The Milwaukee Admirals are getting ready to drop the puck on the 2024-25 season, and they definitely have their eyes on winning the franchise’s second Calder Cup. With 36 home games at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena this season, there are plenty of opportunities to catch all of the hard-hitting, fast paced action of Admirals hockey. Here are five reasons why we’re excited for hockey season to start again:
1. A strong roster that is ready to win
The past two seasons have certainly been successful for the Admirals, who reached the Western Conference finals in 2022-23 and the 2023-24 seasons. That is, in part, due to the play of Milwaukee’s veterans, including center Cal O’Reilly and winger Anthony Angello. Along with the returning Zach L’Heureux, Milwaukee has a strong trio up front to assist plenty of newcomers joining the Admirals organization this season. Look for those three to light the lamp plenty of times this year, with an assist likely from one of the other two.
2. New faces in net
During the offseason, Milwaukee lost both of their main goaltenders in Yaraslov Askarov and Tony Grosenick, who signed with San Jose and the Minnesota Wild, respectively. That means the Admirals will have three new additions between the pipes this season, with Matt Murray from the Texas Stars, who has already recorded his first win for the Admirals before Saturday’s home opener, as well as second-year goalie Magnus Chrona who Milwaukee received from San Jose and rookie Ethan Haider. Both goaltenders for Milwaukee last year, particularly Askarov, were brick walls in net and a key to the Admirals’ franchise-record winning streak last season, so they’ll be hoping for similar performances from the new additions this season.
3. Concert nights are back!
While the action on the ice is great, the Admirals have also drawn some of their biggest crowds on concert nights, bringing some great names to the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena for a post-game show. This year, the Admirals have already announced that they will welcome country star Chase Matthew to Milwaukee on January 24th, but they will also feature concerts on February 8th and February 22nd this season. German group Die Freistadt Alte Kameraden will also appear during their Hocktoberfest celebration on October 25th, Pat McCurdy on December 30th, and the University of Wisconsin Badger Band will return on January 31st.
4. Winning Weekdays!
What may be one of the best promotions in the AHL happens when the Admirals play a game that isn’t on a weekend this year (though there are plenty of great Friday-Sunday games.) If the Admirals win on a Monday-Wednesday this season, all fans in attendance get a free ticket to the next weeknight game! There are nine home games this season where fans have the opportunity to win tickets to another game, so cheer on an Admirals win and you may be getting even more bang for your buck by the end of the night.
5. So many promotions!
Admirals games really are fun for the whole family, and there are a ton of theme nights and giveaways this season. That includes a salute to the military on Saturday, November 9th, as well as Princess and Superhero Night on December 27th, student discount nights, and much more. There’s also not one but two Dog Days this year, meaning even your furry family members can join in on the excitement of Admirals hockey this season.
It all begins this Saturday night with the home opener, when your Milwaukee Admirals take on their Central Division rivals in the Rockford Ice Hogs at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena at 6:00 p.m.. You can pick up tickets here via the Milwaukee Admirals website. Go Ads!
