The Norfolk Admirals have clinched their spot in the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs despite tonight’s OT loss to Reading. This is the second consecutive Kelly Cup Playoff Berth for the Admirals. They lost to the Adirondack Thunder in the Division Finals last year. Norfolk becomes the third team in the North Division and the 11th team in the league to clinch their Kelly Cup Playoff Berth.
The Admirals have played very solid hockey this season, but have been overshadowed due to the strong play of Wheeling and Trois-Rivieres. Brady Fluerent has led Norfolk, putting up career numbers with 25 goals and 43 assists for 68 points in 65 games. Filip Fornaa Svensson has been one of the better rookies in the league this year, as he has 25 goals and 14 assists for 39 points in just 51 games. However, the trade deadline may be the biggest turning point of the season for the Admirals. Hank Crone looks like the MVP he was in 2022, putting up three goals and four assists for seven points in his first seven games with Norfolk, and Bryce Brodzinski has points in his last three games for the Admirals.
For Norfolk, it’s been a rotating door for most of the year in net, with eight different goaltenders playing in at least one game for the Admirals this season. It’s only fitting that goaltender number eight, Ian Shane, who was making his first pro start, is the one in net when the Admirals clinch their Kelly Cup Playoff Berth. Unless something crazy happens between now and the end of the season, expect it to be the Admirals and the Wheeling Nailers in the first round of the North Division Playoffs.
ITR 32: The Final Countdown – Inside The Rink
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