Four former Admirals named to preliminary Team USA World Championship roster

Milwaukee’s development track reached another high-profile checkpoint when four former Admirals were named to the preliminary U.S. Men’s National Team roster for the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship.

USA Hockey announced the 24-player group on May 7, and it included defenseman Ryan Ufko, forwards Tommy Novak and Mathieu Olivier, and goaltender Devin Cooley. The tournament opens May 15 and runs through May 31 in Fribourg and Zurich, Switzerland, with the United States entering as the defending gold medalist.

For Milwaukee, the roster was more than a reunion of old names. It was a clean example of how an AHL stop can become a springboard to bigger stages. Ufko, Novak, Olivier and Cooley all spent important developmental time with the Admirals before moving into higher-profile roles, and their presence on a Team USA preliminary roster showed that Milwaukee’s influence extends well beyond the Calder Cup chase and into international selection.

The group also covered every major position lane. Ufko added blue-line depth, Novak and Olivier gave the Americans two very different looks up front, and Cooley gave USA Hockey another goaltending option. That breadth matters for an organization trying to prove its value as a launch point, not just a place where prospects pass through on the way to the NHL.

Ufko’s selection carried extra weight. Born May 7, 2003, in Smithtown, New York, he was a 2021 Nashville draft pick at No. 115 overall and already had NHL regular-season experience with the Predators in 2024-25 and 2025-26. He also reached another benchmark on April 16, when he was named to the 2025-26 AHL Second-Team All-Star list. That combination of AHL recognition, NHL games and now a Team USA look makes him one of the clearest examples of Milwaukee’s pipeline producing internationally credible talent.

USA Hockey said the preliminary roster’s players have won 34 collective IIHF world-championship medals, including 18 golds. It also noted that all but Cooley, Declan Carlile, Paul Cotter, Tommy Novak, Mathieu Olivier and Max Sasson have already competed in at least one world championship, a sign that the roster blends proven international experience with players making their first push into the event.

The Admirals framed the moment in the sharpest possible terms: “The Road to the World Championships goes through Milwaukee.” For a franchise built on development, that line now reads like a résumé.