The road to Nashville will continue to run through Milwaukee.
On Monday, the Predators and Admirals announced an affiliation agreement that will keep the NHL and AHL clubs together through the 2028-29 season in a partnership that has simply become part of the fabric in Nashville.
Since the Predators began play in October 1998, the Admirals have been right alongside. The affiliation is the third-longest active streak in the AHL, and over that span, 215 players have appeared in at least one game for both teams.
For the Preds and the Ads, the affiliation just makes sense - and that’s exactly why both have signed on the dotted line once more.
“The culture and tradition that we have there is exceptional, and our players are taken care of first class, which is what you want as an NHL team,” Predators General Manager Barry Trotz said during Monday’s press conference. “You look at the endless list of Milwaukee Admirals alumni playing for the Nashville Predators over the years, it is one of the best relationships in pro hockey, and our future looks very bright with the number of young players coming into the fold in the next few years… I’m excited to have this partnership with Milwaukee. It is one of the best in pro hockey, and we are very excited for our young players to come through there.”
“This is what we know, and it's a great relationship,” Admirals Owner and CEO Harris Turer said. Over the last few years, [Admirals General Manager] Scott Nichol has just done an incredible job of putting together a highly competitive team that, as Barry said, we've gotten to the Western Conference Finals the last two seasons. There are many, many teams that wish they were in our position, and we’re very fortunate to have such a great relationship with Scott and now with Barry… The two of them were so key in getting this deal completed, and we’re very fortunate to have this relationship and look forward to the next four years and see what comes of all the great young talent that Nashville has drafted.”
Those upcoming seasons figure to see continued success for the Admirals.
Over the next three NHL Drafts, the Predators currently hold 14 picks in the first three rounds, including three first-round and two second-round selections in the 2025 NHL Draft. Those eventual draftees will likely find their respective ways to Milwaukee at some point, and the relationship between the two clubs has never ceased to develop top talent to become ready for the NHL.
“You want your players to have the best situation to develop, and I think Milwaukee provides that,” Trotz said. "Harris and his whole team there provide that with Scott steering the ship from our side. Our League is about developing. We have to develop a young core… I really believe that every team's base or foundation is through the Draft, and we've got a lot of draft choices coming, which is exciting for the next couple of years.”
No matter who ends up playing for the Admirals, whether now or in the future, usually helps the team into the win column more often than not.
The Admirals have qualified for the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs in 23 of the 26 seasons that the playoffs have been conducted. They won the Calder Cup in 2004, made it back to the finals in 2006 and won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as regular-season champions in 2019-20.
That success has come on top of constant fluctuation for an AHL team. No matter the season, the Predators will always need to make recalls from Milwaukee due to injuries or trades at the NHL level.
Considering the fact that the individual chosen to come up at any given situation is usually one of the better players on the roster, the sustained success becomes even more impressive - but that’s just what the Admirals do.
“The success of this relationship over the past two decades - almost three - has been a vision toward winning,” Admirals President Jon Greenberg said. “There’s a sign that hangs in the locker room that says, ‘We Win Here,’ and that is the motto, not only in the locker room, but it's in our organization as a whole. The partnership that we have together is really something that I think a lot of teams envy in our League.”
The steadiness of that partnership is also not something that’s necessarily commonplace in hockey, and the benefits of stability certainly make a difference over time.
“I like what I know, and I know the people,” Turer said. “I know Barry, I know Scott, I know [Predators Assistant General Manager] Brian Poile, and we’ve always had such good relationships that I think it allows us to talk about things that go on over the course of a season, over the course of multiple seasons. Sometimes people want a swift change. Maybe they don't love everything that's going on in their relationship with, let’s say, their NHL parent, but we've just been so fortunate to work with the great people in Nashville. The quality of the relationship, I think it's gone a long way… Sometimes you think the pasture is greener on the other side, and I don't look at it that way. I really value our relationship with Scott, with Barry and everyone there, and we're fortunate to be together.”
In a few weeks, the Predators will see their NHL campaign come to a close, but the Admirals, who clinched a playoff spot on Sunday evening, will be gearing up for another springtime run.
Because of that fact, a few of the reinforcements who have solidified themselves as regulars in the Nashville lineup in recent months will head back down to Milwaukee to make the Admirals even stronger.
That’s just the way things work for the Preds and Ads - two organizations who wouldn’t be where they are today without the other.
And they’ll keep making each other better for at least four more seasons.
“I'm so happy to be in a relationship with the Admirals,” Trotz said. “The one thing that we all talk about relationships, the relationship we have with these guys is like family, and they take care of their players like family, and it's the same thing that we want to do in Nashville. We want to mirror each other, and I think they do a fantastic job. I'm excited for the next four years for us and Milwaukee, and hopefully we can bring a championship back to Milwaukee.”
