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Milwaukee Admirals
Milwaukee Admirals logo.svg
City Milwaukee, Wisconsin
League American Hockey League
Conference Western
Division Central
Founded 1970 (As an amateur team)
Home arena UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
Colors                    
Owner(s) Group headed by
Harris Turer
General manager Scott Nichol
Head coach Karl Taylor
Captain Kevin Gravel
Media WVTV-DT2 "My 24"
The Big 920
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
AHL.TV (Internet)
Affiliates Nashville Predators (NHL)
Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL)
Franchise history
1970 Milwaukee Wings
1970–present Milwaukee Admirals
Championships
Regular season titles 2 AHL (2003–04, 2019–20)
Division Championships 1 USHL (1976–77)
4 IHL (1982–83, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96)
7 AHL (2003–04, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2015–16, 2019–20, 2023–24)
Conference Championships 2 (2003–04),(2005–06)
Calder Cups 1 (2003–04)
Playoff championships 1 USHL title (1975–76)

The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena. They are the highest level affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Nashville Predators.

The team has been playing since 1970, originally as an amateur team called the Milwaukee Wings, but were renamed as the Admirals after their first season. They played an independent schedule until joining the semiprofessional United States Hockey League (USHL) in 1973. In 1977, the Admirals joined the International Hockey League (IHL) when the USHL transitioned to a junior league. When the IHL ceased operations in 2001, the Admirals joined the AHL.

History

Independent era

The Admirals first took to the ice in the winter of 1970 as an amateur club known as the Milwaukee Wings. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Citizens Benefit Association, they lost their first game on January 25 when the Madison All-Stars beat them 17–7. They got their first win five days later when they defeated the Milwaukee Winter Club 10–8. They finished the season with 8 wins and 7 loses.

The next year the team was sold by the original owner Reed Fansher to a group of investors. One of the investors, Erwin J. Merar, owned an appliance store and the team was renamed the "Admirals" after a brand of household appliances sold in Merar's store.

United States Hockey League era

Beginning with the 1973–74 season the Admirals joined the United States Hockey League. Their first season in a league was not particularly successful as they ended the season in last place in their division. They won only 11 games, lost 35, and tied two games that season.

The Admirals won the USHL league championship in 1976, winning seven straight games in the league's playoffs. In the off-season, the team was purchased by former Chicago Blackhawks announcer Lloyd Pettit and his wife, Jane Bradley Pettit.

International Hockey League era

For the 1977–78 season the Admirals joined the International Hockey League as the USHL was becoming a strictly amateur league. The Admirals appeared in the IHL's Turner Cup finals only once (1983), where they lost to Toledo in six games.

American Hockey League era

The Admirals, along with five other IHL franchises, joined the American Hockey League for the 2001–02 season when the IHL ceased operations. The team was allowed to keep their nickname despite the presence of the Norfolk Admirals in the AHL, as Milwaukee had used the nickname since 1970, well before the Norfolk team was established as the Hampton Roads Admirals in the ECHL. (In the 2015–16 season, that AHL franchise moved to the AHL's Pacific Division as the fourth incarnation of the San Diego Gulls, and a Norfolk club was re-established in the ECHL.)

DSC 0879 (26668742198)
2003-04 Admirals with the Calder Cup

They won their first Calder Cup in 2004 when they defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Prior to the finals, Milwaukee needed seven games to defeat the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in the first round. Then the Admirals defeated the Chicago Wolves in six games to advance to the conference finals. The Admirals then eliminated the Rochester Americans four games to one. Milwaukee went on to sweep the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to win the Calder Cup. The Admirals completed a rare postseason run in which they needed one fewer game to eliminate their opponents in each subsequent series.

The Admirals were purchased in June 2005 by a group of investors, led by Harris J. Turer, including Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, assistant general manager Gord Ash, and pitcher Ben Sheets. The Brewers subsequently became the sole uniform sponsor of the Admirals, and the Admirals wear a Brewers logo patch on their sweaters.

The Admirals won their second division title as a member of the American Hockey League in 2006, clinching the title on the last day of their schedule with a win over the Grand Rapids Griffins.

In the 2006 Calder Cup playoffs after narrowly winning a seven-game playoff series over the Iowa Stars, Milwaukee swept both the Houston Aeros and Grand Rapids Griffins to advance to their second Calder Cup final series. To their disappointment, the Admirals would lose in six games to the Hershey Bears.

On August 1, 2006, the Admirals unveiled a new logo and a change in color scheme from the traditional red-and-blue to black, white, and light blue. They used this logo until 2015, when the Admirals unveiled another new logo, keeping the Lake Michigan blue from 2006, but replaced black with navy blue. Also, the skeleton motif was kept with the hat that adorns the skeleton's head as a callback to the Admirals logos used from 1976 to 1997. This logo received very positive reviews, resulting in it becoming SportsLogos.net's 2015 Best New Primary Logo of the Year.

On March 16, 2016, Milwaukee Admirals owner/CEO Harris Turer along with Wisconsin Center District (WCD) announced that the Admirals signed a 10-year contract, bringing the Admirals to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena for the 2016-17 AHL season. This 10-year contract also results in a $6.4 million investment to bring the arena up to AHL standards with the Admirals contributing two million and the rest being supplied by the Wisconsin Center District.

Rockford IceHogs vs. Milwaukee Admirals April 2023 50 (face-off)
Milwaukee hosting the Rockford IceHogs in 2023

The team won its second regular season championship in the 2019–20 season, which was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the ongoing restrictions during the pandemic, the Admirals were one of three teams that opted out of the 2020–21 AHL season. After the Admirals announced their season was cancelled, team ownership also announced that all of their full-time employees would still be paid for the year.

On November 17, 2023, the Admirals made history when defenseman Luke Prokop made his AHL debut as the first openly gay player in the league's history.

During the 2023-24 season, the Admirals set a new franchise record of 19 consecutive wins, which is also the second-longest winning streak in AHL history as of 2024. The winning streak lasted from January 5, 2024, which was also their first game of the calendar year, until February 25.

Team information

League membership

  • 1970–1973: independent
  • 1973–1977: United States Hockey League
  • 1977–2001: International Hockey League
  • 2001–present: American Hockey League

NHL affiliation

The Admirals have been the top-level affiliate of the Nashville Predators since that team's founding in 1998.

"I like to say that for our players, the road to Nashville runs through Milwaukee and a look at our roster illustrates this. (T)his is the kind of environment that we want our prospects to develop in."

Coincidentally, the two cities' baseball franchises share a reverse affiliation, as the Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

During the 2006–07 season, the Admirals were also part of an unusual affiliation agreement with the Edmonton Oilers, who used five partial affiliates in the AHL for the 2006–07 season. These five affiliates included the Milwaukee Admirals, the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Iowa Stars, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and the Hamilton Bulldogs. This arrangement lasted one season, as the Oilers announced a three-year affiliation with the Springfield Falcons on March 19, 2007.

Mascot

During the 1998 Admirals rebranding efforts, the Admirals created a new mascot, named Roscoe. Roscoe is a "sea dog"-like animal with bright orange fur, a hockey puck-shaped nose, and wears a bicorne admiral's hat along with an Admirals jersey with the number 98, representing the year Roscoe joined the Admirals organization.

At times during breaks and intermission, Roscoe will also ride a zamboni modified to look like a pirate ship. When interacting with fans, Roscoe will sometimes take souvenir hockey pucks from fans and place them on his nose.

In 2014, when the Nashville Predators' mascot, Gnash, got injured, Roscoe was "called up" to the Predators and to the NHL, joining with other mascots to entertain fans in Nashville while Gnash recovered.

Season-by-season results

Legend:  —  – round did not exist at the time

Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost Tied OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Standing Year Qualifying 1st round
Opening Round		 2nd round
Quarterfinals		 3rd round
Semifinals		 Finals
1970 15 8 7 0 — — 16 .533 — —
1970–71 22 14 7 1 — — 29 .659 — —
1971–72 24 11 12 1 — — 23 .479 167 117 — —
1972–73 32 26 5 1 — — 53 .828 228 145 — —
1973–74 48 11 35 2 — — 24 .250 192 318 5th, Southern 1974 — Did not qualify
1974–75 48 18 30 0 — — 36 .375 241 288 3rd, Southern 1975 — Did not qualify
1975–76 48 23 25 0 — — 46 .479 279 270 3rd, Southern 1976 — W, 2–0, SC W, 2–0, TC W, 3–0, GB
1976–77 48 23 23 2 — — 48 .500 231 241 1st, Southern 1977 — W, 2–0–2, GB L, 1–2–3, GR
1977–78 80 27 38 15 — — 69 .431 257 299 3rd, South 1978 — L, 1–4, TOL — —
1978–79 80 21 48 11 — — 53 .331 260 391 4th, South 1979 — L, 3–4, GRO — —
1979–80 80 29 41 10 — — 68 .425 327 402 3rd, South 1980 — L, 0–4, SAG — —
1980–81 82 32 35 15 — — 79 .482 354 371 3rd, West 1981 — L, 3–4, FWK — —
1981–82 82 41 34 7 — — 91 .543 385 351 2nd, IHL 1982 — L, 1–4, SAG — —
1982–83 82 43 30 9 — — 98 .579 407 312 1st, West 1983 — BYE W, 4–1, KAL L, 2–4, TOL
1983–84 82 46 27 6 3 — 101 .616 403 335 2nd, IHL 1984 — BYE L, 0–4, FLI —
1984–85 82 25 47 5 5 — 60 .366 292 389 5th, West 1985 — Did not qualify
1985–86 82 48 28 1 5 — 102 .622 368 306 2nd, West 1986 — L, 1–4, PEO — —
1986–87 82 41 37 — 2 2 86 .524 342 358 3rd, West 1987 — L, 2–4, SLC — —
1987–88 82 21 54 0 7 — 49 .299 288 430 4th, West 1988 — Did not qualify
1988–89 82 54 23 0 5 — 113 .689 399 323 2nd, West 1989 — W, 4–2, KAL L, 1–4, SLC —
1989–90 82 36 39 0 7 — 79 .482 316 370 3rd, West 1990 — L, 2–4, SLC — —
1990–91 82 36 43 — 3 0 75 .457 275 316 4th, West 1991 — L, 2–4, PEO — —
1991–92 82 38 36 — 5 3 84 .512 306 309 3rd, East 1992 — L, 1–4, MUS — —
1992–93 82 49 23 — 3 7 108 .659 329 280 1st, Midwest 1993 — L, 2–4, KC — —
1993–94 81 40 24 — 17 0 97 .599 338 302 2nd, Midwest 1994 — L, 0–4, ATL — —
1994–95 81 44 27 0 10 — 98 .605 317 298 1st, Central 1995 — W, 3–2, SD L, 1–4, LV — —
1995–96 82 40 32 — — 10 90 .549 290 307 1st, Midwest 1996 — L, 1–3, PEO — — —
1996–97 82 38 36 — — 8 84 .512 253 298 4th, Midwest 1997 — L, 0–3, LB — — —
1997–98 82 43 34 — — 5 91 .555 267 262 3rd, Midwest 1998 — W, 3–1, HOU L, 4–2, CHI — —
1998–99 82 38 28 — — 16 92 .561 254 265 4th, Midwest 1999 — L, 0–2, MTB — — —
1999–00 82 37 36 — — 9 83 .506 222 246 5th, Eastern 2000 — L, 1–2, CLE — — —
2000–01 82 42 33 — — 7 91 .555 244 217 5th, Eastern 2001 — Did not qualify
2001–02 80 30 35 10 5 — 75 .469 198 207 5th, West 2002 Did not qualify
2002–03 80 32 27 14 7 — 85 .531 247 251 4th, West 2003 W, 2–1, RCH L, 0–3, HOU — — —
2003–04 80 46 24 7 3 — 102 .638 269 191 1st, West 2004 BYE W, 4–3, CIN W, 4–2, CHI W, 4–1, RCH W, 4–0, WBS
2004–05 80 47 24 — 4 5 103 .644 247 207 2nd, West 2005 — L, 3–4, CIN — — —
2005–06 80 49 21 — 6 4 108 .675 268 234 1st, West 2006 — W, 4–3, IWA W, 4–0, HOU W, 4–0, GRG L, 2–4, HER
2006–07 80 41 25 — 4 10 96 .600 227 230 3rd, West 2007 — L, 0–4, CHI — — —
2007–08 80 44 29 — 4 3 95 .594 231 212 4th, West 2008 — L, 2–4, CHI — — —
2008–09 80 49 22 — 3 6 107 .669 229 195 1st, West 2009 — W, 4–0, RCK L, 3–4, HOU — —
2009–10 80 41 30 — 2 7 91 .569 237 220 4th, West 2010 — L, 3–4, CHI — — —
2010–11 80 44 22 — 6 8 102 .638 226 194 1st, West 2011 — W, 4–2, TEX L, 3–4, HOU — —
2011–12 76 40 29 — 2 5 87 .572 210 190 2nd, Midwest 2012 — L, 0–3, ABB — — —
2012–13 76 41 28 — 4 3 89 .586 197 200 2nd, Midwest 2013 — L, 1–3, TEX — — —
2013–14 76 39 24 — 6 7 91 .599 215 199 3rd, Midwest 2014 — L, 0–3, TOR — — —
2014–15 76 33 28 — 8 7 81 .533 206 218 5th, Midwest 2015 — Did not qualify
2015–16 76 48 23 — 3 2 101 .664 224 193 1st, Central 2016 — L, 0–3, GR — — —
2016–17 76 43 26 — 4 3 95 .612 225 215 3rd, Central 2017 — L, 0–3, GR — — —
2017–18 76 38 32 — 4 2 82 .539 216 235 6th, Central 2018 — Did not qualify
2018–19 76 36 24 — 14 2 88 .579 217 207 2nd, Central 2019 — L, 2–3, IA — — —
2019–20 61 41 14 — 5 3 90 .714 211 141 1st, Central 2020 — Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Did not participate due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 76 39 28 — 5 4 87 .572 229 228 3rd, Central 2022 BYE W, 3–2, MB L, 1–3, CHI — —
2022–23 72 41 24 — 5 2 89 .618 238 211 2nd, Central 2023 BYE W, 3–2, MB W, 3–2, TEX L, 2–4, CV —
2023–24 72 47 22 — 2 1 97 .674 238 193 1st, Central 2024 BYE W, 3–2, TEX W, 3-2, GR L, 1-4, CV —

Players

Current roster

Updated November 23, 2024.

Team roster
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
42 United States Angello, AnthonyAnthony Angello RW R 28 2023 Albany, New York Predators
22 United States Bellows, KiefferKieffer Bellows LW L 26 2024 Edina, Minnesota Predators
37 United States Blankenburg, NickNick Blankenburg D R 26 2024 Washington Township, Michigan Predators
11 Canada Campbell, AlexAlex Campbell LW L 23 2024 Chateauguay, Quebec Admirals
30 Sweden Chrona, MagnusMagnus Chrona G L 24 2024 Stockholm, Sweden Predators
10 Canada Frasca, JordanJordan Frasca C L 23 2024 Caledon, Ontario Predators
5 United States Gravel, KevinKevin Gravel (C) D L 32 2022 Kingsford, Michigan Predators
21 Canada Hanzel, JeremyJeremy Hanzel D L 21 2024 Burnaby, British Columbia Predators
13 United States Hinostroza, VinnieVinnie Hinostroza (A) C L 30 2024 Melrose Park, Illinois Predators
17 Canada Howarth, KaleKale Howarth LW L 27 2024 Red Deer, Alberta Admirals
25 Finland Kemell, JoakimJoakim Kemell RW R 20 2023 Jyväskylä, Finland Predators
23 Canada Livingstone, JakeJake Livingstone D R 25 2023 Creston, British Columbia Predators
19 Canada Lucchini, JakeJake Lucchini C L 29 2024 Trail, British Columbia Predators
36 Canada Marino, KyleKyle Marino C R 29 2024 Niagara Falls, Ontario Admirals
51 Canada Matier, JackJack Matier D R 21 2023 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Predators
32 Canada Murray, MattMatt Murray G L 26 2024 St. Albert, Alberta Predators
47 Canada Mutter, NavrinNavrin Mutter LW L 23 2022 Lucan, Ontario Predators
16 Canada O'Reilly, CalCal O'Reilly (A) C L 38 2023 Toronto, Ontario Admirals
6 Canada Prokop, LukeLuke Prokop D R 22 2022 Edmonton, Alberta Predators
15 Canada Ratcliffe, IsaacIsaac Ratcliffe LW L 25 2024 London, Ontario Admirals
49 Canada Schaefer, ReidReid Schaefer LW L 21 2023 Edmonton, Alberta Admirals
12 United States Ufko, RyanRyan Ufko D R 21 2024 Plainview, New York Predators
62 United States Wall, KevinKevin Wall RW R 24 2023 Rochester, New York Admirals
89 Canada Wiesblatt, OzzyOzzy Wiesblatt RW R 22 2024 Calgary, Alberta Admirals
58 Sweden Wilsby, AdamAdam Wilsby D L 24 2022 Stockholm, Sweden Predators

Team captains

  • Neil Meadmore, 1987–88
  • Peter Bakovic, 1988–1991
  • Gino Cavallini, 1994–1996
  • Tony Hrkac, 1996–97
  • Jeff Nelson, 1997–1999
  • Marc Moro, 1999–2001
  • Andy Berenzweig, 2002–03
  • Ray Schultz, 2003–04
  • Tony Hrkac, 2004–05
  • Greg Zanon, 2005–06
  • Sheldon Brookbank, 2006–07
  • Alex Henry, 2007–08
  • Nolan Yonkman, 2008–2010
  • Brett Palin, 2010–11
  • Scott Ford, 2011–12, 2013–14
  • Mike Moore, 2012–13
  • Joe Piskula, 2014–15
  • Colton Sissons, 2015–16
  • Trevor Smith, 2016–2018
  • Jarred Tinordi, 2018–2020
  • Cole Schneider, 2021–2023
  • Kevin Gravel, 2023–present

Retired numbers

Milwaukee Admirals retired numbers
No. Player Position Career No. retirement
9 Phil Wittliff C 1973–1977 April 3, 1977
14 Fred Berry C 1980–1984, 1985–1987 December 27, 2003
14 Mike McNeill C 1992–1998 December 27, 2003
20 Darren Haydar RW 2002–2006 February 21, 2020
26 Tony Hrkac C 1994–1997, 2003–2005 March 14, 2008
27 Danny Lecours LW 1975–1984, 1985–1986 January 4, 1987
44 Kevin Willison D 1981–1984, 1985–1986 February 28, 2004
44 Gino Cavallini C 1993–1996 February 28, 2004

Notable NHL alumni

List of Milwaukee Admirals alumni who played more than 100 games in Milwaukee and 100 or more games in the National Hockey League.

  • Pontus Aberg
  • Shawn Antoski
  • Victor Bartley
  • Michel Bergeron
  • Anthony Bitetto
  • Jonathon Blum
  • Gabriel Bourque
  • Randy Boyd
  • Sheldon Brookbank
  • Alexandre Carrier
  • Gino Cavallini
  • Kevin Fiala
  • Vernon Fiddler
  • John Flesch
  • Cody Franson
  • Frederick Gaudreau
  • Dan Hamhuis
  • Alex Henry
  • Tony Hrkac
  • Andrew Hutchinson
  • Kevin Klein
  • Jeff Larmer
  • Michael Latta
  • David Mackey
  • Bob Mason
  • Chris Mason
  • Andrew McBain
  • Mark Mowers
  • Rob Murphy
  • Cal O'Reilly
  • Mathieu Olivier
  • Rich Peverley
  • Pekka Rinne
  • Miikka Salomaki
  • Mike Santorelli
  • Brandon Segal
  • Colton Sissons
  • Trevor Smith
  • Wyatt Smith
  • Nick Spaling
  • Jeremy Stevenson
  • Zack Stortini
  • Alexander Sulzer
  • Tom Tilley
  • Jarred Tinordi
  • Eeli Tolvanen
  • Mike Tomlak
  • Jordin Tootoo
  • Yakov Trenin
  • Steve Tuttle
  • Scottie Upshall
  • Austin Watson
  • Greg Zanon
  • Richard Zemlak

Team records

Single season

  • Goals: Danny Lecours, 75, (1982–83)
  • Assists: Dale Yakiwchuk, 100, (1982–83)
  • Points: Dale Yakiwchuk, 138, (1982–83)
  • Penalty minutes: Don Gibson, 381, (1992–93)
  • GAA: Connor Ingram, 1.92, (2019–20)
  • SV%: Connor Ingram, .933, (2019–20)

Career

  • Career goals: Danny Lecours, 445
  • Career assists: Fred Berry, 379
  • Career points: Danny Lecours, 814
  • Career penalty minutes: Ken Sabourin, 1233
  • Career goaltending wins: Rich Sirois, 119
  • Career shutouts: Brian Finley, 11
  • Career games: Danny Lecours, 641
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