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Strobel named associate head coach for Badger men’s hockey

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Less than two weeks after it was announced that Don Granato was leaving to join the Chicago Blackhawks coaching staff, Wisconsin hockey head coach Tony Granato hired another former Badgers’ captain to take his brother’s place.

Mark Strobel, who wore the Cardinal and White from 1991-1995, was named associate head coach.

Strobel served in the same capacity the last two years under former Badger Steve Rohlik at Ohio State.  He was also an assistant at Nebraska-Omaha, Colorado College and Minnesota-Duluth.

Don Granato left June 13 to become an NHL assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Tony Granato said Strobel would be highly compatible with associate head coach Mark Osiecki, a defenseman from 1987 to 1990, and director of hockey operations Shane Connelly, a goaltender from 2005 to ’09.

Strobel, a defenseman, played three seasons at UW alongside his twin brother, Mike, a winger.  They attended Hill Murray High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, the same program that produced Rohlik.

Strobel officially assumes his new role on July 1.

AUDIO: Mark Strobel said he’s thrilled to be back in Madison :16

AUDIO: Tony Granato says Strobel is a perfect fit :21

Don Granato leaving Hockey Badgers for the NHL (AUDIO)

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Don Granato

It’s hard to keep good young hockey players in a program for long and Wisconsin head coach Tony Granato has found out it’s difficult to keep good coaches around very long too.

The answer came this week when Associate Head Coach Don Granato accepted an offer to become an NHL assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The move comes just one season after Tony Granato took over the program and brought Don Granato and Mark Osiecki with him to run the Badger hockey program.

All three coaches have had success running their own programs and its the reason why the Blackhawks came calling.

“The situation that Donny’s going to be in is a great opportunity,” said Tony Granato.  “What Donny can add to a team is why he was pursued by them as aggressively as he was.” [Read more…]

Kunin named to Team USA World Juniors roster

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Luke Kunin

Luke Kunin

Wisconsin sophomore forward Luke Kunin has been picked to join Team USA’s 27-man preliminary roster for the upcoming World Junior Championships in Montreal and Toronto from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.

The Badger captain will join some of the best young American players in preparation for the competition, a tournament the United States has won three times, most recently in 2013.

Kunin has previous international experience, scoring six goals in seven games and captaining the team to help the United States win the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championship with Badger Associate Head Coach Don Granato serving as the head coach of that team.

This season, Kunin leads the Badgers with nine goals and ranks second on the team with 14 points in 14 games played.  He led the Badgers as a freshman last season with 19 goals. [Read more…]

UW releases salary information for new Wisconsin hockey coaches

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Bucky Badger logoUW officials on Monday released the contract details for new head men’s hockey coach Tony Granato and his two associate head coaches, Mark Osiecki and Don Granato.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Tony Granato will be paid $2.75 million over the course of his five-year deal.

Osiecki and Don Granato both signed three-year deals and will each receive $660,000 apiece.

Tony Granato’s annual base salary is $400,000 and will receive $750,000 in additional compensation during the contract.

Osiecki and Don Granato both have $200,000 base salaries in the first year of their deals and will get annual increases of $20,000.

Granato wanted to come home (AUDIO)

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Mark Osiecki, Tony Granato & Don Granato. Photo Courtesy of UWBadgers.com

Mark Osiecki, Tony Granato & Don Granato. Photo Courtesy of UWBadgers.com

Tony Granato spent 13 seasons as a player in the NHL and has been a coach in the league for an additional ten-plus seasons.  He’s been playing and coaching in the league that hockey people aspire to get to.  Yet given the opportunity to coach the Wisconsin Badger hockey team, he didn’t hesitate.

Granato had one condition when Barry Alvarez offered him the job.  He wanted his brother Don Granato and another former Badger, Mark Osiecki to join him as associated head coaches.  [Read more…]

Granato named head coach of the Hockey Badgers

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Tony Granato - Photo Courtesy of the NHL

Tony Granato – Photo Courtesy of the NHL

Since 1966, just four men have spent a season behind the bench as the leader of the Wisconsin men’s hockey program.  Starting next season, Tony Granato will be the fifth.

Granato, who is currently an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings, will be joined by associate head coaches Don Granato, who directs the USA Hockey National Team Development Program’s Under-17 team, and Mark Osiecki, associate head coach of the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.

Tony Granato has been in the NHL as a head coach or assistant coach since 2002, a year after retiring from a 13-year NHL career.  Granato was 72-33-17 during his first head coaching stint with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, and owns a 102-78-17 head coaching record with the Avalanche when including his 2008-09 season in Colorado. [Read more…]