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Wisconsin Badgers 2026 Offseason

srkbadger

srkbadger

Trek: There is no substitute
The offseason begins as the national runner up.
The following seven are out:
1. Ben Dexheimer (D)
2. Aiden Dubinsky (D)
3. Christian Fitzgerald (F)
4. Kyle Kukkonen (F)
5. Simon Tassey (F)
6. Tyson Dyck (F)
7. Jack Horbach (F)

Probable: Assistant Coach Nick Oliver to St. Cloud State
Possible: Quinn Finley

The following seven are new recruits:
1. Chase Jette (F)
2. Eetu Orpana (F)
3. Brent Solomon (F)
4. John Stout (D)
5. Gavin Uhlenkamp (F)
6. Zach Wooten (F)
7. Lukas Zajic (F)

Has Hauser's playoff run quelled goalie anxiety?
Any transfers out?
Finley stay?
No incoming CHL talent?
Any delayed players I'm missing that will come in this summer?
Any of the above delayed?

Let the summer lead us into a 2027 National Championship.
 
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I believe all of the above is correct. Personally I think Finley is more than likely gone, and i think it’s possible Palodichuk signs early as well.

I like the recruits but have some minor concerns that it will be difficult to replace senior production. Fitzgerald, Tassy, and Dexheimer all had strong seasons production wise, and Horbach among others played valuable roles as well.

If finley leaves, the breakdown of forwards will be 3 juniors, 6 sophomores, and 6 freshmen, which I don’t love.

Otherwise I’m very excited for the future. I believe Morrissey will be a top 3 player in the B10 next year and Tulk Montgomery and Zelenov should develop into even better players with expanded roles.
 
I agree on Dexheimer, and Tassy picked it up the last month. I think my feelings on the Fitzgerald and Finley can be seen in the season thread. Finley addressed some of the concerns I had ending last year regarding his defensive effort. I would welcome him back with open arms as I feel he needs more development. If Stramel found it wise to stay 4 years, so should Quinn.

I think we may have a better Horbach in Finn Brink. He can play on my team any time.

Joe may be closer, so we'll have to see. If he goes we'll need a dman from the portal or a sleeper from the CHL.

I very much like our d corp. Phelan and Knox really developed and we'll add back Hensler and Schulz. Osburn is a stud. If Joe stays this is a great unit. If he doesn't we'll need an experienced guy as noted above.


All remaining forwards need to hone their ability to finish.

If not next year, 2027 looks quite promising.
 
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It would be sweet to pick up a top end forward in the portal as long as they fit the cultural mold. If not, I'm ok with how it lays out now.

It will be quite important to get a quality coach/recruiter to take Oliver spot. He will be a huge loss.
 
Agreed on Brink being a potentially better version of Horbach but Jacks’ ability to shift back to D was a nice luxury to have.

From a pure talent and goal scoring perspective I would like Finley to return but him not being one of the four captains on this years team always seemed odd to me. Was he not fully committed as a team-first guy and the locker room knew it or am I reading into this the wrong way? Even though he didn’t score in the FF it sure seemed like he was flying around.

Montgomery regressing in the second half of the season hurt. He seemed to regain some his of jump in the FF but even when he got into good scoring position it seemed too easy to knock him off the puck. If he puts on some weight and gets stronger I could see him making a huge leap next year.

I really hope that Idzan decides to stay - he’s got some natural offensive skills that could really help the team.

As for transfers, I wouldn’t mind a top end forward (J.J. Wiebusch??) if Hastings can find one.

I think Hauser has proven he can do the job over the past four games. Is Pulver good enough to get 5-10 starts - or more if Hauser gets hurt?
 
I would be surprised if Finley stayed based on some of the things I have heard but these are just rumors and the hockey world loves to have inside information regardless of if it is accurate or not. Would be thrilled to have him back as I think he made strides in the defensive end this year although I think he cheats a bit too much on the PK for my liking.
 
Sad to see him go, but good for him. He has earned that opportunity. The next question is who are we looking at to replace him? Short list? Wishlist?
 
srkbadger said:
The offseason begins as the national runner up.
The following seven are out:
1. Ben Dexheimer (D)
2. Aiden Dubinsky (D)
3. Christian Fitzgerald (F)
4. Kyle Kukkonen (F)
5. Simon Tassey (F)
6. Tyson Dyck (F)
7. Jack Horbach (F)

Probable: Assistant Coach Nick Oliver to St. Cloud State
Possible: Quinn Finley

The following seven are new recruits:
1. Chase Jette (F)
2. Eetu Orpana (F)
3. Brent Solomon (F)
4. John Stout (D)
5. Gavin Uhlenkamp (F)
6. Zach Wooten (F)
7. Lukas Zajic (F)

Has Hauser's playoff run quelled goalie anxiety?
Any transfers out?
Finley stay?
No incoming CHL talent?
Any delayed players I'm missing that will come in this summer?
Any of the above delayed?

Let the summer lead us into a 2027 National Championship.
Click to expand...
Nice summary!

First finding another young gun up and coming coach is important IMO. Need someone who understands the younger crowd.

Second, they are going to need some finishers and get a d-man that can pick up for Dex. Are the recruits going to be able to fill those gaps?
 
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