Norfolk Admirals hope last season’s late flurry of success leads to first winning season since 2014
Eight years have passed since the Norfolk Admirals recorded a winning season.
Hauling the team out of the doldrums is coach Rod Taylor’s priority as the team kicks off its season against South Carolina at 7:05 p.m. today at Scope.
“That’s the step we have to take,” Taylor said. “The last maybe 20 games, 30 games [last season], we gave a good push there. If we would’ve had a few more games, I think we would’ve had a good shot [at the playoffs].”
The Admirals won nine of their final 13 games to finish 29-37-3-3, more than doubling their win total from an abysmal 2019-20 season that included just 14 wins in 60 games. That season — Taylor’s first — was cut short due to the pandemic, and the entire 2020-21 season was canceled.
For his third year, Taylor is promoting an improved defense led by 36-year-old veteran Nick Schaus alongside rookie Luke Prokop and Xavier Bouchard, who won the Kelly Cup with Florida last season.
“The defensive core is really good,” Taylor said.
Two contract goalies should also help lower last season’s 3.63 goals-allowed-per-game average. Cale Morris, under contract with Norfolk’s AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, and Tomas Vomacka, who signed with Nashville of the NHL, will share duties with returning goalie Michael Bullion.
Seven players are under contract with the AHL or NHL, which will lead to plenty of midseason call-ups and transactions.
“The other thing I have to manage this year is we do have a lot of contracted guys,” Taylor said. “You deal with call-ups. That comes down to a pretty big deal to it. Nobody has a crystal ball to injuries, and ... you manage personalities so guys are following and believe in what you’re trying to do for them.”
Development is key, especially with nine rookies on the team. One name fans might recognize is Tag Bertuzzi, son of NHL veteran Todd Bertuzzi. Tag, 21, notched 45 points in the Ontario Hockey League last season.
“He’s young and has got a lot of learning,” Taylor said. “It’s his first year going into the pros. The skill is there, so it’s helping him to hopefully get him on this path to achieve.”
Forwards Cody Milan (51 points) and Blake Murray (35 points) also return to power the offense.
“I do value the fact of having players that have played here before,” Taylor said. “You also now have those franchise players that love Norfolk and it’s been like that over the years. ... I think when I was here, guys stayed over the summer who loved the area, and that’s one thing we’re trying to create.”
Taylor won two ECHL championships in the 1990s as a player with the Admirals and wants to bring back not only the winning culture, but the fan experience.
“The restrictions of COVID are off, which has allowed us to be out in front of the communities,” Taylor said. “I see us doing more stuff with that. [Before the pandemic], sometimes you couldn’t get out the locker-room door because there was so much going on. Having [fans] be there asking for autographs, I think that’s a big thing.”
Winning, of course, is the biggest. Taylor hopes last season’s home stretch bleeds into the start to set up the team’s first winning season since rejoining the ECHL in 2015-16.
“Obviously, we’re trying to build off that steam,” Taylor said, “and get in there to take it one game at a time.”
Ray Nimmo, ray.nimmo@pilotonline.com
Season opener
Who: South Carolina Stingrays at Norfolk Admirals
When: 7:05 p.m. today
Where: Scope
Inside: What you need to know about the Admirals. Page 2
Season-opening roster
Forwards: Tag Bertuzzi, Aidan Brown, Todd Burgess, Eric Cooley, Ryan Foss, Kenny Hausinger, Jordan Kaplan, Danny Katic, Liam MacDougall, Cody Milan, Blake Murray, Denis Smirnov, Brett Van Os, Joe Widmar
Defensemen: Xavier Bouchard, Nick Leitner, Carson Musser, Luke Prokop, Carter Robertson, Nick Schaus, Elijah Vilio, Eric Williams
Goaltenders: Michael Bullion, Cale Morris, Tomas Vomacka
