Many fans are upset with the direction of the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team program after only winning ten games last season. Last year was the worst one under head coach Tony Granato, and it feels like there might be no hope in Madison.
But not all is lost in Mad-town. The 2022 team has a ton of upside with plenty of experienced players, as well as a decent recruiting class with some players who fans should be very excited about.
The larger issue is the rest of the Big Ten, with Minnesota and Michigan both being in last year’s Frozen Four. On top of that, Michigan had the best recruiting class in the country, with Minnesota right behind them at No. 2.
Here is a preview of important things to know about the Badgers for the approaching 2022-23 season.
Players To Look Out For
The sixth-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets had a great season with the Badgers last year as a starter. Before he was with Wisconsin, he spent two years with the University of Minnesota.
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After a strong freshman campaign in which he made the 2020 Big Ten All-Freshman team, Moe saw a huge reduction in playing time in 2020-2021.
In his first year with the Badgers last season, Moe sported a 2.97 goals against average, with a 91.7% save percentage. The gripe many fans have with Moe last season was his consistency.
Take the beginning of December last year as an example. Dec. 10, Moe allowed one goal on 35 shots against Penn State at the Kohl Center. The very next night, Moe allowed five goals on 52 shots against the same team.
Now, the defense was underwhelming last season for the Badgers, so not all of the inconsistency falls on Moe himself. But, having a good goalkeeper to steal some games is key for every team in the NCAA, and it’s especially important for Wisconsin as there are a lot of questions surrounding other parts of this team.
Brock Caufield, Forward
Caufield was an alternate captain for the Badgers last season, and since his brother, Cole, left for the NHL, it feels like the spotlight is on him to perform. Last year, he posted seven goals and 12 assists, for a total of 19 points.
Now a graduate student, Caufield needs to contribute more as a leader of this team. The goal scoring was a little inconsistent for Caufield, but overall he found ways to be productive for this team, tallying points in 16 of 37 games. Expect those numbers to be boosted in the 2022 campaign as head coach Tony Granato will likely look to utilize his experience more.
Corson Ceulemans, Defenseman
Last season, Ceulemans led the team in assists, tied for first in points and second in goals scored. To have those offensive numbers as a defenseman made Ceulemans one of the most exciting players for the Badgers last season, and he has some of the most upside on the team.
“He sees the game unbelievably well and seems to know where his other four teammates are on the ice at all times,” Granato said.
The defenseman will be a vital part of the power play and penalty kill this season for the Badgers — he just has to limit the penalties. As a freshman last season, Ceulemans had the fourth most penalties on the team. For a top-line defenseman, those numbers aren’t bad at all, but expect him to be more disciplined in his sophomore campaign with another year of experience under his belt.
Mathieu De St. Phalle, Forward
The junior from Lake Forest, Illinois, had a great season last year. The end of his season, however, was the most fun to watch. He had three goals and five assists in the last seven games of the season.
Overall, he led the team in goals, was tied for second in assists and was tied for the team lead in points. If you’re a Badger fan, you would take those numbers for a second year in a row. But you can expect De St. Phalle to take a step up and be a force in the Big Ten.
Players Who Have Something to Prove
Jack Gorniak, Forward
Gorniak was good last season but there is room for improvement. Last year, Gorniak tallied five goals and 10 assists for 15 total points. Though those numbers are good, his plus minus differential last year was the second-worst on the team.
This was a team who didn’t play great defense last year, with no one on the team having a positive goal differential. His goal differential, while taking too many penalties, leaves room to improve for Gorniak. He’s naturally gifted with speed and physicality, but Badgers fans should hope for the senior to stay more disciplined, break out and have a major role in the success of this team.
Carson Bantle, Forward
The former fifth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes had some surprisingly low numbers as a sophomore last year. But he was vital on the power play, scoring three goals on the season with the man advantage. Bantle only tallied eight goals and six assists, for 14 points.
Bantle is an experienced player having been the former captain of the Madison Capitols and playing with Michigan Tech. But he also took slightly too many penalties last season and the offensive numbers are just a touch below what fans expected from him. He’s a good defender who just needs to have his offense click to be a force in the Big Ten.
Dominick Mersch, Forward
As a senior last season, Mersch was an alternate captain for the Badgers. He had decent stats, with five goals and five assists for 10 points. He’s been a staple in the Badgers lineup for four seasons and needs to be a leader on this team as a graduate student.
He took 16 penalties for 43 minutes — both were second worst on the team. As a veteran for Wisconsin, he needs to be more disciplined and stay out of the box, as well as up his offensive game. If the Badgers are going to be successful this season, Mersch will have to be more productive.
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Head Coach Tony Granato
After the disappointment that was last season for the Badgers, Granato will be back for his seventh year with Wisconsin. Granato’s track record is not great with the program, posting a 92-106-16 record over the course of his coaching career. Last season was the worst under Granato, with the Badgers only winning 10 games.
The end of last season left a particularly bad taste in the mouths of Badgers fans. They lost the regular season finale to arch-nemesis Minnesota by a score of 8-0, and lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to Notre Dame. It felt like despite the disappointment, Granato could have saved his reputation by winning those games, but failed to do so.
Reasonably, many fans were calling for Wisconsin to change coaches this offseason, prompting athletic director Chris McIntosh to release a statement as to why he brought Granato back.
“We both realize the program did not perform to the level we want last season,” McIntosh said in the statement. “I know Tony will work hard to lead the program in a direction that will return Wisconsin to prominence.”
Many fans find it hard to believe given Granato’s career coaching record with the Badgers, having only two winning records over six seasons. But it’s important to remember just how much experience Granato has. He spent 13 years in the NHL as a player, then another 13 years as an assistant coach before coming to Wisconsin. He was extremely talented as a player, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in late 2021.
This feels like a make-or-break year for Granato. The roster isn’t as elite as many in the college hockey landscape, but good coaches get their players to play above expectations. If they do that, the program gets better recruits in the following years. Wisconsin is one of the most storied hockey colleges in history, but has been mostly mediocre for the last six years. If Granato doesn’t prove it this year, it might be time for Wisconsin to move on.
