Milwaukee, WI—The Admirals announced today that the team has signed defenseman Adam Wilsby to a professional try-out contract (PTO) for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. Last week Wilsby signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Predators that begins for next season.
Wilsby recently completed his second full season with Skellefteå of the Swedish Hockey League in 2021-22, appearing in 51 games and posting 17 points (4g-13a) – one shy of matching his career high of 18 (6g-12a), set in 2020-21. The 6-foot, 183-pound defenseman was third among Skellefteå blueliners in goals (4) and fourth in assists (13) and points while averaging a career-high 17:17 of ice time. Wilsby also led SHL defensemen in plus-minus at +24 – the highest by a Skellefteå player at that position since 2012-13 – and out of all league blueliners under the age of 22, he was tied for third in goals and fourth in points and assists. This season, he helped Skellefteå to a 27-17-5-3 record (94 points) and a spot in the SHL quarterfinals, where he tallied two assists in six playoff games.
Originally drafted by the Predators in the fourth round (101st overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft, Wilsby has skated in 109 career SHL games since making his pro debut in 2018-19. The Stockholm, Sweden, native completed his first full professional season in 2020-21, recording 18 points (6g-12a) in 48 games, the second-most among team defensemen, and added two assists in 12 postseason contests. Wilsby played portions of four seasons with Skellefteå’s U-20 side from 2016-20, serving as an alternate captain in 2018-19, and during the 2019-20 campaign had 30 points (3g-27a) in 41 games with Södertälje in the HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest professional league in Sweden. His 27 assists with Södertälje stood as the most by a U-20 skater in the HockeyAllsvenskan that season.
The Admirals have three games left in the regular season with their road finale up next on Saturday night in Chicago. The Ads are home again on Sunday, April 24th at 3 pm against the Manitoba Moose. They will begin the Calder Cup Playoffs against a yet-to-be-determined opponent the first week of May.
