Milwaukee Admirals head into home opener with 3-0 record

The Milwaukee Admirals come home with momentum on their side, their captain back in the lineup and an exciting rookie leading at the top of the statistics.

Granted, the 3-0 Admirals will be missing one of their best players when hit the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena ice Friday night, but they knew that would happen before long anyway.

“Lucky to have him for three games,” left wing Harry Zolnierczyk said of center Frederick Gaudreau, who was recalled by Nashville.

“Whenever you see the stint he had last year and the effect he had on that team, you know he’s obviously ready for the NHL level. For him to have games down here is obviously a bonus for Milwaukee and for us, and when he’s here you have to cherish the moments when you have guys like that to help your team.”

After a sweep at Iowa and a victory at Rockford, Milwaukee hosts the Hershey Bears at 7 p.m. Friday and Rockford at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Then the Admirals head out again for two more games before returning for the third home game on their schedule Nov. 1.

“That’s the start you’re looking for, for sure,” Zolnierczyk said. “There’s a lot of hard work that went into preparation that first weekend and carried onto the second one, and we’re trying to improve and get better every game.

“It was a great start, but there’s a lot of work to do and we can’t take those wins too easily. We know it’ll be hard work moving forward.”

Gaudreau — the folk hero in Nashville’s Stanley Cup run last season — had a goal and three assists for the Admirals before rejoining the Predators on Tuesday.  Second-year captain Trevor Smith will slide into Gaudreau’s place after missing the past two games with an upper-body injury.

“A lot of depth in this organization,” said Zolnierczyk, who played 24 games last season for the Admirals and 24 for the Predators. “It was proven last year with Nashville as a lot of guys came up and filled big roles and took on big minutes and helped that team move through the playoffs. The same goes for down here in Milwaukee.

“I mean, you lose your captain and your No. 1 center and somebody’s asked to step up and fill in and the team’s responded well so far. We just want to keep it rolling.”

Tyler Kelleher, who joined the Admirals at the end of last season after four years at the University of New Hampshire, leads the team in goals with three. Including an assist, the 5-foot-6 right wing already has doubled his point output of his six games in the spring.

“His offensive dynamic out there, his mentality, it’s dangerous,” Zolnierczyk said. “It’s actually fun to play with. So I’ve been fortunate enough to be alongside him for the first three games. I feel lucky to be a part of it now.”