Milwaukee Admirals Sign Forward Mason McCormick to Amateur Tryout Agreement

The Milwaukee Admirals signed forward Mason McCormick to an amateur tryout contract on March 21, bringing the 6-foot-4 center to his home state after he wrapped up a four-year career at the Air Force Academy.

McCormick, a Verona, Wisconsin native, finished his senior season at Air Force with seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 28 games. He closed out his collegiate career with 49 points (24 goals, 25 assists) and 166 penalty minutes in 135 games. The 166 penalty minutes over 135 games paint a picture of a forward who brings physicality alongside his production: at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, McCormick plays the kind of game that translates to the pro level even before the goals do.

McCormick served as assistant captain of the Air Force men's ice hockey team and majored in management with a minor in global logistics, making him one of the more academically credentialed players to arrive in Milwaukee on an ATO. The path from Colorado Springs to Historic Panther Arena closed quickly once his final college season ended.

The road to Milwaukee ran through several stops first. McCormick played parts of three seasons at Verona High School before moving on to the NAHL, where he won the league championship with the Shreveport Mudbugs in 2021, and the following year collected 16 points in 46 games with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL. From Shreveport, he committed to play NCAA Division I hockey for the Air Force Academy in Atlantic Hockey, beginning the four-year college career that ended with his ATO signing.

The Admirals' announcement landed on the same day Milwaukee was set to host Grand Rapids at Historic Panther Arena, with the team framing the signing as a homecoming. The Admirals hosted Grand Rapids at Historic Panther Arena on March 21 at 6 pm. The team's social media post captured the narrative simply: "The Wisconsin kid is returning home."

McCormick, born May 25, 2001, plays center and left wing and shoots left. At 24, he enters the AHL on a standard amateur tryout with no additional contract terms disclosed by the team. EliteProspects confirmed the transaction on March 22, listing McCormick as joining the Admirals from Air Force Academy. The signing came during a stretch of active roster movement for Milwaukee, with the club also processing other ATO additions and recall activity in the same week.

Verona sits roughly 90 miles northeast of Milwaukee, and McCormick's path from youth hockey in south-central Wisconsin to a pro tryout with the state's only AHL franchise gives the late-season transaction a local weight that extends well beyond the transaction wire.