The incoming freshman class should have Badger fans excited. The roster doesn’t look quite as great as it has in previous years, but that is what comes with a rebuilding season. There are six incoming freshmen in the class, two of which were just drafted into the NHL.
The Seattle Kraken drafted Tyson Jugnauth out of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada in the fourth round. They picked him 100th overall and he should be a solid addition to the defense. Jugnauth won the 2022 BCHL Top Defenceman Award, so he is a player everyone should be keeping an eye on this season.
The Carolina Hurricanes drafted forward Cruz Lucius in the fourth round as well. They took him 124th overall.
Lucius spent two years with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and was originally committed to the University of Minnesota. The Winnipeg Jets took his older brother, Chaz Lucius, in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Another big addition to the team is forward Charlie Stramel. He made the roster for the 2022 US National Junior Team and is a potential first round pick in the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft. This past season with the USA NTDP, Stramel earned 16 points in 18 games — he should be a great addition to this roster.
The three other freshman additions include defenseman Ben Dexheimer and forwards Robby Newton and Jack Horbach.
Dexheimer, out of Edina, Minnesota, helped the Madison Capitols reach the Clark Cup Final. He scored eight goals and 39 assists in 60 games with the team.
Horbach also played for the Madison Capitols last season. He played in 49 games and he served as captain of the team. He netted eight goals and 25 assists.
Last but not least, forward Robby Newton, out of Milwaukee, played in 58 games for the Janesville Jets and earned 13 goals and 26 assists.
Two players transferred to the Badgers during the offseason. Ty Smilanic, the junior transfer from Quinnipiac, should be a good addition to the offense, and is a player we will likely see a lot of this season.
The Florida Panthers drafted Smilanic in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft. With Quinnipiac, he had 27 goals and 44 points in 41 games. He was also placed on the Eastern College Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team and was a finalist for the ECAC Rookie of the Year award.
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Goalie Kyle McClellan transferred in from Mercyhurst University. The junior had a 0.932 save percentage with the school and started in 26 games as a sophomore. Expect him to slot into a backup role in competition with junior Ben Garrity. Senior Jared Moe should continue as the starting goalie this season.
The Badgers are set to begin the 2022-2023 season in Columbus, Ohio, taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes October 7-8. This is the first time Wisconsin will open the season against a Big Ten opponent since 2009. The Buckeyes dominated the Badgers last season, winning all four games. This matchup should be an early test for the Badgers.
The Badgers then come home for their opener against St. Cloud State. The Badgers lost both games against the Huskies last season, and neither of them were close. Wisconsin will then head to Duluth, Minnesota to take on the Bulldogs. The last time these teams played was in 2019, when the Badgers won both matchups.
October 28-29, the Penn State Nittany Lions come to Madison, and then the Badgers head to East Lansing, Michigan, Nov. 4-5 for a pair of conference games against Michigan State. These should be winnable games for the Badgers, and it is a nice way for the team to ease into the season.
The season will quickly pick up at the start of December, when the Michigan Wolverines come to Madison — a week later, the Badgers will head to Minneapolis a week later to take on the Gophers. Both of these teams played in the Frozen Four last season, so we will get a real glimpse of how the Badgers match up against the best in the country.
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The Badgers will then play in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off against Lake Superior State Dec. 28. The game will be played at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. This is a four-team tournament, and if the Badgers beat Lake Superior State, then they would take on the winner of Clarkson vs. UMass. The Badgers won the tournament last season with a victory over No. 16 Providence.
Wisconsin then gets back into conference play against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They finished third in the Big Ten last season, with an overall record of 27-11. These games will be played Jan. 6-7 as they start the new calendar year. Wisconsin is 4-5-1 against Notre Dame in their last 10 matchups.
Wisconsin will get a break from conference play when they host the U.S. Under-18 Team for an exhibition game in Madison Jan. 13. This is the second season in a row where these teams have met.
The Badgers will play Minnesota again when they come to Madison Feb. 10-11 before wrapping up the regular season Feb. 25 in University Park, Pennsylvania, against Penn State. Expect the Kohl Center to be rocking when the Golden Gophers come to town.
This season’s Big Ten Tournament will be held over three weekends in March — all the games will take place on school campuses. The tournament will begin March 3, and the championship game is scheduled to be played March 18.
Overall, the Badgers are looking at a tough schedule, and it will be interesting to watch how head coach Tony Granato’s team fares against the stacked Big Ten. This is a huge season for the program — hopefully they can make some major strides following last season’s debacle.
This year is set to be a make-or-break for Granato. He has a solid recruiting class coming to Madison and he has proven players who are ready to jump to the next level.
I think the Badgers will improve from last season and make some strides in the conference standings. I believe the Badgers will move up and finish fourth in the standings this year, finishing just over .500 on the season. It is a big improvement from last year, but not enough to compete with the top dogs of the Big Ten. Once again, I see Minnesota and Michigan running away with the conference and competing in the Big Ten Championship game. But overall, the team will improve and that is enough for fans to be happy about, given last season’s struggles.
