MILWAUKEE — For most young athletes, the heights of professional stardom represent the impossible dream. For AHL Milwaukee Admirals defenseman and Madison native Ryan Suter, it’s more a matter of birthright.

The son of 1980 Team USA defenseman Bob Suter and nephew of NHL defensive standout Gary Suter, Ryan opted this fall to defer from his remaining college eligibility for the opportunity to play professional hockey. On Christmas Day, the 19-year-old returned briefly to the amateur ranks to represent the United States at the Junior World Championships in Grand Forks, N.D.

While the defending gold-medal squad failed to walk away with a medal of any kind, Suter’s highlight-loaded performance shined through in a tournament otherwise shrouded in disappointment. In addition to providing Team USA with a shutdown defensive presence, Suter also left his mark on the scoreboard with two goals and an assist.

The World Junior Championships also provided Suter a chance to reunite with old teammates. Wisconsin defenseman Jeff Likens, who held down the Badger blueline with Suter last season and also prior to college on the National Talent Development Team, said the experience seemed like their Kohl Center days all over again.

“As a person, he hasn’t changed at all,” Likens said. “As a player, obviously he’s grown and developed like everybody else. But, personality-wise, he’s still the same old Ryan. A fun-loving, good guy.”

With the tournament now a fading memory, Suter is back in Milwaukee looking to further transform his potent pedigree into blueline prowess. After suffering a defensive meltdown without his services Jan. 11 in a 0-7 loss to the Houston Aeros, the Admirals (22-10) are happy to have their young star back in practice.

“He’s a good player for us right now,” Admirals head coach Claude Noel said. “What he does is he has the ability to get our forwards the puck. Without him in the lineup, we have somebody replacing him who doesn’t have the speed or skill or smarts to get the forwards the puck, so we really notice it.”

As one of the top defensive NHL prospects in the nation and the sixth overall pick in the 2003 draft, Suter likely would have suited up for the Nashville Predators this season if not for the holdout. While Suter admitted he would relish the opportunity to play among the continental elite, he doesn’t view the stalling arbitration as a setback just yet.

“I think it’s working out perfectly right now,” Suter said. “You know, I’m an hour from home, I get to play hockey and make money doing it. I think I’m in the perfect situation.”

After struggling early to get acclimated to the tempo of professional hockey — as well as with a shoulder injury sustained on the seamless boards at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. — Suter hit his stride with the Admirals just as the team went on a bit of a roll.

Suter recorded four of his six assists of the year in a three-game home stretch to open December. Before breaking to join Team USA in Grand Forks, the young defenseman’s plus-minus rating stood among the rookie leaders in a league saturated with young talent as a result of the lockout.

“I feel like I’m getting better this year,” Suter said. “I’m learning a lot, getting stronger and just getting adapted to the pros, so whenever [the NHL] does get figured out, I’m that much more ready for it.”

Other than his designs for one day playing a starring role on an NHL squad, Suter has one more goal in mind: to carry on the family tradition of representing the United States at the Olympic games.

“From when I was young, I heard about my dad, obviously, at [Lake Placid], and then watched Gary play in Nagano,” Suter said. “I’d like to get a chance to play for the Olympic team.”

As the former Badger’s stock continues to rise, that opportunity may sit on the not-so-distant horizon.