By Jason Karnosky
There’s something brewing in Milwaukee with the city’s sports franchises.
While the Milwaukee Brewers climbed to the top of baseball’s ranks this season, and the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Cup last winter, the Milwaukee Admirals continue to be one of the American Hockey League’s top franchises.
Since returning to action after the COVID-19 pandemic four years ago, the Admirals have reached the Western Conference finals twice, won back-to-back Central Division titles, and finished with no less than 39 wins in any season.
That run of success makes Milwaukee one of the top destinations in the AHL for players, who know they have the chance to do something special each season.
“Every year Milwaukee has had a great team, and the Admirals always make deep runs in the playoffs,” Milwaukee forward Ryder Rolston said. “(Our group) wants to live up to that expectation.”
While the 2025-26 Admirals are trending younger, the goal for this year’s squad remains the same—win games and go deep in the Calder Cup playoffs.
“There are a lot of players that would love to play here, and we all have the opportunity to do that,” said the 23-year-old Rolston, who is the son of former NHL standout Brian Rolston. “There is a level of pride you take playing for an organization like Milwaukee.”
Leading the charge is Admirals head coach Karl Taylor, whose run with Milwaukee has been no less than remarkable. Taylor has averaged over 40 wins each season as the Admirals’ coach and has won 57 percent of his games behind Milwaukee’s bench.
“We’ve been close the last few years, but we want to win a championship here,” said Taylor, the AHL’s most outstanding coach in 2019-20. “Wouldn’t it be great if we did that with a bunch of young guys like we have this year?”
While youth will be served in 2025-26, the Admirals’ recent postseason runs has been fueled by its veteran core. Leading scorer Cal O’Reilly departed this summer, but some experienced skaters return to Milwaukee, including captain Kevin Gravel. The 33-year-old is back for his fourth season with the Admirals, as the Cream City is now starting to feel like a second home for the Kingsford, Michigan native.
“It’s nice to have that familiarity with this team, the city, and how things are done within this organization,” said Gravel, who also saw action in six games with Milwaukee’s NHL-affiliate Nashville last season.
Along with Rolston and Gravel, Milwaukee’s key leaders this season will include Jake Lucchini, Daniel Carr and Kyle Marino. Those are the guys that the first and second-year players will rely on for guidance, especially early in the season.
“A lot of our guys are a little younger, so I try to lead and show the younger guys how things are done the right way,” Gravel said. “The AHL is a young league, and that brings a little more excitement to the rink for the older guys. Our younger guys bring a lot of energy, and their young legs kind of push you to show up to play every day.”
While Carr wasn’t with Milwaukee last season, the crafty veteran is back for his second stint with the Admirals after playing five seasons in the Swiss-A league.
Carr posted 23 goals and 50 points in 47 games with Milwaukee during the 2019-20 season. That was his last full year in North America. The 33-year-old veteran of 117 NHL games, is a player Taylor trusts to complement his coaching philosophy.
“If you are on Daniel’s line you better be able to make a pass because if you can’t, then he’s going to let you know about it,” Taylor said. “He will add a level of execution to our team with his demand for making the right decisions. I want him to do that every single day because it will raise the level of our team.”
Rookie forward David Edstrom should get lots of playing time in Milwaukee in his first professional season in North America. The 20-year-old, Gothenburg, Sweden native, posted 19 points in 39 games with Frolunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League last season.
Other young talents up front include forwards Zach L’Heureux and Reid Schaefer. Both forwards can’t wait to get back into game action this season after injuries derailed the end of their 2023-24 campaigns.
The tenacious L’Heureux was an impactful rookie playing primarily in Nashville last season. After dressing for four games in Milwaukee, the Montreal, Quebec native picked up 15 points and 63 penalty minutes in 62 games with the Predators.
“Our guys like Zach that got called up last year, stepped up, and had an impact on the game,” Admirals general manager Scott Nichol said. “The guys that went up became part of the fabric of the Predators. Their development goes hand-in-hand with our pro scouts, our development staff, and the coaches here in Milwaukee and in Nashville.”
Schaefer dealt with even more serious injury issues, which limited him to just 19 AHL games last season.
Back on the blue line Milwaukee will feature one of Nashville’s top prospects in defenseman Tanner Molendyk. Nashville’s 2023 first round draft choice is set to begin his professional career in Milwaukee, after five impressive years in the Western Hockey League.
“We’ll start the year with at least four or five first round players playing in Milwaukee, and that’s a pretty good thing for the future of our organization,” Predators general manager Barry Trotz said. “Guys like Tanner Molendyk and David Edstrom, who were high draft picks, will get the chance to play and develop there. It’s exciting to see our top prospects turn pro, get to Milwaukee, and have that chance for success.
Much like L’Heureux, Schaefer, and Edstrom, who were also first-round draft choices, Molendyk should see plenty of opportunities to play and grow his game as a 20-year-old with the Admirals.
“We are a younger team this year, so individual development will be a more critical piece for us,” Taylor said. “We are really going to invest in each player individually, as we always have, but we are going to make that more of a focus this year.”
Second-year Admirals defenseman Ryan Ufko returns alongside Gravel to a mainly new-look Admirals blue line. That defense will also include veteran Jordan Oesterle, who saw action in 15 games with Nashville and 22 games with the Boston Bruins last season. The 33-year-old brings over 408 games of NHL experience to Milwaukee.
One place where Milwaukee won’t be inexperienced is in goal. The Admirals standout tandem of Matt Murray and Magnus Chrona both return, eager to build on last year’s success.
Last season Murray posted a 28-10-5 record, with a 2.07 goals against average and a .932 save percentage, while Chrona went 12-11-5, with a 2.80 GAA, and a .903 SP. Both goalies have experience playing in the NHL, as the 25-year-old Chrona played in nine games with the San Jose Sharks in 2023-24, while the 27-year-old Murray played in four games with the Dallas Stars from 2022 to 2024.
While this year’s Admirals look quite a bit different from the squad that narrowly missed out on Calder Cup finals berths in 2023 and 2024, the expectations remain the same.
“This group, our team, will write its own story like we always do,” Taylor said. “We’re not sure where it is going to go, but we plan on winning every game we play.”
Taylor’s squad plays to win championships and hang banners in Panther Arena. That’s why the players are excited to get the season rolling Saturday night in Rockford.
“Our guys are ready to go,” Gravel said. “Everyone here had a good camp up in Nashville, and now it is on us to bring it here, and to keep things rolling here in Milwaukee.”
