Milwaukee gets three from Predators

The Nashville Predators on Monday reassigned forward Scottie Upshall, defenseman Shea Weber and goaltender Pekka Rinne to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League.

Upshall played in 23 regular-season games for the Admirals, posting an impressive 33 points (17g, 16a), including two hat tricks, a plus-11 rating and 44 penalty minutes. Nashville’s first-round pick in the 2002 NHL entry draft, Upshall had 24 points (8g, 16a) and a plus-14 rating in 48 regular-season games with the Predators, and also skated in two playoff contests versus the San Jose Sharks.

The Fort McMurray, Alta., native was a member of the Admirals’ 2004 Calder Cup Championship team.

Weber played in four of the Predators’ five playoff games and tied for the team lead with two goals during the postseason. The rookie blueliner had 10 points (2g, 8a), a plus-8 rating and 42 PIM’s in 28 games with Nashville.

A native of Sicamous, B.C., Weber had 12 goals and 15 assists for 27 points in 46 games with the Admirals in 2005-06. Despite playing only about half the season in Milwaukee, Weber still led AHL rookie defensemen in goals.

Rinne posted a 30-18-2 mark with a 2.82 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in 51 games for Milwaukee in his rookie campaign. His 30 wins were good for second place in the AHL and he became just the sixth goalie in team history to top the 30-win plateau. Rinne went 1-1-0 in two appearances for Nashville this season.

The Kempele, Finland, native represented Milwaukee at the 2006 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic.

The Admirals are preparing to face Houston in the West Division final, beginning Thursday night at the Bradley Center.