By Jason McDowell Creative Director Published Dec 16, 2015 at 1:56 PM

Partway through the Admirals’ 2015-16 season, the team has had success on the ice and has now also garnered acclaim off the ice for its new brand.

After receiving and tabulating more than 65,000 total votes, Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.net has honored the Admirals for having the best new sports logo of the year. He noted that "this year’s winner was a minor-league team who adopted a major-league-worthy identity, winning universal praise from both the media and fans in the process (which almost never happens when it comes to anything logo-related)."

Milwaukee’s new logo bested that of the collegiate Eastern Illinois Panthers, who finished in second place by three-quarters of a point (on a scale of 1 to 10).

I wrote about the new logo when it was unveiled in July and was generally pleased with its evolution and the way it married some of the controversial elements of the franchise's brand history.

I wrote then that, "The intensity of the skeleton has been amped, taking a dominating perspective from below, with its head aloft as if it's about to let loose with an evil, blood-freezing cackle. The admiral-ness of the character has also been restored. Despite the presence of naval regalia of the 2006 skeleton, it seemed to lack a certain prestige; the new logo now puts the lapels and epaulettes in full view."

In addition, The Hockey News threw another plaudit at the team, putting the Admirals at No. 11 on its list of the 50 best hockey sweaters of all time. We're not talking about a yearly ranking; we're talking about the best in history.

The Hockey News praised the sweater, saying "one look and we were sold ... the new logo is so nuanced, so pro, that it is better than many crests in the NHL."

After beating the Chicago Wolves 2-1 in the Amtrak Rivalry at the BMO Harris Bradley Center on Tuesday night, the Admirals have a record of 17-8-1 and are in third place in the AHL’s Western Conference Central Division. On Friday, they take on the Rockford Ice Hogs and on Saturday they host the Manitoba Moose. As always, the team offers plenty of ticket packages, holiday specials and promotional events for games.

With the fast start and the cool recognition, it's certainly a good year to become a fan – and the right season to get that hockey fan in your life one of the best jerseys of all time.

Jason McDowell Creative Director

Jason McDowell grew up in central Iowa and moved to Milwaukee in 2000 to attend the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

In 2006 he began working with OnMilwaukee as an advertising designer, but has since taken on a variety of rolls as the Creative Director, tackling all kinds of design problems, from digital to print, advertising to branding, icons to programming.

In 2016 he picked up the 414 Digital Star of the Year award.

Most other times he can be found racing bicycles, playing board games, or petting dogs.