,101, not including the final two home games. It seems likely that the final result will be somewhere around 14,200 or so.
As St. Louis battled right alongside Nashville for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs, critics noticed that the Central Division had a shot at qualifying all five teams for the postseason. As Anaheim has surged, however, it looks like either the Blues or Preds will make the playoffs, but not both.
The weekly Penalty Plus/Minus update featured Sean Avery, due to the question raised by some around the New York Rangers that officials were treating him unfairly due to his reputation. The numbers seemed to undermine that notion, based on the fact that he's drawn more penalties than he's been called for.
As if the team trainer wasn't already busy enough, Antti Pihlstrom hit the injured list with an upper body injury that kept him out of the week's games. Jed Ortmeyer was called up from Milwaukee to fill his roster spot.
Nashville's 5-0-3 streak was halted Tuesday night in Columbus, as the Blue Jackets won a tough 2-1 battle.
For April Fool's Day, Brandon Felder broke the news that Dan Ellis was going to fill in at forward to cover for all the injuries up front.
Two Predators prospects in Milwaukee were named to the AHL's Second All-Star Team.
Word came that Ron Wilson, as big a villain as exists in the NHL for Nashville fans, is about to be named coach of Team USA for the Winter Olympics in 2010.
The Preds dropped another tough decision in Chicago, a 3-1 loss that featured more gritty defensive play, and just not enough offense to keep up with the Blackhawks.
As the playoff outlook became dire, Jason Arnott declared himself fit for duty prior to Saturday's home game with Columbus. He then played a key role in a dramatic 5-4 shootout win.

And your Three Stars of the Week?

#3: Joel Ward: With two assists and a team-high 12 shots during the week, Ward stepped up into a larger role when the Preds desperately needed it.

#2: Cal O'Reilly: Scored the only goal in the Columbus and Chicago games.

#1: Jason Arnott: he came through like a true captain, returning from injury with two goals and an assist in a critical home game against the Blue Jackets to keep the Preds' playoff hopes alive.

Jason Arnott

#19 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-4

Weight: 220

Born: Oct 11, 1974

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Jason Arnott	62	29	23	52	2	47	9	0	5	2	183	15.8

Blue Jackets hold off the Preds 2-1

Dirk Hoag — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:57:57 -0000

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

8 months ago: Nashville Predators' Cal O'Reilly, right, scores past Columbus Blue Jackets' Steve Mason during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 31, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Browse more photos »

Nashville's eight-game streak of earning points in the standings came to a close tonight in Columbus as the Blue Jackets won a tightly contested 2-1 game. Both of the Calder Trophy candidates played well in this one, as Pekka Rinne stopped 31 of 33 Columbus shots, and Steve Mason made 21 stops on 22 Predators attempts.

The win by the Blue Jackets allows them to maintain 6th place in the Western Conference standings, while the Predators awaited the outcome of the Edmonton/Anaheim game to determine whether they'd hold on to sole possession of 7th.

The first period saw Columbus apply most of the pressure, outshooting Nashville 17-6 and getting several close-in chances. The Preds took the early lead, however, as a 3-on-2 rush resulted in Steve Sullivan sending a feed to Cal O'Reilly, who simply drove to the net and kept his stick on the ice for the goal. With just under a minute left in the period, however, the Blue Jackets tied it up when R.J. Umberger was left uncovered deep in the zone, and a quick turnover turned into a stuff shot and quick bat at the rebound to put it past Pekka Rinne.

The second saw Columbus earn an early power play, but team tendencies held sway as the NHL's 30th-ranked PP couldn't muster much against Nashville's 4th-ranked penalty kill. Both sides predictably kept things tight defensively, as shots were just 9-5 in Nashville's favor. The Preds suffered another injury loss, however, as Antti Pihlstrom headed to the locker room with a dreaded "upper body injury" and did not come back to the game.

The third started out with a little more activity both ways, but Columbus took the lead on a Raffi Torres goal. Nashville got a huge scare shortly thereafter, when Jiri Novotny drilled J.P. Dumont face-first into the dasher at the Blue Jackets' bench. Dumont lay motionless on the ice for quite a while before heading off, although he did return to the game later on. While there was no call made on Dumont's boarding, a make-up Holding call came shortly afterwards, which turned into a 5-on-3 when Umberger swiped Mike Santorelli's stick away from the play. The Preds couldn't capitalize on the advantage, however, leaving them a goal down with just minutes left.

In the waning moments, the Preds never could manage to generate a strong offensive chance with the goalie pulled; the Blue Jackets kept play to the outside, and chipped the puck back out to center ice often enough to run the clock down.

All in all, it was a reasonably gritty effort on Nashville's part, but of course a 2-1 loss counts the same as an 8-0 blowout in the standings. The two teams meet again Saturday at the Sommet Center, after the Preds play at Chicago on Friday.

As they prepare for the next game, I wonder if Barry Trotz will switch some of the line combinations. Santorelli seemed to have no chemistry with J.P. Dumont and Vern Fiddler (just as in his earlier stint with Nashville), as they generated a combined 2 shots. Joel Ward led all Predators with 6 shots on goal.

For further Preds-focused reaction, head over to What the Puck.

Predators Update, March 30 2009

Dirk Hoag — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:33:16 -0000

Another big win, another big loss for the Preds yesterday, so let's see what the buzz is about the team this morning:

James Mirtle adds to his series of posts looking at hockey in Nashville with an interview with Steve Sullivan. Here's what he had to say about the future of the franchise in Music City:

...we're 10 years or 11 years into this, and with this economic downturn it's going to be difficult for this team in the next couple years, but if it can hold on — you know Nashville is going to have to try to get more corporate sponsorships, and if they can start getting that and get some corporate help...

[He pauses.]

You know, a lot of the players love playing here. You don't hear a bad thing from anybody that's played here, we enjoy it, I'd love for it to stay here. Until you come and watch a game here, you don't really know what you're missing. It's definitely one of those experiences where you leave and you're just like 'wow, that's totally different than what I expected here'

Kudos to James for great work on this series, a very fair look at the overall situation. It looks like Ms. Conduct has our back, too.

As for the rest of the news,

Section 303 has launched a new podcast, entitled "303:30", be sure to take a listen!

John Glennon at the Tennessean confirms the news that Martin Erat is out for the rest of the regular season with a broken leg, courtesy of a Shea Weber slapshot.

Also at the Tennessean, sports columnist David Climer wrote a second Preds piece in the same week. I might just faint...

The Windsor Star shines the spotlight on Cal O'Reilly, who set up Jerred Smithson for a goal yesterday in Detroit, and used to play right across the Detroit River for the Windsor Spitfires as a teenager.

Frankly, I'm not buying this story that Martin Erat has to miss a month with a fractured tibia. Maybe the Predators need to dump Vanderbilt Medical Center as a partner and send him to this place, where they'll whip him back into shape:

Poll

Who should the Predators call up from Milwaukee to replace Martin Erat?

Mike Santorelli

15 votes

Jed Ortmeyer

10 votes

Hugh Jessiman

10 votes

Nick Spaling

4 votes

Other

1 votes

40 votes | Poll has closed

Preds Crown Kings in OT, 4-3

Dirk Hoag — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 01:19:54 -0000

When they gave up a tying goal with just 1:04 left in regulation, the Nashville Predators had reason to fear a major detour on the road to the playoffs. A Steve Sullivan goal in overtime sealed the win, however, lifting them into 7th place in the West in front of a sellout crowd at the Sommet Center.

The game also featured the first NHL goal for Cal O'Reilly, called up for his 2nd stint with Nashville after David Legwand was injured earlier in the week. After L.A. took a 2-1 lead into the 3rd period, Joel Ward scored his 16th of the year shorthanded, and Shea Weber tallied his 21st to put the Preds up 3-2 with 7:37 remaining. A long shot by young Kings defenseman Jack Johnson, however, tied the game and sent it to overtime.

Sullivan's goal came on a 4-on-3 power play, after Anze Kopitar was called for goaltender interference on a driving play to the net. Pekka Rinne stopped 24 of 27 shots to push his record to 26-12-4. Having gone 4-0-3 in their last seven games, Nashville heads to Detroit for a game late Sunday afternoon.

Nashville storms to 8-0 victory over rival Red Wings

Dirk Hoag — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:19:32 -0000

You couldn't have asked for a better script for this game; in the middle of a desperate playoff hunt, playing in front of a sellout crowd against the defending Stanley Cup champs and their greatest rival, the Nashville Predators came out with perhaps the greatest regular season win in team history, smiting the Detroit Red Wings 8-0. The eight-goal margin of victory set a new team record, surpassing the previous mark of 7 (done twice, both times against Los Angeles).

Heck, by the end of the 1st period alone, Shea Weber had a new career-best four game point-scoring streak, Ville Koistinen (playing forward once again) had a goal and an assist, Cal O'Reilly had an assist in his first NHL game, David Legwand extended his goal-scoring streak to three games, Ty Conklin got pulled, and Chris Osgood promptly got scored upon as well.

During the 1st intermission, I asked the @PredFans group on Twitter if this was the greatest period in Preds history. These responses came from @goverjkg and @ericshuff:

But really, the party was just getting started. In the second, things settled down somewhat, until Andreas Lilja picked a bad time to get on Shea Weber's bad side. As Weber came down towards the corner in the Red Wings zone, Lilja hauled him down from behind with a glove over Weber's face. The Nashville All-Star promptly got back up and gave Lilja a serious beatdown before the linesmen broke it up. On the resulting power play, Jason Arnott scored to push the lead to 6-0, and the crowd was having a rollicking good time. Just check out the highlights...

And the 3rd? A booming slapshot goal for Weber (completing his Gordie Howe Hat Trick), a conventional hat trick completed for Jason Arnott, and Pekka Rinne looking sharp turning aside all 30 Detroit shots to earn his 6th shutout this season. Steve Sullivan and J.P. Dumont chipped in 3 assists each, and Joel Ward tallied a goal and an assist. The folks who came down from Timmins, Ontario to catch some Predators action couldn't have picked a better time to come.

In the final analysis, this result really came down to goaltending; Pekka Rinne is as hot as any goalie in the NHL right now, while the Red Wings might well be facing a crisis of confidence in their crease. Chris Osgood just came back Friday night from a team-imposed break due to his poor play, while their starter tonight, Ty Conklin, looked awful on a couple of these early Nashville scores. I'm wondering if Ken Holland started making some phone calls during the game.

The challenge now for Nashville will be bottling up some of that positive energy from tonight and bringing a strong effort in the next game, a Tuesday night home date against Edmonton. The Oilers are one of many teams battling alongside Nashville for one of the Western Conference playoff spots, so in the big picture, that game means even more than this one did. But for now, Preds fans can savor one of the most satisfying nights in team history, and look forward to what should be a very interesting week ahead, including a battle with the Blue Jackets on Thursday and of course the Trade Deadline on Wednesday.

Poll

What was the best part of Saturday night's 8-0 win over Detroit?

Pekka Rinne's shutout

34 votes

Jason Arnott's hat trick

31 votes

Shea Weber's Gordie Howe hat trick

39 votes

The Nashville PK stopping Detroit's PP

1 votes

J.P. Dumont's 3 assists

0 votes

Steve Sullivan's 3 assists

3 votes

Cal O'Reilly's debut

1 votes

109 votes | Poll has closed