A youth movement can turn the Milwaukee Admirals into one of the most entertaining teams in the league. That hinges on the direction the Nashville Predators want to go in.
The Milwaukee Admirals have a chance to become one of the most exciting teams in the American Hockey League this season. With a younger group that has prospects flying up and down the ice, they can turn into a great team down the stretch and become a vital part of the Nashville Predators rebuild.
Speaking of the Predators, their season and the direction they head in will swing the Admirals’ season. The Predators might be in the mix in the Central Division and allow their prospects to marinate in the AHL. There’s also a good chance this team will retool and move on from veterans and call up the prospects.
For the first time in a while, the Predators have an exciting farm system with a few prospects who can make the NHL team or play in the AHL. It’s what makes the Admirals an interesting team to keep an eye on, even before the season gets underway.
Stats from 2025-26:
Record: 32-33-4-3 (5th in the Central Division, 13th in the Western Conference & tied for 24th in the AHL)
Offense: 2.86 goals per game (25th in the AHL)
Defense: 3.06 goals per game (13th in the AHL)
The Burning Question: Will The New-Look Admirals Have Enough Firepower?
Last season, the tale of the tape for the Admirals was low-scoring games. They won with defense and lost because of their offense. The hope in the summer was to add more firepower and put together a strong offense.
That became a tall task when Jordan Oesterle retired. The veteran defenseman was one of the best two-way players on the team and an elite defenseman in the AHL. He scored 13 goals and added 32 assists as the top-pair defenseman.
The Admirals will look to replace Oesterle’s playmaking at the point with Ryan Ufko, a 23-year-old defenseman who had 11 goals and 33 assists. Likewise, the hope is that the new-look forward group is fast, exciting to watch, and most importantly, tough to play against (something every coach claims they want their team to be).
That forward group can include Brady Martin, Wyatt Cullen, and Oasiz Wiesblatt, three prospects poised to make significant strides this season if they end up in the AHL. They would join Jake Lucchini, who had a team-leading 50 points last season, to form a great top six.
Why The Admirals Are Optimistic
The youth movement will make the Admirals better and give the fans more prospects to keep an eye on. With the surplus of forwards on the AHL team, only a handful will make the Predators roster this season or get called up if the team sells at the deadline. It will leave head coach Karl Taylor with plenty to work with.
Taylor is one of the longest-tenured coaches in the AHL, and his experience particularly benefits a young team like this one. He’ll coach the Admirals with the long game in mind and have them prepared for the home stretch and the playoffs, rather than a team that stumbled in and didn’t last long.
The veteran signings also help. The Admirals brought in Jack Achan, a defenseman who scored 11 goals and added 39 assists for the Colorado Eagles last season. Likewise, the Hunter Skinner signing gives them a reliable depth defenseman to add stability to the unit.
With Matthew Murray back as the starting goaltender, the Admirals don’t have a glaring weakness. Or more accurately, they head into the season without a glaring weakness. It’s why this team might not only return to the playoffs but also be in a position to go on a run.
Prospects To Watch
The Predators drafted Brady Martin with the fifth pick in the 2025 draft. After spending the season in the Ontario Hockey League, Martin played the three playoff games for the Admirals and showed flashes, including scoring a goal in the first game. The power forward has a good shot at making the NHL team out of camp but might spend the season developing in the AHL, as a forward who still has a lot to work on.
The 2026 first-round selection was Wyatt Cullen, who has the option to play in the AHL if he doesn’t make the Predators' roster. If Cullen is on the Admirals, it puts two of the Predators' best forward prospects on the same timeline and allows them to develop together.
The prospects who were on the Admirals last season were rookies Cole O’Hara and Oasiz Wiesblatt. O’Hara had 19 goals and 25 assists as a dynamic scoring winger, while Wiesblatt had 13 goals and 18 assists while centering a top-six line.
The prospect on the defense who stands out is Tanner Molendyk. The 21-year-old had 23 points while finding his footing at the AHL level, and this season is shaping up to be a big one for him, as he takes on more responsibilities and becomes a two-way defenseman the Predators must keep an eye on.
The question with most of these prospects is where they’ll spend the season. Will they make the Predators roster out of camp? Will they join the team by midseason or after the trade deadline? It’s all dependent on how the Predators operate with Chris MacFarland at the helm as their new general manager.
