Wisconsin Women's Hockey 2025-2026

[robertearle]

There are 6 just on Wisconsin that I would put ahead of her.

It's probably more useful to split it into two parts: how many better 'offensive' defenders, and how many 'stay at home' defenders. Not all that many of the former, LOTS of the latter.

Then let's ask "how many forwards are there better?"

 

[ARM]

It's probably more useful to split it into two parts: how many better 'offensive' defenders, and how many 'stay at home' defenders. Not all that many of the former, LOTS of the latter.

Then let's ask "how many forwards are there better?"

This is a great way to look at it, especially if people consider it thoughtfully, and concede that if she was as bad as some claim at D, then MJ would never, ever let her line up there.

One question about her as an F ... we don't talk about it that much, but how is the defensive side of her game as an F? It isn't like playing all zones is a choice for the Badger forwards. Some say she doesn't skate hard enough to play D, but how do you play wing if you're not willing to go up and down the ice? I think her skating liability is overrated. Her top end speed is fine; if it isn't, that gets to be a bigger issue for an F at the next level. No matter where she plays, she'll like want to improve her quickness (stops and starts) in the coming years. If I compare her to UM's D as you asked, then Laitinen is probably the Gophers best defensive D, and Morrow was their best offensive D this year. The latter's game isn't that different from Edwards. Morrow's skills aren't quite at Edwards' level, but as all have pointed out, she's used to playing D. Would you pick Morrow over Edwards? I'd take Peschel over Edwards at D, but based on Saturday, but that's more about Peschel than Edwards.

 

[BadgerInMN]

I sat right on the glass behind the bench. I didn't see anything like that. They were constantly talking with each other when they would come off the ice, everyone encouraging each other and talking with coaches. Pieckenhagen was up and down the bench multiple times encouraging, even though she didn't get much ice time.

I'll second this. Was at both games early enough for pre-game warmups and they looked like the same fully engaged players and leaders they always have. KK and Simms were good Thursday, Laila looked like she was thinking too much all weekend because, as we know, she is playing D and it isn't natural.

Saturday they just got outplayed by the one team in the country that has been able to go toe to toe with them the last couple years.

I find it rather absurd to question the desire, or suggest egos are running wild, of this group of young women that has given so much and achieved so much in Wisconsin uniforms. If anyone thinks Harvey has gotten what she wanted out of this season and doesn't care about the natty...not sure they've been following along too closely.

They probably are still somewhat fatigued and adjusting back to the real world after a life altering experience halfway across the world. It's always been uncertain just how well they would be able to come back from the Olympics and "turn it back on." The Olympics just throw a wrench in this sport every four years (e.g., we really missed Curl when she redshirted that year).

I really want this class to go out with another title. I'm just an alum and fan, they don't owe it to me. I want it for them and they deserve it. In addition to winning at a high level, they have represented the University tremendously, and everyone from stars like Harvey and Edwards to the role players like Zilisch have gone well out of the way to make my kid and other kids feel like a million bucks.

I'm going to give them some grace rather than overreact to a tough outing. Saturday will dawn and it will once again be A Great Day for Hockey.

 

[Ooftah]

I'll second this. Was at both games early enough for pre-game warmups and they looked like the same fully engaged players and leaders they always have. KK and Simms were good Thursday, Laila looked like she was thinking too much all weekend because, as we know, she is playing D and it isn't natural.

Saturday they just got outplayed by the one team in the country that has been able to go toe to toe with them the last couple years.

I find it rather absurd to question the desire, or suggest egos are running wild, of this group of young women that has given so much and achieved so much in Wisconsin uniforms. If anyone thinks Harvey has gotten what she wanted out of this season and doesn't care about the natty...not sure they've been following along too closely.

They probably are still somewhat fatigued and adjusting back to the real world after a life altering experience halfway across the world. It's always been uncertain just how well they would be able to come back from the Olympics and "turn it back on." The Olympics just throw a wrench in this sport every four years (e.g., we really missed Curl when she redshirted that year).

I really want this class to go out with another title. I'm just an alum and fan, they don't owe it to me. I want it for them and they deserve it. In addition to winning at a high level, they have represented the University tremendously, and everyone from stars like Harvey and Edwards to the role players like Zilisch have gone well out of the way to make my kid and other kids feel like a million bucks.

I'm going to give them some grace rather than overreact to a tough outing. Saturday will dawn and it will once again be A Great Day for Hockey.

I really want this idea of playing loose and with confidence and having fun to actually prevail. But from what I am seeing playing with grit, determination, and with a chip on their shoulders seems to have worked better for TWSNBN through the Olympics period and now through the playoffs. Maybe the lightbulb will come back on for this Badgers squad but the mojo doesn’t seem to be there. I sure hope they get it back before a hot goalie from Quinnipiac, for example, sends us all home early.

 

[davearm]

There are 6 just on Wisconsin that I would put ahead of her.

Crazy talk. The freaking Gold Medal winning Olympic team skated her in their top 4 D. And you're telling me there are 6 better on her own college team.

KK - for sure
Jungles, okay. Their games are polar opposites of course.
Venusio is the only other one i could maaaybe make a case for.
Laney Potter is a no. Way too big a dropoff offensively from Laila to Laney.
The rest, LOL.

 

[robertearle]

Crazy talk. The freaking Gold Medal winning Olympic team skated her in their top 4 D. And you're telling me there are 6 better on her own college team.

KK - for sure
Jungles, okay. Their games are polar opposites of course.
Venusio is the only other one i could maaaybe make a case for.
Laney Potter is a no. Way too big a dropoff offensively from Laila to Laney.
The rest, LOL.

Ava Murphy played on the Canadian U18 team that beat Laila's US team for the championship. You didn't mention her at all.

 

[Timothy A]

Crazy talk. The freaking Gold Medal winning Olympic team skated her in their top 4 D. And you're telling me there are 6 better on her own college team.

KK - for sure
Jungles, okay. Their games are polar opposites of course.
Venusio is the only other one i could maaaybe make a case for.
Laney Potter is a no. Way too big a dropoff offensively from Laila to Laney.
The rest, LOL.

I honestly don't care how offensive a defenseman is. Their number one job is to be defensive. From a pure defensive analysis, she's number seven. I don't think this is a question that can be answered by looking at stats or history. Your eyes is to tell you all you need to know, and Wisconsin fans have seen enough to know. The other thing you're not considering is that you're taking a PK final 3 F from last year and completely tying her hands offensively. In the playoffs, scoring is a at premium. She's a difference maker at F, she's not at defense. There's not one Wisconsin poster who is advocating her playing D. We're just arguing over an apostrophe and a t - can vs can't. Sure she can play D, but MJ can't let her do it.

 

[Gurth 2.0]

Any of the players on the roster could line up a defense.

If you can skate, you can play defense at some level. Hall... Simms... Picard. In my experience, goalies make surprisingly good defenders when they skate out.

Doesn't mean they should or that's where their talents are best utilized.

The thing about UW fans vs outsiders is that the outsiders haven't been in the arena like many of us have. We see things that the TV screen may not show. What's happening away from the play. Although to be fair, the TV screen shows plenty to cringe at.

I hate even doing this, but... I played defense for most of my 40 years that I skated. She absolutely jumps off the ice at me in all the wrong ways when I watch her. Out of position... not quick... no urgency... little awareness... poor puck decisions... not a great skater... poor transition/pivoting...

Also for all those touting the time on the Olympic team.

One... most of those games were a complete joke as the competition is so lopsided that she was never pressured. Even then, I saw her looking out of place and what pressure the other teams got was often because she was out of position or turned over the puck.

Two... she would have been responsible for Canada's golden goal if not for last minute heroics and an insane tip by Knight. I understand that she shot the puck that Knight tipped, but any D could have done that.

Good points of her game? Reach... she's so much longer than most of the other players and she uses her reach effectively. Surprisingly deceptive stick handler for her size and gets through traffic where it looks unlikely. Wicked shot and a pretty quick release. Good offensive ice vision - she sees open lanes and teammates and is an accurate passer.

She's a fantastic offensive player and is why she should be at forward. We obviously needed her there in the most recent game against tOSU.

I feel icky typing any of this out as I want the best for her and am rooting for her. I don't like tearing down "my" players but really it's not her fault that coaches are playing her out of position.

I want this team to have their best shot of winning a title. I want these seniors to end their career with a win. As another poster said, not for me - I'll get on with my life 5 minutes after their last game is over. I want it for them.

The best shot UW has is with Laila at forward and seemingly everyone in Madison knows that outside of the coaching room.

 

[Lindsay]

Maybe there is hesitancy to tinker to this proposed extent this late in the season?

Her height and reach are a bit of an X factor. I agree with the take that most teams aren’t offensive enough to expose her and that’s something that made the experiment possible in the first place.

Big knight fan here, she was weirdly untouched in front of the net on her iconic goal. Poor Renata Fast was probably going on 40 minutes of ice time and seemed caught between knight and whoever was to the right of the goalie, suffering fatigue and dealing with an extra skater.

Takeaway for any young kid is there huge perceived value in being an offensive minded d who can skate. Have seen the position remade for a decade now, it’s become an exciting position to watch.

 

[BuckyB]

I fully agree she should be playing F. My point is that she can play D, just not as affective as Forward - and we have other better options at D - Either Jones or double shifting. - but to flately say she can't play D

This is a great way to look at it, especially if people consider it thoughtfully, and concede that if she was as bad as some claim at D, then MJ would never, ever let her line up there.

One question about her as an F ... we don't talk about it that much, but how is the defensive side of her game as an F? It isn't like playing all zones is a choice for the Badger forwards. Some say she doesn't skate hard enough to play D, but how do you play wing if you're not willing to go up and down the ice? I think her skating liability is overrated. Her top end speed is fine; if it isn't, that gets to be a bigger issue for an F at the next level. No matter where she plays, she'll like want to improve her quickness (stops and starts) in the coming years. If I compare her to UM's D as you asked, then Laitinen is probably the Gophers best defensive D, and Morrow was their best offensive D this year. The latter's game isn't that different from Edwards. Morrow's skills aren't quite at Edwards' level, but as all have pointed out, she's used to playing D. Would you pick Morrow over Edwards? I'd take Peschel over Edwards at D, but based on Saturday, but that's more about Peschel than Edwards.

 

[BuckyB]

Amen and Hallelujah!!!
That was the most educated and correct post almost ever.

 

[davearm]

I honestly don't care how offensive a defenseman is. Their number one job is to be defensive. From a pure defensive analysis, she's number seven. I don't think this is a question that can be answered by looking at stats or history. Your eyes is to tell you all you need to know, and Wisconsin fans have seen enough to know. The other thing you're not considering is that you're taking a PK final 3 F from last year and completely tying her hands offensively. In the playoffs, scoring is a at premium. She's a difference maker at F, she's not at defense. There's not one Wisconsin poster who is advocating her playing D. We're just arguing over an apostrophe and a t - can vs can't. Sure she can play D, but MJ can't let her do it.

From a pure defensive analysis, Laila is number seven. Agreed. And KK is #6.

And KK is about to win the Patty Kaz, after just winning Olympics MVP.

So it's immediately obvious how ridiculous it is to say "I don't care how offensive a defenseman is". It's all important, and it all matters.

 

[davearm]

Ava Murphy played on the Canadian U18 team that beat Laila's US team for the championship. You didn't mention her at all.

I didn't mention her because I don't think Edwards vs Murphy is any debatable question whatsoever.

Maybe that makes me the high person on Edwards around here. But her offense is being dramatically underappreciated. Her defensive shortcomings, everyone seems to agree on.

 

[robertearle]

I didn't mention her because I don't think Edwards vs Murphy is any debatable question whatsoever.

Maybe that makes me the high person on Edwards around here. But her offense is being dramatically underappreciated. Her defensive shortcomings, everyone seems to agree on.

The simple question should be "where is she more valuable to the UW team, forward, or defender?". And the answer to that is utterly obvious. That she played D at the Olympics should not factor in one bit. Wisconsin is a better team when Laila is playing forward.

 

[BuckyB]

Any of the players on the roster could line up a defense.

If you can skate, you can play defense at some level. Hall... Simms... Picard. In my experience, goalies make surprisingly good defenders when they skate out.

Doesn't mean they should or that's where their talents are best utilized.

The thing about UW fans vs outsiders is that the outsiders haven't been in the arena like many of us have. We see things that the TV screen may not show. What's happening away from the play. Although to be fair, the TV screen shows plenty to cringe at.

I hate even doing this, but... I played defense for most of my 40 years that I skated. She absolutely jumps off the ice at me in all the wrong ways when I watch her. Out of position... not quick... no urgency... little awareness... poor puck decisions... not a great skater... poor transition/pivoting...

Also for all those touting the time on the Olympic team.

One... most of those games were a complete joke as the competition is so lopsided that she was never pressured. Even then, I saw her looking out of place and what pressure the other teams got was often because she was out of position or turned over the puck.

Two... she would have been responsible for Canada's golden goal if not for last minute heroics and an insane tip by Knight. I understand that she shot the puck that Knight tipped, but any D could have done that.

Good points of her game? Reach... she's so much longer than most of the other players and she uses her reach effectively. Surprisingly deceptive stick handler for her size and gets through traffic where it looks unlikely. Wicked shot and a pretty quick release. Good offensive ice vision - she sees open lanes and teammates and is an accurate passer.

She's a fantastic offensive player and is why she should be at forward. We obviously needed her there in the most recent game against tOSU.

I feel icky typing any of this out as I want the best for her and am rooting for her. I don't like tearing down "my" players but really it's not her fault that coaches are playing her out of position.

I want this team to have their best shot of winning a title. I want these seniors to end their career with a win. As another poster said, not for me - I'll get on with my life 5 minutes after their last game is over. I want it for them.

The best shot UW has is with Laila at forward and seemingly everyone in Madison knows that outside of the coaching room.

AMEN !!!

 

[Gurth 2.0]

From a pure defensive analysis, Laila is number seven. Agreed. And KK is #6.

I get whet you're saying about the value of offensive skills in a D, but hard disagree here.

If I'm in charge of the defensive door and UW is protecting a 1 goal lead with 30 seconds to go, Harvey is the first player I'm sending out there and then Ava.

KK is often out of position due to her offensive instincts but she has the speed and tenacity to get back into the defensive play most of the time.

Who would your two D in this situation be?

 

[BuckyB]

Juengels and Harvey
Potter then Murphy

 

[Gurth 2.0]

Juengels and Harvey
Potter then Murphy

Oh yeah... forgot about Jungels.

 

[Timothy A]

From a pure defensive analysis, Laila is number seven. Agreed. And KK is #6.

And KK is about to win the Patty Kaz, after just winning Olympics MVP.

So it's immediately obvious how ridiculous it is to say "I don't care how offensive a defenseman is". It's all important, and it all matters.

Having a super offensive defenseman is a luxury, not a need. I'd take six Jungels all day long.

 

[davearm]

Having a super offensive defenseman is a luxury, not a need. I'd take six Jungels all day long.

Not a single person here would take Juengels over Harvey, if that was the choice.