MILWAUKEE — When the sports world stopped spinning in March 2020, the Milwaukee Admirals were atop the American Hockey League standings, preparing to chase a championship. Nineteen months later, the franchise is finally ready to drop the puck once again at Panther Arena.

The Admirals opted out of the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic. Players scattered across the AHL to find playing time, while head coach Karl Taylor spent the season on the Chicago Wolves staff. On the eve of the new season, Taylor said it felt good to be back in Milwaukee.

“It’s been a long time, and we have high aspirations for our group,” Taylor said. “Obviously every team is a new journey and a new path. We’ll see what this group holds for us.”

Just nine players are back from the 2019-20 AHL regular season championship team. Veteran forward Cole Schneider, one of Milwaukee’s leading scorers two years ago, signed to play last season with the Texas Stars, and even became the team’s captain. Taylor expected the 31-year-old to remain with the Dallas organization, but, to his delight, Schneider re-joined the Admirals and the Nashville Predators system.

“I was a little nervous,” Taylor said. ”[Texas is] a nice place to live — not that Milwaukee’s not nice — but the weather’s nice, and I was like, ‘Jeez, are we gonna have a chance to get him back or not?’”

Schneider said veteran leadership plays a big role on any successful AHL team, and he wanted to return to Milwaukee to not only produce goals, but help prospects get to the next level.

“This feels like home now after playing here for a few years,” Schneider said. “I mean, Texas is pretty nice, too, but it just feels like family around here.”

Schneider said he and the eight other returners from the 2019-20 roster have buried that season and the disappointment that came with the cancellation of the Calder Cup Playoffs. But they do hope to recapture what made those Admirals the winningest team overall and a dominant force on home ice.

Milwaukee opens the 76-game AHL season Saturday night at Panther Arena against the Grand Rapids Griffins.

“We’re pretty excited,” Schneider said. “It’s been a while, so hopefully that first goal comes early and we’ll get the crowd bumping.”