Wisconsin Women's Hockey 2022-2023

[Timothy A]

https://***********/OhioStateWHKY/st...805040640?s=20 Muzerall got King

Wilgren is the one I really want. But she's a want and not a need, I'm cool with the 6 UW has.

[BadgerPete]

And so it is. Anna Wilgren is a Badger: https://uwbadgers.com/news/2023/4/20...24-season.aspx

[Timothy A]

And so it is. Anna Wilgren is a Badger: https://uwbadgers.com/news/2023/4/20...24-season.aspx

BAM. Love it. A multiple captain to boot. I guess it's safe to assume that CE is not coming back with this signing, although it was apparent she wasn't anyway. UW will have the best D corps in the country if the roster holds up. Or MJ knows of a defector and is filling a future hole. You never know until September arrives, and that's a long way away.

[wheel snipe celly]

BAM. Love it. A multiple captain to boot. I guess it's safe to assume that CE is not coming back with this signing, although it was apparent she wasn't anyway. UW will have the best D corps in the country if the roster holds up. Or MJ knows of a defector and is filling a future hole. You never know until September arrives, and that's a long way away.

CE is returning

[robertearle]

Or MJ knows of a defector and is filling a future hole. You never know until September arrives, and that's a long way away.

The current 60-day time period for entering the portal ends on May 4th (give or take a day). So only two more weeks to worry about hearing bad news.

(Football has a second 15 window, but their first window is only 45 days; so maybe this 60 day period is hockey's only one.)

[Timothy A]

The current 60-day time period for entering the portal ends on May 4th (give or take a day). So only two more weeks to worry about hearing bad news.

(Football has a second 15 window, but their first window is only 45 days; so maybe this 60 day period is hockey's only one.)

The other big concern always is does somebody not get into the university academically.

[Timothy A]

CE is returning

They are running with 8 D next season? I find that hard to believe.

[BadgerPete]

They are running with 8 D next season? I find that hard to believe.

They had eight last year. Lamantia, Buchbinder, Edwards, Harvey, Jungels, Kotlowoski, Helgeson, Toft.

[Timothy A]

They had eight last year. Lamantia, Buchbinder, Edwards, Harvey, Jungels, Kotlowoski, Helgeson, Toft.

True, but the talent gap between 6 and 7 was big. Kotlowksi as a 7 is a tough deal for her.

[bodyup88]

Kotlowski should not have to worry about beating out a freshman for ice time

[BadgerPete]

True, but the talent gap between 6 and 7 was big. Kotlowksi as a 7 is a tough deal for her.

The other thing (at this point) is that one of these defensemen is also the 13th forward because we only have 12 of those. And there's a less than zero chance we get through the season without a forward injury or two.

[Timothy A]

Kotlowski should not have to worry about beating out a freshman for ice time

I respectfully disagree. Jungels and KK played ahead of her and Potter and Murphy of that caliber.

[Patricio]

There are a number of recent posts dealing with changes to the D corps for the coming season. One topic has been the confirmation of Anna Wilgren as an incoming portal transfer. Another is a claim, not yet verified to my knowledge, that Chayla Edwards has decided to return for her final year of eligibility. Mayson Toft has entered the portal which would leave the Badgers with 4 Ds from last year’s term and the incoming recruits of Potter and Murphy would round out the number of Ds to 6, enough for 3 full lines. So, we may end up with 7 or 8 Ds depending on things finally turn out.

Speaking for myself, I continue to see Harvey-Jungels and Potter-Murphy as 2 of the D lines regardless of whether the Badgers end up with 6, 7 or 8 Ds on the roster. Harvey-Jungels clearly established themselves as a premium line, and I am of the opinion that Potter-Murphy will follow suit with a similar blend of defensive and offensive skills. Both pairings should be playing for several more years and I see it as essential that the development of the Potter-Murphy tandem start this coming season from game 1. That will provide two solid D lines for the next 2 years – possibly 3 if the US Olympics team doesn’t raid the Badgers again.

So, what about Helgeson, Kotlowski, Wilgren, and possibly Edwards?

If Edwards does return, Helgeson likely would see the least amount of playing time. She might be OK with that, but she also might decide to join Toft and Grace Shirley in the portal. Depending on her view of what the addition of Wilgren will mean for her without adding Edwards, she still might try the portal. I think Helgeson played well the latter part of the season, so she might attract a transfer offer. If Edwards doesn’t return and Helgeson stays, or Edwards stays and Helgeson leaves, that would leave 3 D to share playing time on the 3^rd D line. It simply becomes a matter of distributing ice time.

So, depending on what happens with Helgeson and Edwards, we may or may not have a crowd seeking playing time on the 3^rd D line. That is OK with me if it is for them. But don’t tamper with those first 2 lines - they are young, but it will be fun to watch them continue to develop throughout the season.

As a final note, Bucky has one D recruit in the 24-25 group. If Helgeson does leave, the Badgers will need to look for a portal transfer or a commitment flip to get to 6 Ds.

[Timothy A]

Looking at the +/- from last year and a few things jump out at me. First off, Jungels lead the team and the D at +45.

You know Tim, seeing that big number made me think where does she stack up in all of college hockey? Well, looking at the stats on CHN she's got 46 and she's NUMBER 1. She led the country in +/-. Mueller from NE was 1 behind. And she did it on 20 points. WOW. There's a D from Colgate who was +36 on 9 points, even more remarkable. WI and NE had the top 7 in +/-. I wish I could recall when her and KK got paired up.

How crucial was the flip of her from MN to WI to WI's season? Huge. I don't know what MN's D corps looked like in terms of would she been a top 4 D? Of course, certainly WI's coaching is the wildcard if you want to try and extrapolate how she would have done over there. It's really an impossible question to answer.

[Timothy A]

The other thing (at this point) is that one of these defensemen is also the 13th forward because we only have 12 of those. And there's a less than zero chance we get through the season without a forward injury or two.

Very true. I'd rather have a couple extra skaters than go through what we did in the last Olympic year.