Boy did Ryan Ufko breakout in his second professional season in 2025-26. Over 50 games in the AHL, he led the Milwaukee Admirals in points with 11 goals and 33 assists (as a defenceman no less). Then there is his first NHL goal, in his second NHL game – brimming with confidence and slaloming through his opponents to score the game winner. Since that first goal, he has registered another five points in 11 games for the Predators, solidifying himself as their top defense prospect. Look for Ufko to become a PP1 option for the Predators over the next two seasons when Roman Josi eventually passes the torch.

Ufko put forth a solid rookie-pro season with the Ads, posting just under a point every two games. Despite have nine points in 13 playoff games in 2024, he got off to a very slow start to his 2024-25 campaign, managing just three points in his first 17 games. After that, he heated up, posting 26 in his next 54 (11 on the power play). His strong finish earned him a call-up for Nashville’s final game, where he went pointless in 15 minutes of action (no PP time). Still only 22 (just turned), he’ll need another year of AHL time, especially since he’s behind Molendyk in the pecking order. –

Ufko’s three-year career as a Massachusetts Minuteman has ended, and he has transitioned to the AHL’s Admirals. His scoring in the NCAA trended downward from his first to his third year to 0.7PPG in 23-24. Ufko features a solid set of peripherals: hits and shots in particular. He was team captain for UMass, showing positive makeup. While it seems unlikely Ufko is destined to take Roman Josi’s job on Nashville’s power play soon, with the big minutes he has handled (26:24 ATOI at UMass, more than 20 ATOI in his first three AHL contests) he remains on trajectory to handle a substantial role for the Preds one day.

Ufko has had a busy couple of months. He was a surprise revelation for Team USA at the World Junior Championship. On the way to a Bronze Medal, he led the entire tournament in assists by a defenseman with nine, including five assists in an outstanding performance against Germany in the quarter-finals. Ufko averaged around 18 minutes a game for Team USA, and he was trusted with key playing time against other teams’ top lines.

When it comes to his play in the NCAA, Ufko has seen a slight regression from his previous season. He is currently on a 0.74 points-per-game pace, a decrease from his 0.84 pace last year. However, UMass is a much worse team this year than they were in 2021/22. Their 22-3-13 (W-T-L) record from last season has regressed into a 10-10-5 record (W-L-OTL) through 25 games thus far this year. Ufko is still doing all of the right things at both ends of the ice but the obvious drop in play from the entire team has affected his production. He is still a key prospect to keep an eye on in the Predators’ system.