The Admirals will remain the top developmental affiliate of the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators through the 2009-'10 season, it was announced today. The Admirals are currently in their ninth season of affiliation with the Predators.

"We are extremely pleased to extend our affiliation with a first-class organization like the Predators," Admirals president Harris Turer said. "David Poile, (Assistant General Manager) Paul Fenton, (Director of Hockey Operations) Michael Santos and their staff are committed to developing players by creating a winning tradition in Milwaukee, as evidenced by the success we have had in our relationship with Nashville."

Players currently on the Admirals roster who have spent time in Nashville this season include Pekka Rinne, Karl Goehring, Sheldon Brookbank, Pat Leahy, Mikko Lehtonen and Kevin Klein. In addition, the Ads currently have nine players that were drafted by or signed their first professional contract with the Predators. Seven of the nine players that have been Nashville's first overall pick have played for the Ads, including Alexander Radulov and Shea Weber, both of whom were selected to play in the NHL's YoungStars game this year.

"I like to say that for our players, the road to Nashville runs through Milwaukee and a look at our roster illustrates this," Poile said. "The Milwaukee Admirals have cultivated a winning tradition, earning two trips to the AHL Calder Cup Finals in the last three years and a championship in 2004. With the stable and trusted leadership of head coach Claude Noel, the Milwaukee ownership group led by Harris Turer and Jon Greenberg's front-office staff, this is the kind of environment that we want our prospects to develop in."

The Admirals are currently in third place in the American Hockey League's West Division with a 26-19-4-6 record. Nashville prospects Brookbank and Ville Koistinen recently participated in the 2007 Rbk AHL All-Star Classic, while center Rich Peverley is currently seventh in the AHL's scoring race with 58 points.