The Badgers men's hockey team opens the season Friday at Lindenwood. Here are six developments to watch as they try to rebound from a 13-21-3 season.
MADISON – The Wisconsin men’s hockey season starts with a 6-hour bus ride to Maryland Heights, Missouri, and maybe some redemption.
The Badgers open the season at Lindenwood with a Friday-Saturday series Oct. 3-4. Last year UW needed an overtime win in the second game to salvage a split with a third-year program that went on to finish 8-22-2.
Those struggles proved to be a bad sign for a frustrating season marked by a 2-8 start. The Badgers never recovered and with a 13-21-3 campaign produced the first losing season in head coach Mike Hastings’ 13 years of NCAA coaching.
“It’s almost like we were held under water a little bit because of it,” Hastings said of the start.
Wisconsin opens the season ranked No. 20 in the USCHO poll and is picked to finish fifth among the seven teams in the Big Ten.
UW came out on fire two years ago when it scored sweeps over ranked Michigan Tech, Minnesota and Michigan to climb to the No. 1 ranking in the nation.
How the Badgers come out of the gates will be one of the developments to watch this season. Here are five others.
UW has a huge freshman class. How will the group assimilate?
With eight players, the Badgers freshmen class makes up almost one-third of the team. In order for UW to have the season it desires those players are going to have to contribute.
The group includes United State Hockey League defenseman of the year Luke Osburn, all-time Wesern Hockey League wins leader Daniel Hauser, Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup champion Blake Montgomery and USHL points per game runner-up Bruno Idzan.
The class is a talented group that pushed the team's vetarans.
“We’ll utilize the experience with the guys that are returning, but also I think in college hockey and in all sports right now at the collegiate level your freshmen have to come in and play,” Hastings said. “They’ve got to come in and make an impact, especially if you’ve got eight of them.”
Four players in the group are NHL draft choices: Osburn (fourth round, Buffalo), Montgomery (fourth, Ottawa), Idzan (sixth, Ottawa) and Vasily Zelenov (seventh, Buffalo).
And three of the individuals – Hauser, Montgomery and forward Oliver Tulk – have Canadian Hockey League experience. This is the first year the NCAA has allowed for CHL players, who played with NHL-signed skaters.
Can the Badgers perform better in close contests?
The biggest issue in last season’s sub-.500 record was the Badgers’ failure to produce in close games. UW went 5-12 in games decided by one goal and 2-7-3 in overtime contests.
“We’ve got to be better three on three and it’s something we’re working on and we’re in progress on,” Hastings said. “New guys understanding what it is. Where they’ve come from they’ve played some three on three and so hopefully we can put some of those young guys in a spot they can earn so that we can be a little bit better in those situations.”
How will the goaltenders develop
The Badgers enter the season with three goaltenders who have made two starts between them. Adding to the uncertainty are injuries that sidelined Hauser and sophomore Anton Castro for a time during summer or preseason.
Minnesota State transfer Eli Pulver, a sophomore, has been the healthiest. Hauser, who had an undisclosed injury, was cleared medically about a month ago. Castro has been dinged up and as a result is behind those two.
Pulver and Hauser could both play in the season opening series.
First-round draft choice Logan Hensler returns for Year 2
There are 10 NHL draft picks on the UW roster. Sophomore defenseman Logan Hensler has the most promise.
An all-Big Ten freshman selection last season, he won a gold medal with the United States earlier the year at the World Juniors. Ottawa selected him with the 23rd pick of the first round in June. He is the 19th first-round draft pick in Badgers history.
“We’re working on the idea of killing penalties, but I think one thing Logan does naturally is I think he can get up into the play and be a real transition-type defenseman, one of the better ones in the league,” Hastings said. “We’re going to need him to get to his game as quick as possible.”
The Woodbury, Minnesota, native will be counted on to anchor a defense that also includes senior Ben Dexheimer, Zach Schulz and Minnesota Duluth transfer Aiden Dubinsky.
Will Wisconsin finish scoring opportunities better?
Junior forward Quinn Finley, who led the Badgers in goals (20) and points (40) last season returns. So do the team’s third and fourth scorers, sophomore Gavin Morrissey (32 points) and senior Kyle Kukkonen (19).
Wisconsin’ 16 returners accounted for 69.2% of its points and 63% of its goals in 24-25. The bulk of that comes from the seven players who ranked among the top eight in scoring last season.
Can they be more effective this season?
Wisconsin ranked sixth in the Big Ten with 2.92 goals per game and power play percentage (22.1%) and last in shot percentage (8.7%).
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 6 storylines to watch for Wisconsin men's hockey in 2025-26 season
Category: General Sports
