| Milwaukee Admirals | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| League | American Hockey League |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Central |
| Founded | 1970 |
| 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" Fox Sports 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 titles | 1 USHL (1976–77) 4 IHL (1982–83,1992–93,1994–95,1995–96) 8 AHL (2003–04,2005–06,2008–09,2010–11,2015–16,2019–20,2023–24,2024–25) |
| Conference titles | 2 (2003–04),(2005–06) |
| Calder Cups | 1 (2003–04) |
| Playoff championships | 1 USHL title (1975–76) |
 Current season | |
TheMilwaukee Admirals are a professionalice hockey team based inMilwaukee. They are theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of theNational Hockey League (NHL)'sNashville Predators.[1] They play their homes games at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena.
The team has been playing since 1970, originally as an amateur team called theMilwaukee Wings, but were renamed as the Admirals after their first season. They played an independent schedule until joining the semiprofessionalUnited States Hockey League (USHL) in 1973. In 1977, the Admirals joined theInternational Hockey League (IHL) when the USHL transitioned to ajunior league. When the IHL ceased operations in 2001, the Admirals joined the AHL.
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.[2][3] They got their first win five days later when they defeated the Milwaukee Winter Club 10–8.[4] They finished the season with 8 wins and 7 loses.[5]
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" aftera brand of household appliances sold in Merar's store.[6]
Beginning with the1973–74 season the Admirals joined theUnited 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.[citation needed]
The Admirals won the USHL league championship in1976, winning seven straight games in the league's playoffs. In the off-season, the team was purchased by formerChicago Blackhawks announcerLloyd Pettit and his wife,Jane Bradley Pettit.[citation needed]
For the1977–78 season the Admirals joined theInternational 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.[citation needed]
The Admirals, along with five other IHL franchises, joined theAmerican Hockey League for the2001-02 AHL season[7] when the IHL ceased operations. The team was allowed to keep their nickname despite the presence of theNorfolk Admirals in the AHL, as Milwaukee had used the nickname since 1970, well before the Norfolk team was established as theHampton Roads Admirals in theECHL. (In the 2015–16 season, that AHL franchise moved to the AHL's Pacific Division as the fourth incarnation of theSan Diego Gulls, and aNorfolk club was re-established in the ECHL.)
.jpg)
They won their first Calder Cup in 2004 when they defeated theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Prior to the finals, Milwaukee needed seven games to defeat theCincinnati Mighty Ducks in the first round. Then the Admirals defeated theChicago Wolves in six games to advance to the conference finals. The Admirals then eliminated theRochester Americans four games to one. Milwaukee went on to sweep theWilkes-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.[8]
The Admirals were purchased in June 2005 by a group of investors, led by Harris J. Turer, includingMilwaukee Brewers ownerMark Attanasio, assistant general managerGord Ash, and pitcherBen Sheets. The Brewers subsequently became the sole uniform sponsor of the Admirals, and the Admirals wear a Brewers logo patch on theirsweaters.[citation needed]
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 theGrand Rapids Griffins.[9]
In the2006 Calder Cup playoffs after narrowly winning a seven-game playoff series over theIowa Stars, Milwaukee swept both theHouston Aeros andGrand Rapids Griffins to advance to their second Calder Cup final series. To their disappointment, the Admirals would lose in six games to theHershey Bears.[10]
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.[11] 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.[12] This logo received very positive reviews, resulting in it becomingSportsLogos.net's 2015 Best New Primary Logo of the Year.[13]
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 theUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Panther Arena for the 2016-17 AHL season.[14] 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.[15]
.jpg)
The team won its second regular season championship in the 2019–20 season, which was curtailed by theCOVID-19 pandemic. Due to the ongoing restrictions during the pandemic, the Admirals were one of three teams that opted out of the2020–21 AHL season.[16] 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 defensemanLuke Prokop made his AHL debut as the first openly gay player in the league's history.[17]
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.
The Admirals have been the top-level affiliate of theNashville Predators since that team's founding in 1998.[25]
"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."
— Nashville General Manager David Poile
Coincidentally, the two cities' baseball franchises share a reverse affiliation, as theNashville Sounds are theTriple-A affiliate of theMilwaukee Brewers.
During the 2006–07 season, the Admirals were also part of an unusual affiliation agreement with theEdmonton Oilers, who used five partial affiliates in the AHL for the 2006–07 season. These five affiliates included the Milwaukee Admirals, theGrand Rapids Griffins, theIowa Stars, theWilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and theHamilton Bulldogs. This arrangement lasted one season, as the Oilers announced a three-year affiliation with theSpringfield Falcons on March 19, 2007.
During the 1998 Admirals rebranding efforts, the Admirals created a new mascot, namedRoscoe. Roscoe is a "sea dog"-like animal with bright orange fur, a hockey puck-shaped nose, and wears abicorne admiral's hat along with an Admirals jersey with the number 98, representing the year Roscoe joined the Admirals organization.[26]
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.[27]
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 theCOVID-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 | — |
| 2024–25 | 72 | 40 | 21 | — | 5 | 6 | 91 | .632 | 218 | 184 | 1st, Central | 2025 | BYE | W, 3–2,RCK | L, 2–3,TEX | — | — |
Updated October 23, 2025.[28][29]
| No. | Player | Position | Career | No. retirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Phil Wittliff | C | 1973–1977 | April 3, 1977[30] |
| 14 | Fred Berry | C | 1980–1984, 1985–1987 | December 27, 2003[31] |
| 14 | Mike McNeill | C | 1992–1998 | December 27, 2003[31] |
| 20 | Darren Haydar | RW | 2002–2006 | February 21, 2020[32] |
| 26 | Tony Hrkac | C | 1994–1997, 2003–2005 | March 14, 2008[33] |
| 27 | Danny Lecours | LW | 1975–1984, 1985–1986 | January 4, 1987[34] |
| 44 | Kevin Willison | D | 1981–1984, 1985–1986 | February 28, 2004[35] |
| 44 | Gino Cavallini | C | 1993–1996 | February 28, 2004[35] |
List of Milwaukee Admirals alumni who played more than 100 games in Milwaukee and 100 or more games in theNational Hockey League.
| |
| Franchise | |
| History | |
| Personnel |
|
| Arena | |
| Affiliates | |
| Media | |
| Culture and lore | |
