MILWAUKEE — Philip Tomasino talks fast and plays fast.

So it made sense that he was quick to point out earlier this season, when he was amid a string of healthy scratches with the Nashville Predators, that he believed he belonged in the NHL That he had proven that when he "was given a chance."

Philip Tomasino is not in the NHL anymore. He turned in his gold and white Predators threads for the blue and white of the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals on Feb. 12.

Again.

Tomasino has been sent to Milwaukee from the NHL nine times during his three year career with Nashville.

He learned of the latest during a meeting with general manager Barry Trotz the morning of Super Bowl Sunday. He had been a healthy scratch around a dozen times and recorded seven goals and 13 assists in 41 games before he was sent to the Admirals.

"Everyone's goal is to be there, right?" Tomasino said of the NHL. "Same for me. I went through the same thing last year, at the beginning of the year.

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"It's about consistency every night for me, whether that's doing the little things, not just scoring but making plays. This is a hard league to play in."

Philip Tomasino trying to be 'where his feet are'

A big reason Tomasino found himself a scratch, or on the bench during crucial times in games, was because Predators coach Andrew Brunette didn't trust him.

"The little things that plague him a little bit, the structures and details of our system, are glaring at times," Brunette said in late January. "So you don't feel completely comfortable and confident in games that are tight.

"He's gotten much better as the season has progressed, but for us to lean on him late in games, he needs to find another level."

And he'll have to try to find it in the AHL. To help himself accept that, Tomasino said he keeps in mind something former Predators coach John Hynes told him.

"Being where your feet are," Tomasino said. "(Hynes) used to say that, and it's really true. You want to be there, but my focus right now is trying to help our team here.

"They have their reasons. I truly believe they want what's best for me. It's definitely mixed emotions. I wouldn't say pissed off, but then again I have to be where I am now."

Cody Hodgson on Phiip Tomasino: 'He'll be back'

Tomasino, a first-round pick of the Predators' in 2019, has a new "old" road roommate with the Admirals who goes by the name Cody Hodgson.

Hodgson, a first-round pick himself in 2008 by the Vancouver Canucks, played six seasons in the NHL before he was forced to retire in 2015-16 because of hypoglycemia. The 34-year-old spent the final season of his career with the Predators and returned to the professional ranks this season after eight years away.

"From my perspective he brings a lot to the team," Hodgson said. "He's a skilled playmaker. He really sees the ice well. He's a great skater, has a hard shot.

"I like playing with him. That's all I know in my perspective. Eventually he'll be back up and have a great career."

Tomasino has 23 goals and 47 assists in 148 games with Nashville. He helped the Admirals on their run to the Western Conference Final last season, with two goals and seven assists in 16 playoff games after the NHL season ended.

Hodgson doesn't think it will be long before Tomasino is out of the AHL again.

"You just do the best you can wherever you're at and eventually someone will see it," Hodgson said.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: For Philip Tomasino, quest is about returning to Nashville Predators