Rookie Defenseman Travels From Milwaukee to Nashville on Short Notice to Join Preds
Ryan Ufko woke up on Monday with the intention of having a normal start to the week in Milwaukee. So did the rest of his family.
Instead, by the time the sun was setting, they all found themselves over 500 miles away in Nashville experiencing a moment none of them saw coming.
But that’s the way life goes for an NHL prospect. The call could come at any time. So, instead of residing in Wisconsin for the day, the 21-year-old Ufko grabbed the next flight, the rest of the family jumped into a car, and off to Tennessee they went to make a collective dream come true.
Ufko made his NHL debut on Monday night with the Predators at Bridgestone Arena after being recalled due to fellow defenseman Andreas Englund falling ill and being unable to play.
Nashville’s fourth-round pick (115th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft skated 15:37 in his debut – spent mostly alongside Marc Del Gaizo, a familiar pairing that has also seen time together with the Admirals.
The Predators didn’t end up on the right side of the scoreboard by the time the night was done, but Ufko’s grin was still hard to hide as he recalled a day he’ll simply never forget.
“I got the call this morning, so lucky enough, my family was in Milwaukee with me,” Ufko said. “Once I found that out, I called them, and they got in the car and drove down here and made it… I’m pretty grateful to be here and grateful that they were able to make it.”
Ideally, a game day would consist of a morning skate, lunch, a nap and then an arrival to the rink around two or three hours before puck drop. Ufko’s day had a few of those elements – just with a trip to the airport mixed in.
“I was with my brother, actually,” Ufko said of when he found out he was needed in Nashville. “He’s on spring break this week, so he was going to stay with me up in Milwaukee, but I was with him. It was around 9:30, 10, I got a bunch of texts from management, got my flight information after that, and kind of just took it from there. I landed here around 1 or 2, got to the hotel, got some food, took a nap, and came straight here.”
From that point, it was just another hockey game – mostly.
Ufko had appeared in 71 contests with Milwaukee this season and led all defensemen with 21 assists and 29 points from the backend. His eight goals with the Ads were good enough to place him fourth among all rookie AHL D-men in the category.
Ufko admitted the pace of an NHL game was faster than what he’s accustomed to, but the familiarity with Del Gaizo helped, and once he got a few shifts in, he simply tried to rely on what earned him the call in the first place.
“Anybody that plays one game in the NHL, it’s a pretty special day,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “It wasn’t the easiest for him, flying in right away [on] short notice, but I thought he handled himself really well. Obviously early, he had a little bit of the nerves…but I thought he settled in, and I’m sure he’s excited. He deserved an opportunity. I’m glad he got a game.”
It’s not yet known if Ufko’s services will be needed again on Wednesday when the Preds host Dallas to close out the 2024-25 season, but if his No. 85 is called again, he’ll be ready.
And if not? Then what a life changing experience he’s got to take with him into the offseason – but not before he gets back to Milwaukee to help the Admirals in their playoff run.
“He’s had a really good year,” Brunette said of Ufko. “Like every young kid, I’d like to see a little bit more explosiveness, a little bit more jump. I think he’s the type of player where he sees the ice really well, he just needs a little separation with his feet. I didn’t think he skated like I think he can skate. I think if he could bring that mobility – because he has the brain to play at this level – it just needs a little bit more strength and more pop. I’m looking forward to seeing him after a summer of training.”
“Just build off of it,” Ufko said of how he wants to use the debut moving forward. “It was unfortunate that we lost. But, I can be a lot better. I’m sure everyone in here would say the same thing. So, just to remember this as a stepping stone and to build off of it. The pace of play was a bit faster, so to try to continue at that pace, I think that’ll be good for me.”
