Admirals find spark from 757
Chesapeake native grows into a bigger role for surging team
NORFOLK — Being able to put on a Norfolk Admirals jersey before the puck hits the ice has signified a milestone for Chesapeake native Brandon Osmundson.
It’s a venture that started when he was a couple months old when his parents, Brian and Karen, brought him to Scope as season ticket holders. Now it has come full circle, letting him grow into a role he’s dreamed of: playing for the Admirals at the same arena where it all started.
Osmundson received the call-up in early December and has worked his way into a bigger role for the team.
“It’s been a journey; I started playing seven to eight minutes a game,” Osmundson said. “Throughout my play, I’ve been increasing my ice time each game and just earning Coach (Jeff ) Carr’s trust.”
The Admirals host the South Carolina Stingrays this weekend on the heels of a 9-4 stretch, entrenched in second place in the ECHL’s Eastern Conference North Division with a 27-19-3-1 record. Entering Friday night’s game, they were 12 points behind leader Adirondack with 22 games remaining in the regular season.
The Admirals finished last in the 14-team conference last season with 21 wins.
Before Friday night’s game, Osmundson had notched 16 points (six goals and 10 assists) in 26 contests with the Admirals this season. He had six assists in his past five games.
Osmundson “has been one of the most consistent players since his call-up,” Carr said. “He doesn’t take a shift off and works as hard as he can.”
Osmundson plays center, a position he favors as it allows him to skate all over the ice and use his quickness and speed on both the offensive and defensive sides. He’s dedicated to improving his all-around game, working on stick-handling and face-offs, which has correlated to increased time on penalty-kill shifts.
“After practice, a couple guys will stay after and work on faceoffs,” Osmundson said. “A lot of those guys across from me are bigger players and using their leverage against me, so I’m working on every little skill-set possible.
“I’m fortunate to play penalty kill and I’ve seen a bigger role in that. The first week (with the Admirals), I never thought I would see myself playing those big minutes, and now, a couple months later, I’m playing 15 minutes a game, playing bigger roles and wanting more responsibility.”
Added Carr: “He just needed a chance, and, due to injuries, he got lucky in coming up. But there has been no luck involved ever since — it’s just been him. He’s been relentless when on the ice, and that’s the No. 1 trait we’re looking for to be an Admirals player.”
The tenacity comes from all the early exposure to the game. After being a baby wrapped in the familiar blue, yellow and white colors of the franchise, Osmundson started skating at the public sessions at Chilled Ponds in Chesapeake. The facility owner, Patrick Cavanagh, who also owns the Admirals, informed the family of the Learn to Play program, which introduces children to the game of hockey.
“I’ve been skating longer than I’ve been walking in shoes,” Osmundson said.
Osmundson graduated from recreation to travel hockey as an 8-yearold, starting at the Squirt level for the Hampton Roads Whalers and then moving through the ranks of Peewee, Bantam and Midget.
That time period coincides with his first memories of the Admirals, when he and his family would rush through dinner, get to Scope and join the crowds in cheering on future Hall of Fame inductees Shawn Thornton and Marty Wilford during their successful runs in the mid-2000s.
Osmundson transitioned to playing at Junior Elite level hockey at 16 and was the youngest player on the team. Two years later, he was promoted to the Premier level, was named team captain and led his squad to back-to-back national championships. He is the Whalers’ all-time leader in points and assists and second in goals.
Osmundson then went on to play for Utica College, a NCAA Division III powerhouse, and credits his time there with elevating his game. He ranks fourth on Utica’s career list in points (118) and third in assists (81).
“You always get the funny looks and people don’t really think of Virginia as a hockey state,” he said. “The further north you go, the competition gets tougher. You’re dealing with more physical competition compared to playing juniors.
“In college, I learned more about the X’s and O’s structure and game-planning and to play the right way in any given game situation.”
He signed with the Huntsville Havoc of the Southern Professional Hockey League, an equivalent of Class A minor league baseball, in the summer of 2023, but was extended an invitation to Admirals training camp. And it was during training and intrasquad games that Carr took notice.
“I proved that I could play at that level,” said Osmundson, who is 5-feet-9 and 175 pounds. “I got to showcase that I can be physical enough and size doesn’t matter and I can skate with these guys. (Carr) told me I did really well and could earn a call-up in the season if I continue to keep working and getting better at my game with Huntsville.
“I really worked on my competition levels and being a dominant player. Constantly playing against bigger guys and if I couldn’t win my battles down there, I definitely couldn’t win them in the ECHL.”
The promotion call came on Dec. 9, on a night when Osmundson scored a powerplay goal in the second period in a 2-1 overtime win over the Birmingham Bulls. In 16 games, he led the Havoc with nine goals and 13 points, all while playing on the top power-play and penalty-kill lines.
“Just big emotions,” he said, recalling the scenario. “We had just got done playing and it was a very close game over a rival at the time, so I’m already excited about the game. And then Coach Carr calls and you always dream of putting the (Admirals) jersey on, and here’s the moment to call you back up. It was very special. I call my parents after every game, and this time I told them I’m coming home to play for the Admirals. It was a lot of happiness and joy. I slept maybe an hour that night. The adrenaline was still pumping the next morning, when I had to catch a 5 a.m. flight to get back to Norfolk.”
Osmundson has seen his playing time increase over the course of 26 games with the club because of his combination of skill and desire to improve, traits that have stuck out to Carr.
“He’s got a soft touch and a lot of skill,” Carr said. “His stick detail for finding and handling the puck is good for a rookie. But he also sticks his nose in the dirty areas. He does everything you want for a third-line center and he’s been one of our best penalty-kill players. It comes down to knowing what his job is during that shift with his defensive positioning. He’s tracking down and hunting for the puck.”
Osmundson’s goal now is to remain with the team for the final regular-season games and beyond, playing well enough to garner a playoff roster spot. And he’s not taking the time here for granted.
“I came in on a day-today basis — I feel like I’m still on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “Tomorrow, I could be packed up and going back to Huntsville. My first few weeks here, I didn’t unpack my suitcase.”
He also wants to keep grinding and show locals there’s a road from the Whalers to the Admirals. Osmundson joins Ryan Salkeld (18 points, 39 games) of Portsmouth, Brandon Rumble (seven points, 53 games) and Regen Cavanagh (two points in seven games) of Chesapeake as other former Hampton Roads Whalers to play for the Admirals.
“I’m trying to enjoy it, but I’m also trying to do it for the next kid, creating a pathway so they can see it’s possible to come up through the Whalers’ program,” Osmundson said. “They can play here in Chesapeake, go to school and come back and play for your hometown team. That’s the goal.”