What’s Fedor Svechkov’s favorite part about playing for the Admirals and living in Milwaukee?
“I have a nice apartment here. I have a view of the lake. That’s the best part,” the young centerman laughed, before adding, “No, it’s a joke. The best part is just [being around] the team. This group of guys is really good.”
Svechkov, along with that collection of players that make up this iteration of Nashville’s American Hockey League affiliate, is hoping to make some noise in the Calder Cup Playoffs, which begin on Thursday for the Admirals.
They’ll host the Rockford IceHogs in Games 1 and 2 of their best-of-five series, contests the Ads have been itching to play with their regular season having concluded almost two weeks earlier. The Admirals earned a first-round bye thanks to a second consecutive Central Division title, an accolade that sounds nice on paper, but is far from what the group is hoping to do this spring.
Of course, Svechkov wasn’t in Milwaukee for a majority of the 2024-25 campaign. Instead, he was learning the NHL ropes with the Predators, developing his game - and his infectious personality - to become a player who can make a difference at this time of year.
The 22-year-old is looking to do just that, and with 52 games of NHL experience to his name with his rookie season complete, his confidence has certainly found a new level.
“I feel like it's good for me that I feel a little pressure on myself,” Svechkov said Wednesday in Milwaukee following the team’s practice. “It’s a different role, like, when you're a rookie and it's your first season in the NHL, almost nobody expects something. But right now, I have to meet the expectations for myself, and the most important thing for me, it’s not the points or goals, just [how do I help] the team win. I have to do the right things.”
Svechkov, who recorded eight goals and 17 points with the Preds over the past few months, says he learned a lot about himself over that time, not just as a player, but as a person. On the ice, he feels he’s simply got a better grasp of the game in all areas.
“I feel like I understand my position a little bit better as the center,” Svechkov said. “All kinds of things, like faceoffs, or like these D-zone positions and puck management - all the small details… I feel like a better player than I did in October, and I hope it's going to help us to win the [Calder] Cup.”
Marc Del Gaizo feels similarly in more ways than one.
The defenseman also saw plenty of NHL action in Nashville this past campaign - 46 games, to be exact - to go with his first nine outings two seasons ago. He’s also spent parts of the last four years in Milwaukee with the Admirals, but he’s never had this amount of experience to bring to the table with the postseason set to begin.
“I think I've grown a ton since my first year pro,” Del Gaizo said. “I have a lot of experience, whether it be in the AHL playoffs, AHL games, and now in the NHL, I've gotten some experience up there. So just experience and overall growth, I think, [has helped me improve].”
Del Gaizo has had some time to reflect on the season that was with the Preds following exit meetings and the like, but the focus has now shifted to Milwaukee and a place the defender has become plenty familiar with as he readies for his fourth playoff stint with the Ads.
“I've been here in this organization for a while and kind of know how things work here,” Del Gaizo said. “I have a lot of playoff experience. We’ve had really good teams here. We've had a lot of success. It’s cool to see the younger guys down here, and kind of look back and remember when I was in their shoes and stuff like that, and you're kind of helping them, push them along. I’m just trying to be a leader and just do what I do best and put my best foot forward down here.”
Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor knows if his club is to have a long playoff run, Svechkov and Del Gaizo are likely to be two of the participants the group will look to for production in all areas of the ice, especially when postseason adversity inevitably arrives.
“We expect that [confidence] from [Del Gaizo],” Taylor said. “He's been here four years. But, [Svechkov], this is his second season, so a little bit different for him, but you can see in practice, Svech is a playoff player. People don't realize he's won a couple of championships in Russia. He's had deep playoff runs over there playing in men's leagues. He had a deep run with us last year, and in our last round, he was by far our best player on the ice. He’s super excited for the playoffs; he's ready to go.”
There’s also a balance to strike at this level in a postseason setting, and Taylor says that’s part of his job - to find that sweet spot while also allowing them to show why they’re great players.
“There should be more confidence, because they've been at a higher level and higher competition, but you don't want them to try to do too much,” Taylor said. “That’s like the art of the coaching, I guess, is trying to work with those players so they understand that balance and just finding that sweet spot where they're confident, but they're not trying to do everything on their own. It's different for each individual, because they've all been through different things, Svech being up and down a couple times, Delly being up and down a couple of times. That helps the process, because we've already gone through it with them, and so now we just expect great performances from both of them.”
Regardless of the league, the eve of the postseason is just about as exciting as it gets in hockey. That’s no different in Milwaukee, and the Admirals, who have had an extra long wait once again, will finally see the puck drop on Thursday.
The last thing Ads players see before they exit their locker room at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is a phrase - three words - in big, blue, bold letters: “We Win Here.”
If players like Svechkov have anything to do with it, the Admirals will do plenty of that over the next two months - and his view of the lake will look that much sweeter.
“I just believe in myself and the guys in the locker room and coaches,” Svechkov said. “We've been there last year, and I feel like I can say that this group is better than last year, but it’s just another year and we have a chance to win a [Calder] Cup. So, if you have a chance, we’re going to dream."
