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Kunin leaving Wisconsin for the pro’s (AUDIO)

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Luke Kunin

Wisconsin hockey captain Luke Kunin will bypass his final two years of eligibility after signing a three-year entry level contract with the Minnesota Wild.

The 19-year-old forward was the 15th overall pick in last year’s NHL Draft.

In two seasons with the Badgers, Kunin scored 41 goals and 70 points in 69 games.  Coach Tony Granato said earlier this week that if Kunin felt he was ready for pro hockey, then he should go.

Kunin helped the Badgers win 20 games this season, a 12-win improvement from a year ago.  Their season ended last Saturday night, one win shy of an NCAA Tournament bid, when they lost to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament title game.

Kunin was assigned to Minnesota’s American Hockey League affiliate in Iowa and he’ll make his pro hockey debut on Friday night in Cleveland.

AUDIO: Luke Kunin on the contract offer from Minnesota coming so quick :10

AUDIO: Luke Kunin was asked why leave now :10

 

Badgers set for start of NHL season

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motion-wThe 2016-17 NHL season gets underway tonight and a total of 14 Wisconsin men’s hockey players find themselves on opening-day rosters.

NHL training camps started with 29 former Badgers spread around over 21 NHL training camps.  Of those 29 players, 20 played in at least one NHL game last season.

When teams announced their rosters on Tuesday night, 14 Badgers appeared on NHL teams, while three were listed as injured.  Another, forward Jack Skille is expected to sign a contract with the Vancouver Canucks. [Read more…]

Elliott solid as Blues advance

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Brian Elliott

Brian Elliott

Former Wisconsin goaltender Brian Elliott had 31 saves for St. Louis last night, helping the Blues advance to their first NHL conference finals since 2001.

The Blues knocked off the Dallas Stars 6-1, winning their second straight seven-game playoff series.

The 31-year-old Elliott, in his ninth year in the NHL, made a solid comeback after being pulled in the first period of game-six when he gave up three goals against the Stars.

The Blues will now play either Nashville or San Jose in the Western Conference Finals.  The Predators and Sharks will play a decisive game seven Thursday night.

Elliott leads Blues past defending champs

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Brian Elliott

Brian Elliott

Former Wisconsin Badger goaltender Brian Elliott backstopped the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2, game seven victory over the defending NHL Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night in St. Louis.

Elliott had 31 saves in goal, helping the Blues advance to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Dallas Stars.

Troy Brouwer, who won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks, scored the game winner against his former team in the third period, slamming home his own rebound to break a 2-2 tie.

The Blackhawks trailed in the series 3-to-1 and captured two straight games to send the series back to St. Louis for game seven.

Chicago fell behind 2-0 before Marian Hossa cut the lead to 2-1 and Andrew Shaw sent one in off of a St. Louis defender to tie the game 2-2.  It set up a wild third period finish that saw the Blues win their first playoff series since 2012.

AUDIO: Brian Elliott asked if he had anything to prove :17

Wisconsin well represented in NHL Playoffs

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Bucky Badger logoThe Wisconsin men’s hockey program has had 14 former players go on to have their names etched into the Stanley Cup as champions of the NHL, and 12 UW alumni will have the chance to do the same when the NHL playoffs get underway Wednesday night.

Wisconsin lays claim to nine players on eight different playoff-bound teams, along with the next head coach of Wisconsin men’s hockey in Tony Granato, who is an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings.  Also part of the Stanley Cup playoffs are Detroit assistant coach Chris Chelios, as well as Anaheim Ducks’ Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Dave McNab.

Mersch lands a spot with the Kings

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Motion WThe Los Angeles Kings of the NHL have called up former Wisconsin Badger forward Michael Mersch on Wednesday, marking the former Badger’s first NHL appearance in his three-year pro career.

The Kings made the move after an injury to forward Kyle Clifford.

If Mersch suits up in a game for the Kings while Clifford is sidelined, he would be the first Badger alum this season to make his NHL debut.  Wisconsin currently has the second most alumni in the NHL this season with 17 players who have played in at least one game.

Mersch, who earned All-American honors in his senior season at Wisconsin in 2013-14, is coming off a superb first full season in the AHL with the Kings’ affiliate the Manchester Monarchs, which are now the Ontario Reign.  After finishing fourth on Manchester with his 45 points last year, Mersch has started this season on a blistering pace for Ontario.  In just 19 games this season, he already has 12 goals and 15 points.  His goal total is five more than the next closest player on the Reign and is good for fifth overall in the AHL.

The Kings drafted Mersch number-110 overall in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Mersch will wear number 49 and could make his NHL debut as early as Friday when the Kings travel to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins.

NHL going to 3-on-3 overtimes (Video)

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Hockey GoalMost fans think NHL shootouts in overtime are a good thing.  But most NHL players want to see the game decided on the ice without a shootout.

The problem is, not enough overtime games were being decided in a 5-on-5 or 4-on-4 format within the five-minute overtime, time frame.

The American Hockey League (AHL) had incredible success cutting down on the number of shootouts by using seven minutes overtime’s and splitting them between 4-on-4 and 3-on-3.

Players benefit from fewer shootouts because their will be more goals and assists to pile up.  In a shootout format, goals [Read more…]

Two Badgers selected in NHL Draft

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Cameron Hughes

Cameron Hughes

Two Wisconsin Badgers were selected in the 2015 NHL Draft over the weekend.

Freshman goaltender Luke Opilka went in the fifth round, 146th overall, to his home town St. Louis Blues.

Opilka is the first drafted goaltender on its roster since Brett Bennett wrapped up his UW career in 2011.  All-time, 12 Badger goaltenders have been selected in NHL drafts, though that number increases to 13 when the old NHL supplemental draft is included.  Seven Badger goaltenders have played in the NHL, including current St. Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott.

Opilka played last season for the U.S. Under-18 Team as part of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  He went 25-7-0 with a 2.77 goals-against average, .833 save percentage and three shutouts.  One of those victories included a 4-1 victory over the Badgers at the Kohl Center last December.

Wisconsin Sophomore forward Cameron Hughes, tied for the Badgers’ freshman scoring lead last season, posting 3 goals and 13 points in 34 games.  He was selected in the 6th round by the Boston Bruins.

Hughes is just the second Badger to get picked by the Bruins, joining 1985 11th-round pick John Byce, who went 220th to Boston.

With the picks of Opilka and Hughes, 151 Badgers have now been chosen in the NHL draft.

NHL players in the Olympics (Video)

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The controversy hasn’t reached full proportion because the NHL doesn’t want to steal the thunder of the current Olympic games.  But when the Sochi games end, expect the subject of NHL players continuing to play in the Olympics to hit epic proportion.

When the NFL season ends, NHL owners no longer have to compete for viewers and fans.  But every fourth year, the winter Olympics roll around and the NHL season gets interrupted and the player’s head off to represent the NHL in the Olympics.

There’s the potential for injury, not to mention some teams have little representation in the Olympics, so their players get a nice 2-week break.  Other teams, like the Chicago Blackhawks for example, have nearly half their roster in the Olympics and they get no rest at all.  NHL officials consider this a competitive disadvantage when the NHL season resumes. [Read more…]

Chelios named to the Hockey Hall of Fame

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The Hockey Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2013 Tuesday.  Among the four names on the list was for Wisconsin Badger Chris Chelios.

Chelios played 23-seasons in the NHL with Montreal, Chicago, Detroit and a few games with Atlanta.  In the 2009-2010 season, he became the 2nd oldest player to skate in a NHL game at 48-years-old.  Gordie Howe is the oldest at 52.

In 1983, Chelios was a member of the National Champion Badgers Men’s Hockey squad.  He skated two seasons with Wisconsin before going pro in 1983.  He is currently working in the Detroit Red Wings front office.

Joining Chelios in the 2013 Hall of Fame induction class are Scott Niedermayer, Brendan Shanahan, and Philly executive Geraldine Heaney, the third female to join the Hockey Hall.