[media-credit name=’DEREK MONTGOMERY/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]With the Badger hockey team tied 2-2 with visiting St. Lawrence in the first game of the season, forward Ross Carlson made a cross-ice pass to his linemate, freshman Jack Skille. Skille took the pass, drove hard to the net from the right circle and got hit by a defender as he took a shot. The puck had just enough momentum to carry it to the net, underneath a pileup in front. The Kohl Center crowd went crazy as the Badgers won the game on the improbable goal, and Jack Skille announced his arrival to Wisconsin hockey.

Skille (pronounced Skill-EE) grew up in the Madison area. He used to fall asleep in his father's lap watching the Badgers play hockey at the Coliseum, the Badgers' old home. Skille's father, Lee, also played Wisconsin hockey for a brief time in the 70s.

The young Skille's career should be anything but brief, however. After he gets done at Wisconsin, a potential career in the NHL is already waiting for him. In the 2005 NHL Entry Draft the Chicago Blackhawks selected Skille seventh overall, making him one of four Badgers whose draft rights are held by the Blackhawks.

"I was a huge Blackhawks fan when I was a kid," Skille said in an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal. "I think my whole room was [decorated with] Blackhawks stuff until last year when my dad actually switched around my room."

Skille has already impressed with his presence on the ice. He is a physical, grinding player that would much rather hit someone in the mouth than score a goal.

"I'm amazed at how he can get by people going down the wall," head coach Mike Eaves said. "It looks like they've got him sealed off and because of his ability to skate and his ability to keep his feet moving, he's able to get by people."

Skille has used those abilities to put the puck in the net as well. Since that overtime goal, he has added four more, plus an assist, to bring his scoring total for the season to six points. His five goals put him second on the team in goal scoring and tie him for second among WCHA rookies in that category.

"I'm not going to think that now that I'm scoring all these goals, I'm a goal scorer and that's all that I'm going to focus on doing," Skille said of his surprising offensive outburst. "I'm still going to stick to my role, and if I don't score goals, no big deal."

Skille spent some time before coming to Wisconsin with another goal scorer from Madison, Phil Kessel, when the two played for USA Hockey's National Development Team Program. Kessel, a freshman for Minnesota who chose to be a Gopher instead of a Badger, is expected be the first overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Last year, as Kessel went undecided about where to play, rumors spread that Skille had a behind-the-scenes rivalry with Kessel. When Kessel finally decided to play at Minnesota, some people looked at that rivalry as one of the reasons.

Skille says the two had styles that were too different to be considered rivals. Kessel fills the role of pure goal scorer while Skille plays the part of power forward.

"To hear somebody say that we're rivals or that we're competing with each other, that doesn't make sense in my mind because we're just totally different players," Skille said of the supposed rivalry. "You can't compete with somebody that does a different part of the game."

The truth is, no one really knows why Kessel chose to play in Minnesota except Kessel. Perhaps he thought he would fit better in Minnesota's offensive scheme than playing with a team like Wisconsin that he felt focused too much on defense.

Kessel's girlfriend at the time had also decided to go to Minnesota, which may have played a role in his decision.

But the Badgers haven't dwelled on the Kessel situation mainly because they have a promising young group of rookies even without him. Eaves used the available scholarship from the Kessel situation to get forward Ben Street, who has also contributed early this season, as well as Minnesota's 2004 "Mr. Hockey," Tom Gorowsky.

While all three freshman forwards have been in the lineup for the Badgers this season, the standout from that group so far has been Skille. He continues to impress players and coaches alike with his skating abilities, his bruising style and his surprisingly quick shot.

"He's a workhorse. He goes to the corners and he'll run you over if you're in his way. He's just a power forward, and he can pass the puck, and the best thing about him is he can shoot," Carlson said of his linemate.

Always a student of the game, Skille watches players like Jake Dowell and Nick Licari whenever he sits on the bench to try and learn what makes them successful. For now, Skille intends to simply fill his role on the team and improve his skills where he can.

"I came here thinking that I'm just going to play the role that Coach Eaves wants me to play, and that's a power forward — making plays down low, grinding it out in the corners," Skille said. "I've been fortunate enough to get a couple goals here and there."