Tag: badger hockey

Wisconsin men’s hockey team captain signs with minor league team in Idaho

Wisconsin men’s hockey team captain signs with minor league team in Idaho

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey team captain Mike Vorlicky signed with the Idaho Steelheads on Thursday.

Based in Boise, Idaho, the Steelheads have been a member of the East Coast Hockey League’s Western Conference since 2016-17. The league includes professional minor hockey squads in the United States and Canada and serves as a farm system to the American Hockey League and National Hockey League.

Most specifically, the Steelheads are a direct affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars.

Vorlicky joins the Idahoan squad on a five-year contract after playing five seasons with the Badgers from 2019-24. Most recently, the defenseman appeared in 37 games as the platoon’s team captain in his graduate season.

In total, Vorlicky skated in 124 bouts for UW under former head coach Tony Granato and current leader Mike Hastings. He scored four goals and pocketed 17 assists for 21 points during his five-year tenure in Madison.

The righty took 84 total shots as a Badger and registered 12 of his 21 points during his final seasons as a representative of UW. He also helped guide UW to the conference’s regular season title during the 2020-21 season.

Given the Steelheads’ ties to professional opportunities, Vorlicky could end up playing himself into a major league role down the line. The team captain title at one of the nation’s premier hockey programs never hurts.

Wisconsin men’s hockey releases 2024-25 non-conference schedule

Wisconsin men’s hockey releases 2024-25 non-conference schedule

Wisconsin’s men’s hockey program released its 2024-25 non-conference schedule on Wednesday.

Following an exhibition match in Nebraska against the Omaha Mavericks on Oct. 5, the Badgers will welcome the Lindenwood Lions to the Kohl Center for their 2024-25 home opener.

Wisconsin will play two games against Lindenwood on Oct. 11 and Oct. 12 before matching up with the defending NCAA champion Denver Pioneers on Oct. 25-26. This will mark the first non-conference road series for Mike Hastings’ squad this coming season.

About a month later, UW will return home to host Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 29-30, preceding their participation at the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee on the final weekend of December.

There, the Badgers will face Ferris State on Dec. 28 before playing either UConn or Alaska in a championship scenario or third-place game on Dec. 29. Those matches are schedule to be played just down the road at Fiserv Forum.

Finally, UW will complete its non-conference schedule against Brookfield, New York’s LIU Sharks at the Kohl Center on Jan. 17-18.

For reference, Wisconsin went a combined 2-1-1 against this field in 2023-24.

The Badgers will look to build off a strong 26-12-2 showing and clinch their second consecutive postseason berth under second-year head coach Mike Hastings.

Wisconsin men’s hockey legend officially announces retirement from the NHL

Wisconsin men’s hockey legend officially announces retirement from the NHL

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey legend Joe Pavelski has officially announced his retirement, according to the NHL’s recent post on X.

After 18 illustrious seasons representing both the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars, Pavelski officially hung up his skates after 1,332 games in the NHL. The Plover, Wisconsin native orchestrated one of the more storied amateur and professional careers of any Badger in program history.

Before representing Wisconsin, an 18-year-old Pavelski earned United States Hockey League Rookie of the Year in 2002-03 with Waterloo on the junior ice hockey scene. The Sharks picked the Wisconsin product at No. 205 in the seventh round of the 2003 NHL draft before he starred in Madison.

During his 2004-05 freshman campaign at UW, Pavelski led NCAA first-years in points with 16 goals and 29 assists. He followed that up with an NCAA championship in 2006 and paced the team in both assists and points.

Pavelski made his professional debut with San Jose on Nov. 22, 2006 and registered his first 20-goal season in the NHL in 2008-09. He reached his peak during the 2013-14 season after recording career-bests in goals (41) and points (79). The output netted him NHL Second All-Star Team and Sharks Player of the Year nods.

As captain of the 2015-16 Sharks, Pavelski earned his first NHL All-Star Game bid and guided San Jose to its first Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sharks would ultimately lose the series in six games.

The former Badger’s quest for a Stanley Cup, however, would not end there.

A year after signing with the Dallas Stars in July 2019, Pavelski’s Stars reached the Stanley Cup Finals but fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. Still, the Plover product led Dallas and was second among all players with 13 playoff goals at age 36.

Pavelski played four more seasons with the Stars and scored his 1,000th NHL point on April 10, 2023.

The Badger legend finished his career with 476 goals and 592 assists for 1,068 points in over 1,330 regular-season games for Dallas and San Jose. After the conclusion of the 2023-24 slate, Pavelski also ranked fifth in goals and games among active players.

Pavelski will now turn a chapter on his ice hockey career after cementing his legacy as one of the Badgers’ all-time greats. It’s safe to say the NHL and Badger faithful throughout the nation will miss watching him skate past defenders on a professional stage.

Wisconsin Athletics reveals new courtside seating options in Kohl Center

Wisconsin Athletics reveals new courtside seating options in Kohl Center

Wisconsin Athletics displayed renderings for new courtside seating options at the Kohl Center in a press release Tuesday.

The construction will be completed in time for the 2024-25 basketball season.

Located adjacent to the rink and hardwood, visuals depict a few extra rows of seating for Badger fans next season. These seats will be located on each side of the ice sheet at the event level of the Kohl Center, per UW Athletics.

“These upgrades will help to create an exciting, new fan experience and drive additional revenue that will support Badger student-athletes across our 23 sport programs,” UW Director of Athletics Chris McIntosh told UWBadgers.com

The renovation will also include high-quality seating surfaces and access to the Krantz Club, an event-level club space, starting in January. Other amenities include parking priorities, inclusive food and drink services and a cash bar.

The renovation arrives shortly after the Kohl Center’s ice sheet dimensions were reduced to NHL proportions in February. This ultimately created extra space between the event level and the playing fields.

Wisconsin’s Kohl Center is home to the both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and men’s hockey team.

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey defenseman transfers to Alaska

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey defenseman transfers to Alaska

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey defenseman Luke LaMaster will transfer to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, according to BadgerExtra’s Todd Milewski.

LaMaster will join Alaska for his fifth season of collegiate eligibility. He and the Nanooks will play against the Badgers during the Holiday Face-Off in late December.

The Duluth, Minnesota native represented Wisconsin from 2020-24 before graduating this spring. He played in 65 games as a defenseman from 2020-23 and registered a career-best 21 shots during his 2022-23 junior season.

LaMaster is the sixth Badger to transfer elsewhere since the end of the 2023-24 season, joining Sam Stange, William Whitelaw, Charlie Stramel, Cruz Lucius and Brady Cleveland.

Notwithstanding the departures, the Badgers have added four new transfers, including former Northern Michigan recruit Adam Pietila and Rochester Institute of Technology alumni Cody Laskosky.

Fresh off its 26-win output in 2023-24, Wisconsin will look to build off its momentum in their second year under Hastings. Last year’s Badgers’ squad saw its most success since 2009-10 and earned a berth to the 2023-24 NCAA Tournament.

Former Wisconsin hockey star throws out first pitch at Milwaukee Brewers game

Former Wisconsin hockey star throws out first pitch at Brewers game

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey forward Cole Caufield threw out the first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers game against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. The 23-year-old spent two seasons with the Badgers from 2019-2021.

Caufield scored 49 goals while also adding 39 assists over 67 games during his time in Madison, Wisconsin. He got to play alongside his older brother Brock Caufield, as the two brothers helped lead the Badgers to a Big Ten regular-season title in Cole’s final year on campus.

The 5-foot-8, 175-pound athlete was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 15th overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft and reported to the team after his two campaigns in Madison.

Caufield has now completed four seasons in the league, most recently playing in all 82 games in 2023-2024, compiling 65 total points (28 goals and 37 assists).

A native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Caufield has remained active in his home state, including his appearance at the Brewers game Saturday.

Wisconsin men’s hockey adds talented transfer forward

Wisconsin men’s hockey adds talented transfer forward

Wisconsin’s men’s hockey program added former Northern Michigan signee Adam Pietila on Saturday, he announced on X.

Pietila becomes the second transfer target to become a Badger, joining former Rochester Institute of Technology forward Cody Laskosky, who committed to UW in early May.

The Howell, Michigan native represented the Youngstown Phantoms in the United States Hockey League this past season and netted 24 goals and 24 assists in 61 regular season appearances. Pietila also added three goals in his seven playoff contests with the Phantoms.

Prior to his stint in the USHL, the 6-footer played two seasons with the North American Hockey League’s Bismarck Bobcats. In his 111 regular season contests from 2021-23, he had 42 goals and 40 assists for 82 points.

Alongside Laskosky, Pietila’s addition is huge for Mike Hasting’s program. His experience on multiple squads and recent playoff success could bode well for a squad looking to return to the NCAA’s top-five.

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey player among Big Ten alums in NHL Stanley Cup Final

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey player among Big Ten alums in NHL Stanley Cup Final

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey left wing Dylan Holloway is one of five Big Ten alums to reach the Stanley Cup Final this summer.

The 6-foot-1, 206-pounder will represent the Edmonton Oilers during their 2024 title run. Pitted against the Florida Panthers, the Edmonton Oilers laced up for game one on Saturday night in Sunrise, Florida.

Holloway will share the ice with fellow conference alumni Zach Hyman, William Lockwood, Mackie Samoskevich and Kyle Okposo. Hyman, Lockwood and Samoskevich represented the University of Michigan during their collegiate tenures, and Okposo attended the University of Minnesota before making the jump to the NHL.

Drafted 14th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft, Holloway played his final season at UW in 2020-21. The same season, he earned a First-Team All-Big Ten nod and was named a Top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as a sophomore.

Holloway appeared in 58 games during his two years in Madison and totaled 19 goals, 33 assists and 52 points from 2019-21.

Through two NHL seasons, the Bragg Creek, Alberta native has registered 18 points in 89 career games in Edmonton. He has scored three goals in 18 playoff games for the Oilers this postseason.