Now we know which teams the Milwaukee Admirals will play in 2022-23. But who'll play for them?
The Milwaukee Admirals will open the 2022-23 American Hockey League regular season against the most familiar of their foes, renew acquaintances on both coasts and to the north and meet one opponent for the first time.
With the league’s schedule announced Thursday, the Admirals and their fans now know the opponents.
Meanwhile they’re also beginning to see who’ll take the ice for them – and who won’t – when they meet the reigning champion Chicago Wolves in the first game Oct. 15 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
The home opener against the Manitoba Moose is a week later at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena.
For the first time since Tucson joined the league six years ago, the Admirals will play the Roadrunners on Jan. 10 and 11 in Arizona and then March 10 and 11 in Milwaukee.
With more opportunities to cross the Canadian border this season, the Admirals will play against the Belleville Senators (Oct. 28 in Milwaukee, March 25 in Ontario), Toronto Marlies (Dec. 17 in Milwaukee, March 22 in Ontario) and Laval Rocket (March 24 in Quebec, April 1 in Milwaukee) for the first time in years.
Similarly they’ll meet East Coast opponents the Hartford Wolf Pack (Dec. 9 in Connecticut, Dec. 14 in Milwaukee) and the Springfield Thunderbirds (Dec. 10 in Massachusetts, Jan. 18 in Milwaukee), and play two sets with the San Diego Gulls (Nov. 4-5 in California, Jan. 6-7 in Milwaukee).
After the AHL played an unbalanced schedule last season, all teams will play 72 games this season.
The Admirals’ regular season is set to conclude with seven games in April, the final two at home against Central Division foes Chicago (April 14) and the Rockford IceHogs (April 16).
As is typical for an NHL affiliate, the Admirals will see significant turnover from last year’s roster with the Nashville Predators looking to season their prospects and familiar veterans seeking opportunities in new places.
The most interesting newcomer should be goaltender Yarslov Askarov, the Predators' first-round pick in the 2020 draft who played just 16 games last season across the top two levels of Russian pro hockey and the World Junior Championship. Just getting the then-19-year-old prospect settled in the United States was a challenge in the spring, given the tension over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Also keep an eye out for forward Juuso Parssinen, who played in nine playoff games for the Admirals, defensemen Adam Wilsby, who played in three playoff games, and Spencer Stasney, who played in two regular-season games after finishing his season at Notre Dame. Stasney is from Mequon.
Familiar players who are signed to either AHL contracts or two-way contracts include goaltender Devin Cooley, forwards Cole Schneider, Cole Smith, Egor Afanasyev, Tommy Novak and Jimmy Hunnington, and defenseman Marc Del Gaizo.
The Predators signed free agent forwards Kiefer Sherwood, brother of 2021-22 Admiral Kole Sherwood, and Mark Jankowski, both of whom played extensively in the AHL last season, as well as Jordan Gross, who was the AHL’s defenseman of the year.
Offseason moves mean several familiar players won’t be back, including: forwards Matthieu Olivier (traded), Grant Mismash (traded), Joseph Labate (free agent, Chicago Wolves) and Matt Luff (free agent, Detroit Red Wings); and defensemen Matt Donovan (free agent, Germany) and Jeremy Davies (free agent, Buffalo Sabres).
Goalie Connor Ingram is expected to be in the NHL this season, and Rocco Grimaldi is unsigned and not expected to return to the Predators organization.
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2022-23 Milwaukee Admirals schedule
Oct. 15: at Chicago
Oct. 19: at Grand Rapids
Oct. 22: vs. MANITOBA, 6 p.m.
Oct. 26: vs. TEXAS, 7 p.m.
OCT. 28: vs. BELLEVILLE, 7 p.m.
Oct. 29: at Chicago
Nov. 2: at Rockford
Nov. 4: at San Diego
Nov. 5: at San Diego
Nov. 9: vs. CHICAGO, 10:30 a.m.
Nov. 11: vs. IOWA, 7 p.m.
Nov. 13: at Chicago
Nov. 18: at Iowa
Nov. 19: vs IOWA, 6 p.m.
Nov. 22: vs. MANITOBA, 7 p.m.
Nov. 25: at Rockford
Nov. 26: vs. ROCKFORD, 6 p.m.
Nov. 29: vs. TEXAS, 7 p.m.
Dec. 1: at Manitoba
Dec. 3: at Manitoba
Dec. 7: at Rockford
Dec. 9: at Hardford
Dec. 10: at Springfield
Dec. 14: vs. HARTFORD, 7 p.m.
Dec. 17: vs. TORONTO, 7 p.m.
Dec. 18: at Chicago
Dec. 21: vs. CHICAGO, 7 p.m.
Dec. 27: vs. CHICAGO, 7 p.m.
Dec. 30: vs. GRAND RAPIDS, 6 p.m.
Dec. 31: at Grand Rapids
Jan. 6: vs. SAN DIEGO, 7 p.m.
Jan. 7: vs. SAN DIEGO, 6 p.m.
Jan. 10: at Tucson
Jan. 11: at Tucson
Jan. 14: at Texas
Jan. 15: at Texas
Jan. 18: vs. SPRINGFIELD, 7 p.m.
Jan. 20: at Iowa
Jan. 21: at Iowa
Jan. 27: vs. ROCKFORD, 7 p.m.
Jan. 28: vs. GRAND RAPIDS, 6 p.m.
Jan. 31: vs. GRAND RAPIDS, 8 p.m.
Feb. 3: vs. MANITOBA, 7 p.m.
Feb. 4: vs. MANITOBA, 6 p.m.
Feb. 11: at Rockford
Feb: 15: at Chicago
Feb. 18: vs. TEXAS, 6 p.m.
Feb. 19: vs. TEXAS, 3 p.m.
Feb. 23: at Manitoba
Feb. 25: at Manitoba
March 1: vs. IOWA, 7 p.m.
March 3: at Texas
March 4: at Texas
March 8: vs. IOWA, 10:30 a.m.
March 10: vs. TUCSON, 7 p.m.
March 11: vs. TUCSON, 6 p.m.
March 17: vs. CHICAGO, 7 p.m.
March 18: vs. GRAND RAPIDS, 6 p.m.
March 19: at Grand Rapids
March 22: at Toronto
March 24: at Laval
March 25: at Belleville
March 28: vs. ROCKFORD, 7 p.m.
March 31: at Grand Rapids
April 1: vs. LAVAL, 6 p.m.
April 2: at Chicago
April 5: vs. CHICAGO, 7 p.m.
April 7: vs. ROCKFORD, 7 p.m.
April 8: at Rockford
April 12: at Iowa
April 14: vs. CHICAGO, 7 p.m.
April 16: vs. ROCKFORD, 5 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Admirals 2022-23 schedule set, roster developing
