Who's Who: Key Admirals Players to Watch in the Calder Cup Playoffs

While hockey in Music City has concluded for the summer, in Milwaukee, the fun is just getting started.
After finishing second in their division with 89 points and a 41-24-7 record, the Nashville Predators' AHL affiliate Milwaukee Admirals punched their ticket to the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs' Central Division Semifinals.
Starting Friday, April 28, the Ads will look for their second-straight postseason series win over the third place Manitoba Moose in a best-of-five series.
Before the action starts, there are a number of key players to watch that could help Milwaukee make a deep playoff run.

The 'Pred'-igal Sons

This season, adversity for the Admirals came in the form of call-ups, as a number of key contributors left the lineup to join the Predators - especially down the stretch in March and April.
On Monday, Nashville sent seven of those players - Luke Evangelista, Mark Jankowski, Michael McCarron, Zach Sanford, Kiefer Sherwood, Philip Tomasino and Spencer Stastney - back to the Admirals, after reassigning Egor Afanasyev and Kevin Gravel the week prior.
With each of those players contributing in key games as the Preds fought to claw back into the Western Conference's final Wild Card position, it'll be interesting to see how that experience translates back to the most important games of Milwaukee's campaign.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at each of the skaters rejoining Milwaukee for the postseason:
Luke Evangelista
If everything had gone according to plan, Luke Evangelista wouldn't have skated in a single game for Nashville this season.
Speaking at Monday's end of season press conference, Preds General Manager David Poile and incoming GM Barry Trotz
confirmed as much
- adding that once the 21-year-old rookie ultimately did get the call-up to fill a hole in an injury-ridden lineup, he likely wouldn't stay for more than a handful of games.
But Evangelista brought the same offensive firepower he led the Admirals with up to the NHL, and earned his place - concluding his stint in Nashville with 15 points (7g-8a) through 24 games, including three multipoint outings and a +7 rating.
Additionally, the young forward concluded his season with Milwaukee just six points away from leading all American Hockey League rookies in assists, despite appearing in 22 fewer contests than leader Ryker Evans of the Coachella Valley Thunderbirds.
Philip Tomasino
Despite appearing in three postseason contests after 76 regular season games with Nashville last year, forward Philip Tomasino is set to skate in his first Calder Cup Playoff game with Milwaukee next Friday.
That's not to say he's not ready for the challenge.
After notching 32 points (12g-20a) in 38 games with the Admirals to start the 2022-23 season, Tomasino generated steady offense for Nashville as well, contributing 18 points (5g-13a) in the Preds' final 31 games.
With 107 games in the NHL and another 67 in the league below, Tomasino will likely be leaned on heavily to contribute during Milwaukee's Calder Cup run.
Egor Afanasyev
Egor Afanasyev already had plenty to go off ahead of his second postseason run with the Admirals.
But add in 17 highly-important NHL games and another full campaign with Milwaukee to his career sheet and you're looking at a much different, more experienced Afanasyev than the one who entered last year's postseason.
In addition to experience, Afanasyev adds size and scoring to Milwaukee's lineup, and will certainly be a key piece of their postseason group.
Zach Sanford
When it comes to postseason experience, the Ads couldn't ask for more value than Zach Sanford, who hoisted a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019 after notching four points (1g-3a) in eight games.
Sanford is the only player on Milwaukee's roster with a Stanley Cup ring and has additionally garnered invaluable experience through 25 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
At 28 years old and with a depth of postseason experience to draw upon, Sanford will bring the kind of leadership you only get by playing on hockey's toughest stage and earning its most sought-after trophy.
Mark Jankowksi
Mark Jankowski joined the Preds after signing as a free agent last summer, and became a key contributor down the stretch - tallying four points (2g-2a) in the team's final five games.
While only appearing in nine contests with Milwaukee this season, Jankowski additionally contributed above a point-per-game, notching 10 points (5g-5a) during that span.
With 10 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances - the second most on Milwaukee's roster behind Sanford - and 15 Calder Cup Playoff games under his belt, Jankowski adds valuable experience - in addition to scoring depth - to the Admirals' roster.
Michael McCarron
Michael McCarron may not contribute on the scoresheet each night, but what he lacks in production he more than makes up for in size and forechecking ability.
In fact, when McCarron takes to the ice against Manitoba on Friday, the 6-foot-6, 232-pound forward will be the third-largest skater - just an inch shorter than Milwaukee's Austin Rueschhoff and Manitoba's Chris Martenet - in the AHL postseason.
As he's become famous for in Nashville, McCarron will no doubt use his size - as well as a depth of NHL experience - to make Manitoba's job all the more difficult.
Kiefer Sherwood
After signing as a free agent in July, Kiefer Sherwood spent much of the 2022-23 campaign in Milwaukee, and concluded his season with 38 points (22g-16a) in 42 contests.
Sherwood also became a key offensive figure for Nashville down the stretch, registering 11 of his 13 total points in March and April alone.
Milwaukee will no doubt be glad to have Sherwood back for the postseason, as the 28-year-old winger finished his season just three goals shy from leading all Admirals skaters, despite skating in 28 fewer outings than team leader and captain, Cole Schneider.
Spencer Stastney
After skating in his first eight career NHL games with Nashville - and recording two assists, for good measure - rookie blueliner Stastney will add another feather in his cap next Friday when he appears in his first Calder Cup Playoff game.
It's unquestionably another great step in the young defenseman's development, and he'll have plenty of veteran help on Milwaukee's back end to make sure his first AHL postseason is a successful one.
Kevin Gravel
Speaking of veteran help, enter Gravel.
With 132 NHL games and 50 AHL postseason appearances under his belt - including 19 en route to the 2015 Calder Cup Championship with Manchester - Gravel will no doubt bring invaluable leadership and experience to Milwaukee's young defensive core as they hunt for a trophy of their own.

Elite Goaltending

Of course, no defensive unit is complete without its goaltending, and Milwaukee might have the best in the business.
To start, there's Yaroslav Askarov, who at this point needs little introduction.
In the small chance you hadn't heard the name, the Preds' No. 1 goaltending prospect concluded his debut professional season leading all American League rookie goaltenders in wins (26), saves (1,304), games played (48), minutes played (2,851) and points/assists (4).
Askarov got the start in seven of Milwaukee's eight regular-season contests against Manitoba, finishing the regular season series at 3-3-1 and he's likely to receive most, if not all, the starts against the Moose in the postseason.
Then there's Devin Cooley, who is to Askarov what Kevin Lankinen is to Juuse Saros.
The 25-year-old netminder got the win in 15 of his 26 outings, concluding the 2022-23 campaign with a .909 save percentage and an equally impressive 2.93 goals-against average.
Put simply, Cooley is no slouch either.
With their combined efforts, and proven success, Milwaukee has a better-than-average shot of making a deep run in the postseason.

The New Guy

Last summer, the Preds made off with an absolute steal of a draft pick in forward Joakim Kemell, who went to Nashville 17th overall despite ranking second among International Skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final report.
Since arriving in Milwaukee for his first taste of North American professional hockey in mid-March, Kemell has produced at nearly a point-per-game pace, registering 13 points (6g-7a) in 14 games.
While Friday will mark Kemell's first outing in the Calder Cup Playoffs, his natural ability with the puck and his offensive production thus far both point to what could be an exciting postseason showing for the young forward.

Deadline Firepower

Looking to fill slots left open by call-ups to Nashville, Ads General Manager Scott Nichol went looking for offensive firepower before the trade deadline.
Suffice to say, Nichol found what he was looking for in forwards Isaac Ratcliffe, Austin Rueschhoff and Anthony Angello.
Since joining the Admirals lineup in early March, the three have combined for 37 points (15g-22a), and proved crucial in helping Milwaukee keep pace in the hotly contested Central Division race without their original cast of scorers.
While those offensive pieces are now back from Nashville, it certainly won't hurt Milwaukee's postseason chances having Ratcliffe, Rueschhoff and Angello in the mix as well.
It all starts Friday, April 28 as the Ads take on the Moose at Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre at 7 p.m. CT. Fans can tune in to postseason action by purchasing an
AHLTV Playoffs All-Access subscription
or by following the

.
Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Admirals.