By Jason Karnosky
Roland McKeown and the Admirals are preparing for another long postseason.
The newly minted father anchors an elite Milwaukee defensive group that stood out all season and carried the Ads (47-22-2-1) to the 2023-24 American Hockey League Central Division title. This week McKeown and Milwaukee are gearing up to face Texas and start their long road toward the Calder Cup as one of the favorites to win it all.
“We were kind of a .500 team to start the season, but then we really found our way and found some chemistry on our team,” McKeown said. “We went on that big 19-game winning streak in January and February, but then we took our foot off the gas pedal a little bit after we finally lost. Thankfully, we rebounded well toward the end of the season, and now we want to go out and win a Calder Cup.”
Along with captain Kevin Gravel, McKeown is one of two Admirals blue liners with AHL titles on their resume. The pair provided strong veteran leadership and anchored a defense that allowed only 193 goals this season—the third fewest in the AHL.
“Roland is a great leader, a great foot soldier, a great teammate, and the type of player you want your younger players around,” Admirals general manager Scott Nichol said. “But at the same time, he’s also not here to just babysit our prospects. He’s growing his career, working toward another contract, and trying to get into NHL games. Both McKeown and Gravel are a huge part of our team, and those kinds of guys are hard to find.”
With an 11-day break after the regular season, Milwaukee’s vaunted defense should be at full strength going into the playoffs, even if McKeown is running on a little less sleep than his teammates. Recently the 28-year-old became a father for the first time, as his wife Abbey gave birth to an adorable baby boy, Myles.
The proud papa enters the playoffs in a great headspace, ready to play big minutes for the Admirals against Texas, and future postseason opponents.
“Myles is our first child, and it really has been a cool experience to be a father for the first time,” McKeown said. “The guys, our team, have been so supportive of myself and my family. Having a baby puts a lot of things and life in perspective, and it ended up being perfect timing having the baby during the long break after the regular season.”
McKeown often plays with Gravel, and the pair is one of the most dependable in the AHL. Both veteran blue liners log heavy minutes for…
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