We are just over a week away from puck drop on the 2024-25 ECHL season, and the Norfolk Admirals are ready to build off of the incredible season they had in the 2023-24 season. They brought back plenty of players from last season’s team, which will surely help them get back to the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the second straight season. Over the offseason, they also extended head coach Jeff Carr to a multi-year contract. Under Carr, the Admirals registered their best season of hockey in quite a while as they went an impressive 41-21-6-1 to capture the franchise’s first postseason appearance in over a decade. Though it came to a devastating end as they were knocked out by the Adirondack Thunder in the North Division finals, there was a ton to be proud of. Their 42-point increase from the 2022-23 season was the highest point increase among all ECHL teams. It brought them from the last-place team in the ECHL, to sitting in seventh place by season’s end.
Players to Watch This Season
Brady Fleurent was a consistent player for the Admirals last season. Through 37 games played, he was nearly a point-per-game player as he tallied 13 goals and 17 assists. He was one of the many solid all-around players for the Admirals when he was in the lineup. Whether it was on the powerplay, penalty kill, or at 5-on-5, Fleurent played the game the same way. Not only that, but he was a great addition to the roster in a leadership aspect. He has spent the last six seasons in the ECHL, so knows what it takes to play at a high level in the league. Just like he was last season, Fleurent will be a big piece to that leadership group, and be a big player to the team’s top-six forward group.
Coming off his first season of professional hockey, which saw him start in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) with the Huntsville Havoc, Brandon Osmundson will look to build off his incredible rookie season. Just like he has his entire career, beginning with youth hockey, Osmundson showed excellence in his first season at the professional ranks. The Chesapeake, VA native was tied for the Admirals’ lead for plus/minus on the season as he was a +20. His offensive and defensive awareness is some of the best, and his stat line shows that as he tallied nine goals and 20 assists, with his first goal coming against their new North Division rivals, the Wheeling Nailers, on Dec. 31. His speed and grit allow him to be a solid all-around player, despite him being smaller in size in terms of height. The expectations for Ozzy this season are high, but he has a proven track record of living up to high expectations, and this time will be no different.
The Admirals’ defense was some of the best in the league as they allowed just 199 goals against, which was the third-fewest goals allowed in the ECHL. This was majorly played in part by Andrew McLean and Josh McDougall on the blue line. McLean had his best season in the ECHL last season as he tallied eight goals and 25 assists for a career-high 33 points. While he was producing as an offensive-defenseman, his defensive play did not falter, as he had a +19 on the season. In his second stint in Norfolk, McDougall was productive on the offensive side of the game, as he had three goals and 17 assists for a career-high 20 points. On top of that, he held a +13. With both returning to the Admirals, both will look to improve more to help get the team the ultimate goal, winning the Kelly Cup.
Alongside those two, fan favorite, Darick Louis-Jean will be back with the Admirals at the start of the season. He was a pivotal point on the blue line for all 59 games he was in the Admirals’ lineup. His defensive play was outstanding throughout the season as he finished the regular season with a +20, but his physical play is what made it difficult to play against him and set him up for success. To begin the offseason, there were many questions from the Admirals faithful on whether they would see him finally get his chance with the Manitoba Moose, or if he would be right back with the Admirals. At first glance, it looked as though he was finally getting that chance to start the season in the American Hockey League, but he was sent back down to Norfolk to begin the season. This is big for the Admirals as they keep that gritty blue line intact. Louis-Jean is one of, if not the, most must-watch for Admirals fans this season.
Expectations
There is no doubt last season showed fans a new era of Admirals’ hockey after ending a decade-long playoff drought. Everyone can see the hunger the players have to bring Norfolk it’s first championship since the incredible 2012 Calder Cup winning Admirals. Carr has been an incredible bench boss since he joined the team a couple seasons ago, and I expect he will have the team geared to go on a long run into the postseason.
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