by Jason Karnosky | AHL On The Beat
The Milwaukee Admirals have a knack for developing National Hockey League defensemen.
Since becoming affiliated with Nashville shortly after the Predators’ expansion, a steady stream of All-Star level defensemen – including Roman Josi, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter and Kimmo Timonen – started their careers in Milwaukee. Countless other defenders such as Mattias Ekholm, Dan Hamhuis, Cody Franson, Spencer Stastney and, most recently, Adam Wilsby enjoyed solid NHL careers after wearing an Admirals sweater.
Ryan Ufko represents the next link in the Admirals’ development chain. Now in his second full season with Milwaukee, the 22-year-old blueliner leads Milwaukee – as well as all AHL defensemen – in scoring with 33 points through 32 games.
“Ryan’s getting lots of opportunities and ice time, and he’s running with it.” Admirals head coach Karl Taylor said. “He’s been really good for us.”
Ufko had a goal and an assist in Milwaukee’s most important win of the season, a 3-0 victory over Rockford on Dec. 30 that ended his team’s nine-game losing streak.
“We still believe in ourselves, and we believe in how we’ve been playing even when we are behind or losing,” said Ufko. “We’ve tried not to dwell on getting down, but instead we’ve stuck together because we know what we can pull off.”
Much like his team, Ufko got off to a fast start this season. The University of Massachusetts-Amherst product had goals in each of the last four games of October. During that time Milwaukee trailed only league leader Grand Rapids in the Central Division standings.
“It’s been a really good start to the year for me (personally),” Ufko said. “I feel like I’m a lot more comfortable this year, and I have a lot of confidence in myself and in how I’m playing.”
The talented blueliner is emerging as a weapon on the power play. Four of his nine goals have come on the man advantage.
“Our power play has really been clicking and capitalizing on those moments,” said Ufko, who also scored his first career shorthanded goal this season. “Especially at the start of the year it seemed like we were scoring power-play goals in every game.”
While Milwaukee limped through December, falling back to fifth place in the Central Division, the Admirals’ power play remained elite. They are scoring power-play goals at a stunning 29.8 percent clip, which is the best success rate in the AHL.
“(I appreciate) all of the opportunities I’ve been getting this season,” said Ufko, who also had a five-game point streak wrapped around the Thanksgiving holiday. “It shows the trust that the coaches have in me, and I’ve tried to capitalize on that.”
While Ufko is breaking out this season, his progression started in the spring of 2024, as the Smithtown, N.Y., native joined the Admirals about a month before his 21st birthday. Ufko signed an entry-level contract with Nashville on March 29 after playing three years of college hockey at UMass.
“The [time] I’ve been here since college has gone really quickly,” Ufko said. “Yet I also feel like I’ve been here for a while, especially after getting into all of those playoff games that first spring. That 2024 playoff run was really good for my career.”
Ufko played in nine regular-season games with the Admirals in 2023-24, contributing six points. The Predators’ 2021 fourth-round draft pick then helped Milwaukee advance to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season.
“Ryan had 10 points in those 15 playoff games, but he’s come a long way as a player since then,” Taylor said. “I’m really proud of his development, and how he is playing now for us.”
Last season as a rookie, Ufko was the only Admirals player to skate in all 72 regular-season games. He struggled a bit coming out of the gates but ended as Milwaukee’s top scoring defenseman with 30 points. He added three assists in 10 playoff games last spring.
“Ryan battled through a bit of a slow start last year, coming back after all of that momentum he had from the previous postseason,” Taylor said. “But by the end of the year he was one of our better players.”
The peak moment of Ufko’s season came on April 14, 2025, when he made his NHL debut with Nashville.
“Ryan is yelling at Nashville to give him a chance,” Taylor said. “He is demanding it with his play. He’s learned a lot from his slow start last year, and that’s been a teachable moment for all of our players.”
This season the 5-foot-10 defenseman found another level, and that has meant a lot to a Milwaukee squad trying to regain the tailwind they had behind them in the early going.
“Ryan’s been a little more confident, and a little more secure with the puck, so he’s been able to hold on to it a little longer to make those late plays,” Taylor said. “He’s been outstanding for us, and what a way to start the year, especially after how it started for him last year.”