NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Following a memorable season that saw them make the postseason for the first time in a decade, the Norfolk Admirals open their 2024-2025 campaign at the Scope this Friday night.
The puck drops on the Admirals' season Friday as they play host to Adirondack, the same squad that ended their playoff run this past spring. Returning a good portion of a postseason team is certainly a good place to start for head coach Jeff Carr, even if he is turning the page.
"They've been through a lot more battles and things that they didn't see before, but I think it even started the year before where a lot of those guys had to suffer a lot of losses and a lot of heartache and pain," noted Carr. "They had to realize and look in the mirror how much harder they had to give each day to be a pro."
"Normally in a new season, you have new pieces and everything," added forward Brady Fleurent. "To have 90 percent of our team back, we're going to just go where we left off last year and I think having all those guys and all the experience goes a long way."
Norfolk finished second in the ECHL North Division last season and topped Trois-Rivieres in the first round of the playoffs. The Admirals would take the first two games of their series with Adirondack, before the Thunder got hot and rattled off four straight victories to send Carr and company home for the offseason.
One of the key pieces returning is Chesapeake native Brandon Osmundson. He joined the roster during the season last year and now gets the chance to start training camp with his hometown team. Like the rest of his teammates, Osmundson hopes to reach the highest level of the sport, but admits that being in Norfolk to play professional hockey is a close second.
"I'm still living a kid's dream," he said. "I'm still trying to expand that dream and show kids here in this area that it's possible to still play at Chilled Ponds and grow and not just make the Admirals, but be a real talented player on that team."
"He's doing all the simple things and he's not looking for any credit," Carr said of Osmundson. "Where I think he grew a lot is realizing the pro game, just like college, you can't fight, you can't do a lot of things after the whistle. He did a lot of those types of things that just showed how much he wanted to be here. That resonated in our room."
Puck drops Friday night at the Scope at 7:05 PM. WGNT is your official home for the Norfolk Admirals during the 2024-2025 season, airing nine home games beginning November 16. Click here for a full schedule of which games are airing on WGNT.
