Phil Tomasino has started to heat up when the Milwaukee Admirals have needed him most.
Part of a contingent of players sent from the Nashville Predators to Milwaukee for the Calder Cup Playoffs, the 21-year forward had a quiet first two series with the Admirals in which he recorded three assists in 10 games. Now through four games against Coachella Valley in the Western Conference Finals, he has put up five points (two goals, three assists). He picked up a goal and an assist in Milwaukee’s 5-2 win in Game 4 that evened the series at two games apiece.
“I don’t think that personally I got off to the start that maybe I wanted to,” Tomasino told reporters after the win. “As the playoffs have gone on, I think my play has amped up. I think my linemates [Anthony Angello and Jimmy Huntington] and I have really been connecting, especially this round.
“Those guys are two horses on the ice. They skate hard, and they retrieve pucks.”
Tomasino divided his third pro season between Nashville and Milwaukee. He had 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 38 games with the Admirals while also posting 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 31 NHL contests. The 2019 first-round pick had spent all of last season in the NHL before being assigned to the Admirals out of training camp. When the Predators sent prospects like Tomasino back to Milwaukee last month, this kind of playoff experience is what they had hoped would be possible.
“It’s a lot of fun for our group right now, and we’re enjoying every moment of it,” Tomasino said.
― Patrick Williams
