Congratulations to our AHL All-Stars in Ryan Ellis and Chris Mueller!

Ellis is still with thePredators as of this writing but while with the Admirals posted excellent offensive numbers including 13 assists and 17 points, with seven of those helpers coming via the power play. He made his NHL debut on December 26th against Detroit and has looked more and more comfortable with each passing shift.

Mueller has seen time with the Predators in each of the last two seasons and is a great story, having been signed to the club after earning a recall last year despite only being on an ECHL-AHL two-way contract. This season he’s Milwaukee’s top goal scorer and point-getter, once again getting the nod in Nashville for a pair of games earlier this season.

There are other very good players on the Admirals roster deserving of such notoriety, but seeing the AHL recognize that these guys are doing something special this year is always afeather in the cap to both player and organization.

While we do know that the fan voting at the NHL level can lead to some interesting looking choices (check out this year’s leading vote-getters) in the AHL just getting noticed can really make a difference for a player come next season, whether in the form of a camp invite or even a recall later in the season. Let’s hope that while Ellis remains with Nashville he continues to grow and develop, and that Mueller is able to keep his game on the rise as well! They will serve as a great example to everyone else around them fighting for that very same dream – to play in the NHL.