Jason Karnowski | AHL Rhythm
The Milwaukee Admirals have a knack for developing National Hockey League defensemen.
The Predators added Nashville shortly after their expansion and have been churning out a steady stream of All-Star caliber defensive players — including Roman Josi, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter and Kimo Timonen – began their careers in Milwaukee. There are countless other defenders such as Matthias Ekholm, Dan Hanhuis, Cody Franson, Spencer Stastny And, recently, Adam Wilsby After donning the Admirals sweater, he enjoyed a solid NHL career.
Ryan Ufko Represents the next link in the admiral development chain. Now in his second full season with Milwaukee, the 22-year-old blueliner leads Milwaukee and all AHL defensemen with 33 points in 32 games.
“Ryan is getting a lot of opportunities and ice time, and he's running hard.” Admirals head coach Carl Taylor explain. “He was really good to us.”
Ufko scored a goal and an assist in Milwaukee's biggest win of the season, a 3-0 win over Rockford on Dec. 30 that ended the team's nine-game losing streak.
“We still believe in ourselves, even if we fall behind or lose, we believe in our performance,” Ufko said. “We try not to dwell on our failures but stick together because we know what we can achieve.”
Just like his team, Ufko is off to a fast start this season. The UMass Amherst product scored in each of October's final four games. During that stretch, Milwaukee trailed only league-leading Grand Rapids in the Central Division standings.
“This is a really good start to the year for me personally,” Ufko said. “I feel like I’m a lot more comfortable this year and I feel confident in myself and the way I play.”
The talented blue line is becoming a weapon on the power play. Four of his nine goals came on the man advantage.
“Our power play was really effective and took advantage of those moments,” said Ufko, who also scored his first career shorthanded goal this season. “Especially at the beginning of the year, we seemed to be scoring power-play goals in every game.”
Even though Milwaukee limped along in December, falling to fifth place in the Central Division, the Admirals' power play was still strong. Their power-play goal percentage is an astonishing 29.8%, the highest success rate in the AHL.
“(I’m grateful) for all the opportunities I’ve had this season,” said Ufko, who also scored in five straight games over the Thanksgiving break. “It shows the trust the coaches have in me and I’ve been trying to capitalize on that.”
While Ufko broke out this season, his improvement began in the spring of 2024, when the Smithtown, N.Y., native joined the Admirals about a month before his 21st birthday. Ufko signed an entry-level contract with Nashville on March 29 after playing three years of hockey at UMass.
“this [time] I've been here since college and time flies by,” Ufko said. “But I also feel like I've been here for a while, especially after playing in all the playoffs my first spring. The 2024 playoffs would be really good for my career. “
Ufko appeared in nine regular season games for the Admirals in 2023-24, contributing six points. The Predators' 2021 fourth-round pick then helped Milwaukee advance to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season.
“Ryan had 10 points in those 15 playoff games, but he's come a long way as a player since then,” Taylor said. “I’m very proud of his progress and how well he’s playing for us now.”
Ufko was the Admirals' only player to skate in all 72 regular season games as a rookie last season. He struggled a bit in the game but finished as Milwaukee's top-scoring defenseman with 30 points. He had three assists in 10 playoff games last spring.
“Ryan started off a little slow last year and came back after all the momentum he had last playoff,” Taylor said. “But by the end of the year, he was one of our better players.”
The pinnacle of Ufko's season came on April 14, 2025, when he made his NHL debut for Nashville.
“Ryan is yelling to Nashville to give him a chance,” Taylor said. “He demands a lot from his game. He learned a lot from his slow start last year and it was a teachable moment for all of our players.”
The 5-foot-10 defenseman has found another level this season, which will be huge for Milwaukee as it tries to regain the momentum they had in the early going.
“Ryan got more confident and more secure with the puck, so he was able to last longer in those final games,” Taylor said. “He’s been outstanding for us and what a great way to start the year, especially after the start he had last year.”
