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Wisconsin Hockey 24-25 Improving With All Due Haste.

Man, what a disappointing season. Think time will tell whether its a coaching or player issue, or likely just a bit of both. Coaches need to make sure we stop losing bad nonconference games and just clean up some of the play in general. On the player side we need more impact forwards and deeper scoring if we want to be competitive in the B10 and against other top schools. Goaltending will need to be a bit better and definitely more consistent. Also think losing Laatsch for the year hurt the team more than people realize.
 
Man, what a disappointing season. Think time will tell whether its a coaching or player issue, or likely just a bit of both. Coaches need to make sure we stop losing bad nonconference games and just clean up some of the play in general. On the player side we need more impact forwards and deeper scoring if we want to be competitive in the B10 and against other top schools. Goaltending will need to be a bit better and definitely more consistent. Also think losing Laatsch for the year hurt the team more than people realize.
That may be about Laatsch, but I don't recall them being all that good with him either. Saying they were better with him is like putting whipping cream on a pile of sh**.
 
Knott gets interviewed post game. Most interesting comment I heard was about last year. Though they had success there were some issues going on with the team. He said, "culture is a real thing", at that there were issues that surfaced last year. He said these were not present this year, and that the group was good.
So maybe that's why they puked off at the end of last year and any F who could take a fifth didn't.
 
To be honest I thought the Badgers outplayed Ohio State in a number of aspects of the game but Ohio State got some luckey breaks.
I'll bet that missed empty net last night is really haunting that poor kid now!
 
Yes. And that’s why people are saying their May be a coaching issue here. The penalties haven’t been addressed all season or the kids don’t listen. That’s on the coaches.

The way they played the final 10-14 games last year seemed to be how they played this entire season. That’s also on the coaches. If they need a Burish in the locker room then recruit one!

Hastings and crew have a LOT to reconcile this off-season. Forget if Finley leaves and takes 20 goals with him, IF these coaches can’t get the players to play smart and hard and the coaches continue to think they can take RIT, Northern Michigan and MTU guys and make a go of it in the b10 they are truly more lost than the players.

This was a bad season that I put entirely on the coaches. No improvement was made over 5 months from any position group.

15 years since an FF appearance, 19 going on 20 years since a national title. No kid they recruit knows Wisconsin as a National power because they have not been one since 1994. I honestly don’t know how they recruit “A” level talent to Madison. What’s the sell? Winning tradition? Uhm…when? 30 years ago? Sold-out games? Nope. Atmosphere at the KC? Nope.

It must just be hope.
Imagine a business trying to change their culture under new leadership. You cannot expect success at the snap of a finger when reality says that it can 3-4 years to build a winning culture. It would be ridiculous to even think about firing Hastings before the 4 year mark. If Wisconsin cycles coaches every 2-3 years they will never build anything and continue to have losing seasons...

Hastings has had winning seasons in 26 of 27 head coaching seasons and the one losing season came in year 2 of trying to rebuild a dysfunctional Wisconsin hockey program that had a mass exodus of scoring talent from the year prior. That is basically unheard of. He showed in his first season that his system works. To suggest that he doesn't know how to coach or is not a good coach is out of touch with reality. Can you just give him some time? The guy is a proven winner. He made the Frozen Four in 2021 and the championship game in 2022. Would you agree that is pretty recent?

If anyone should be blamed for this season it's the players. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. That is the motto of the 24-25 team.

You made an excellent point with the recruits. Not many kids should want to come to Wisconsin with their recent track record. That is part of the rebuilding the culture process and also why it might be a little more difficult in the beginning stages. We need to get 4 year guys in that can start the cycle of winning and then pass that on to the next class. Recruiting the high end prospects can come later. If we can get these Canadian Major Junior players (Tulk/Montgomery/Hauser) in for all 4 seasons that would be a huge help.
 
Imagine a business trying to change their culture under new leadership. You cannot expect success at the snap of a finger when reality says that it can 3-4 years to build a winning culture. It would be ridiculous to even think about firing Hastings before the 4 year mark. If Wisconsin cycles coaches every 2-3 years they will never build anything and continue to have losing seasons...

Hastings has had winning seasons in 26 of 27 head coaching seasons and the one losing season came in year 2 of trying to rebuild a dysfunctional Wisconsin hockey program that had a mass exodus of scoring talent from the year prior. That is basically unheard of. He showed in his first season that his system works. To suggest that he doesn't know how to coach or is not a good coach is out of touch with reality. Can you just give him some time? The guy is a proven winner. He made the Frozen Four in 2021 and the championship game in 2022. Would you agree that is pretty recent?

If anyone should be blamed for this season it's the players. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. That is the motto of the 24-25 team.

You made an excellent point with the recruits. Not many kids should want to come to Wisconsin with their recent track record. That is part of the rebuilding the culture process and also why it might be a little more difficult in the beginning stages. We need to get 4 year guys in that can start the cycle of winning and then pass that on to the next class. Recruiting the high end prospects can come later. If we can get these Canadian Major Junior players (Tulk/Montgomery/Hauser) in for all 4 seasons that would be a huge help.
It's a fight for me inside my head to not get caught up in all the hysteria of a season ending swoon and the loss of the last game. You tend to say the right things at the right time. I appreciate you. Seriously.
 
I feel the same way. I'm not surprised that the season started so poorly. We seemed to improve a little more slowly than I thought we would until the end of the first half of the season. What disheartened me was the second half of the season. There wasn't much to hang your hat on there. I really thought we would do what Penn State has done since the break. Instead, we turned the other way and went down.

On the other hand, there have been many games that one egregious error has led directly to giving up a goal that should not have happened. That will occur occasionally, but I can't remember us either getting let alone capitalizing on our opponents' complete breakdowns like we routinely give up. Many of those things happen in the blink of an eye by an individual (see Scarfone's turnover in game 3, missing empty net in game 2, etc.). I'm not sure how much coaching can fix those. The players have to perform better in those moments. Hopefully an influx of new talent with no connection to these past events can infuse some positive psychology into this team. They really need to shake off the bad vibes.
 
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Knott gets interviewed post game. Most interesting comment I heard was about last year. Though they had success there were some issues going on with the team. He said, "culture is a real thing", and that there were issues that surfaced last year. He said these were not present this year, and that the group was good.
He definitely talked about that but to me most notably, he talked about the recruits they are going after. He mentioned they know they are different than when they were at Mankato and recognize they need guys that can put the puck in the net. I think that gave me a sense of optimism they know how to turn this around.
 
Yes. And that’s why people are saying their May be a coaching issue here. The penalties haven’t been addressed all season or the kids don’t listen. That’s on the coaches.

The way they played the final 10-14 games last year seemed to be how they played this entire season. That’s also on the coaches. If they need a Burish in the locker room then recruit one!

Hastings and crew have a LOT to reconcile this off-season. Forget if Finley leaves and takes 20 goals with him, IF these coaches can’t get the players to play smart and hard and the coaches continue to think they can take RIT, Northern Michigan and MTU guys and make a go of it in the b10 they are truly more lost than the players.

This was a bad season that I put entirely on the coaches. No improvement was made over 5 months from any position group.

15 years since an FF appearance, 19 going on 20 years since a national title. No kid they recruit knows Wisconsin as a National power because they have not been one since 1994. I honestly don’t know how they recruit “A” level talent to Madison. What’s the sell? Winning tradition? Uhm…when? 30 years ago? Sold-out games? Nope. Atmosphere at the KC? Nope.

It must just be hope.
I have to take a little issue here. They had so many injuries, taking away playing time was a limited option, particularly on the defensive side. So, the coaches were kind of stuck playing the guys that were healthy, even if they weren't playing great or making errors. I think the recruiting classes and transfers the next two years are critical to implementing a winning culture AND a winning team.
 
He definitely talked about that but to me most notably, he talked about the recruits they are going after. He mentioned they know they are different than when they were at Mankato and recognize they need guys that can put the puck in the net. I think that gave me a sense of optimism they know how to turn this around.
No doubt the coaches have a plan for the program with respect to recruiting, that is something that the coaches have control over. The goal should be getting the right mix of players for the system, not just the players with the most raw talent.

I don’t think that you can undervalue the impact injuries had on this season, lots of players were thrust into roles they were not suited and others were clearly held back by nagging injuries that limited there physical ability and conditioning.

I was as disappointed in the on-ice results this season as anyone, but they made significant progress with off-ice program changes. Overall, this team was just mentally exhausted by the end but I don’t think that the end of year struggles this year and last year are comparable because they don’t have the same cause.
 
It's a fight for me inside my head to not get caught up in all the hysteria of a season ending swoon and the loss of the last game. You tend to say the right things at the right time. I appreciate you. Seriously.
Hey, you still have your women's team going strong so all is not lost, right?
 
Hey, you still have your women's team going strong so all is not lost, right?
Talk about the agony and the ecstasy. All is not lost, but like you we both crave success from both programs. The goal is the same for both teams. Make the NCAA's and let's see if some magic can happen.
 
It’s unbelievable really. This year is cursed. More injuries with paladachek and Horbach out.
I was sickened by the result just like MSU in OT in Chicago. In all the years I have followed and loved this team luck wise, this was the worst of it back to Heatly Rheinprect.
 
Imagine a business trying to change their culture under new leadership. You cannot expect success at the snap of a finger when reality says that it can 3-4 years to build a winning culture. It would be ridiculous to even think about firing Hastings before the 4 year mark. If Wisconsin cycles coaches every 2-3 years they will never build anything and continue to have losing seasons...

Hastings has had winning seasons in 26 of 27 head coaching seasons and the one losing season came in year 2 of trying to rebuild a dysfunctional Wisconsin hockey program that had a mass exodus of scoring talent from the year prior. That is basically unheard of. He showed in his first season that his system works. To suggest that he doesn't know how to coach or is not a good coach is out of touch with reality. Can you just give him some time? The guy is a proven winner. He made the Frozen Four in 2021 and the championship game in 2022. Would you agree that is pretty recent?

If anyone should be blamed for this season it's the players. You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. That is the motto of the 24-25 team.

You made an excellent point with the recruits. Not many kids should want to come to Wisconsin with their recent track record. That is part of the rebuilding the culture process and also why it might be a little more difficult in the beginning stages. We need to get 4 year guys in that can start the cycle of winning and then pass that on to the next class. Recruiting the high end prospects can come later. If we can get these Canadian Major Junior players (Tulk/Montgomery/Hauser) in for all 4 seasons that would be a huge help.
Look. You really need to relax a bit. Other people are entitled to their opinions without you continually berating them or constantly stating how right you are and how wrong the other person is.
How do you move through life that way?

First: yes, I 100% blame Hastings and his staff for this awful season. No-one forced Hastings to get a goalie from RIT to face the toughest competition in NCAA hockey. No-one forced him to get players from
NMU or MTU, etc. And we cannot have it both ways on talent. Granato left a pretty full cupboard. 4 of the forwards left. So what? That has to be expected in this climate. And it’s nothing that BC, BU, Nodak, Minnesota and Denver don’t already face because they’re loaded with talent. Coaches get paid to plan for these unforeseen circumstances.

Hastings also had some guys regress (Tassy, Fitzgerald) and guys who flat out didn’t work out. Now that he can’t exactly
Planned for but overall I’m talking about the absolute lack of progress from season’s start to the end. I saw 0 improvement regarding ill advised penalties and 0 improvement regarding guys leaving their man to double cover opposition with the puck leaving a man open.

Again. 40-year season ticket holder or not don’t you expect excellence? This program was built at one point to be nothing but excellent.

With respect to Hastings future. I do think if he doesn’t have 20 wins next season and at least an NCAA berth he needs to be told he’s got 1 year left to get the program where it needs to be.

How much losing and missing the NCAA tournament is acceptable for Wisconsin Hockey? Why have the standards fallen so far?
 
Look. You really need to relax a bit. Other people are entitled to their opinions without you continually berating them or constantly stating how right you are and how wrong the other person is.
How do you move through life that way?
My post was calm but pretty direct. Not meant to insult you in any fashion and I apologize if it came off that way.
First: yes, I 100% blame Hastings and his staff for this awful season. No-one forced Hastings to get a goalie from RIT to face the toughest competition in NCAA hockey. No-one forced him to get players from
NMU or MTU, etc. And we cannot have it both ways on talent. Granato left a pretty full cupboard. 4 of the forwards left. So what? That has to be expected in this climate. And it’s nothing that BC, BU, Nodak, Minnesota and Denver don’t already face because they’re loaded with talent. Coaches get paid to plan for these unforeseen circumstances.
Who should Hastings have pulled in the transfer portal? Like, we can say all of the above, but do we have a viable alternative path? To me, eliminating players that are transferring from schools like RIT/NMU/MTU as options to pull in would be a pretty big handicap to the team going forward.

Let's not forget that our Mike Richter award winner and All American goaltender in 2023-24 played for Mercyhurst for 2 seasons. Same conference as RIT. Ryland Mosley was a first line talent on this year's team. Transfer from Michigan Tech. Our 1C last year was a transfer from Minnesota State. Same conference as Michigan Tech.

I get you're frustrated that players like Scarfone, Laskosky, etc were not that great this year, but let's realize that eliminating transfers from smaller schools/conferences could also mean turning away really good players that are willing to transfer to Wisconsin. *Insert Michael Scott "Nope. Don't like that." gif here*
Hastings also had some guys regress (Tassy, Fitzgerald) and guys who flat out didn’t work out. Now that he can’t exactly
Planned for but overall I’m talking about the absolute lack of progress from season’s start to the end. I saw 0 improvement regarding ill advised penalties and 0 improvement regarding guys leaving their man to double cover opposition with the puck leaving a man open.
The stats say Wisconsin's PIMs/game went down from last year to this year. They also say Wisconsin had the 15th fewest number of penalty kills in D1 hockey. Of the 14 in front of Wisconsin that had fewer penalty kills, 13 of them played fewer games as well. Game by game, there was definitely an uptick in penalties per game as the season went on. However, that could be just due to conference play intensity being higher than non-conference.

How would we go about getting the players to stop taking penalties? There's only so much that can be done from a coach's perspective on that one. Ideally, higher endurance and strength would lead to fewer penalties. Might be a meal/workout plan that Hastings needs to tinker with in the offseason. In Stramel's interview with the Sota Pod a few months back he said he dropped ~10-15 pounds of fat during last summer. Seems to have worked out well for him this season.
Again. 40-year season ticket holder or not don’t you expect excellence? This program was built at one point to be nothing but excellent.
Yes, but I can't realistically expect Hastings to turn the team into a yearly 25+ win team at the snap of a finger. He didn't inherit a "turn key" top level program. It's like you've said, the program hasn't been a national power since the 90s. He has to build the program from the ground up like Badger Bob did in the 60s.
With respect to Hastings future. I do think if he doesn’t have 20 wins next season and at least an NCAA berth he needs to be told he’s got 1 year left to get the program where it needs to be.
When he does get 20+ wins next season, will you at least admit that he is a good coach?
How much losing and missing the NCAA tournament is acceptable for Wisconsin Hockey? Why have the standards fallen so far?
The question should be:
How long should a coach get to prove they can coach a winner here?

For me, if the answer isn't at least 4 years (full recruiting cycle), the coach was doomed from the start. How can we expect someone to make this team a winner if they do not have enough time for their recruits to become impact seniors?

Look at Granato. He didn't make the NCAA tournament in his first four years and most of us could tell that he was not a good coach. I just don't get that vibe from Hastings. I want him to get the full opportunity to turn this program around... because I think he can do it.
 
Who should Hastings have pulled in the transfer portal? Like, we can say all of the above, but do we have a viable alternative path? To me, eliminating players that are transferring from schools like RIT/NMU/MTU as options to pull in would be a pretty big handicap to the team going forward.
I feel that with the opening of the CHL there will be a significant decrease in portal activity moving into the B1G in the coming years.
 
Talk about the agony and the ecstasy. All is not lost, but like you we both crave success from both programs. The goal is the same for both teams. Make the NCAA's and let's see if some magic can happen.
I find it curious though your women's team is the #1 seed they seem to have been given the tougher bracket?
 
This season was a brutal disappointment. Here’s my lengthy, armchair assessment of the good and the bad.



Positives (in order of positiveness):

1. Ranking top 10 in shots and shots allowed suggests that Hasting’s system can produce winning hockey at WI.

Despite being woefully lacking in B10-level offensive talent, this team was able to generate a lot of potential offense (as measured by shots-on-goal). To me that suggests IF Hasting’s can recruit goal scorers, his system could put them in positions to score. I also think it’s impressive to be top 10 in shots-on-goal with a team that lacked forwards who could create their own offense. Imagine how many more shots on net they could generate if they had 2nd line players like Whitelaw, Mattie DSP, Strammel, etc. instead of Dyck, Tassy, Kuk, etc.



Hasting’s ability to produce a team that does not give up many shots on net, just two years into his reign, makes me hopeful for the future and suggests that even just a reasonable level of goaltending and goal scoring could be enough to win a lot of games.



2. The top line was productive.

I liked WI’s top line and, if I’m trying to be positive, I think each player reflects positively on the coaching staff’s ability to recruit/retain players in different ways.



Quinn is a high-end offensive talent that Hasting’s was able to retain (he didn’t leave in the portal last year) and develop (he is so much better this year than last year). That’s a good sign for the coaching staff.

As an aside – I’m surprised by some of the negativity towards Quinn on this forum. He’s the only player that consistently creates his own offense and can get the defense on their heels. In my opinion this team needs more players like Quinn and to lose him this offseason would be a huge loss. I did agree with the comment that he probably shouldn’t get a lot of ice time if we’re protecting a one goal lead in the 3rd, but this team already has plenty of players that can fill that role.



Ryland was an excellent pick-up from the portal. That’s a good sign the coaching staff can identify and land offensive talent in the portal.



Gavin was an excellent under-the-radar recruit. That’s a good sign the coaching staff can identify and land offensive talent the old-fashioned way - through recruiting.



3. Next year’s roster will have plenty of depth when it comes to 3rd and 4th line talent.

So this is going to come across as a back-handed compliment (because it is), but it’s still a compliment (kind a). I think this team, assuming everyone who can come back for next season does and NOT counting the incoming freshman, will have a strong 3rd and 4th line. I’d feel good about any combination of Kukkonen, Tassy, Dyck, Lindmark (he will find a way to get a 7th season 😉), Botterill, or Horbach on a 3rd line next year. And I’d be good with any of those skaters that don’t make the 3rd line, plus some combination of Scholl, Mehlenbacher, or Pietila to form a solid 4th line (I thought Dyck/Mehlenbacher/Pietila played excellent against Ohio State this past weekend).



The issue will be if those players (barring marked improvement; I think Botterill might have some 2nd line talent eventually) end up being regular 2nd line forwards and 2nd team PP members (with the exception of Tassy - I don’t mind him standing in front of the net on the 2nd PP).



4. I thought Kehrer played great pretty much all season. I think Hensler could be really good next year. I enjoyed watching Dexheimer with the puck on his stick.



5. They didn’t give up.

This should be a given, so I don’t really think of it as a positive, but I’ll give the team credit for not packing it in for the playoffs. I thought they’d get crushed and be done in two games, but they competed hard and should have won the series (I feel genuinely bad for Quinn).





Negatives:

1A. Goaltending.

Hasting’s first two years have been a rollercoaster when it comes to goaltending! Under Granato there was a lot of talk about needing a goaltending coach and then, when we finally get one, his first year is incredible. If there was an award for the best Goaltending Coach in college hockey, Murdock would have been in the running. He turned McClellan (who looked pretty bad the year before) into the best goalie in the nation and made Gramme look like a potential future starter. Unfortunately, that momentum did not continue into this year. You could argue that the handling of this year’s goalies was the worst in decades. For as much as Granato’s coaching staff seemed to damage the confidence of their starting goaltender, we never saw him ruin all three goaltenders on his roster (maybe that’s just because the third goalie never got to play). However, by the end of this year it was literally a coin flip if a shot on Gramme or Castro would go in. Scarfone was in that same boat, but redeemed himself (a little bit) in the playoffs.



I think Gramme probably had his transfer portal paperwork filled out by January.



I’m thinking Year 3 could indicate if Year 1 or Year 2 with a Goalie coach was the outlier.



1B. Lack of B10-level offensive talent.

This point has been made a hundred-times-over – this team did not have enough offensive talent to compete (offensively) in the B10. Beyond the first line, Fitzgerald seemed to be the only other (potentially) high-end offensive player and he just couldn’t pull things together this year. You could see flashes of the skill, but …



Not to rehash one of the main talking points on this forum from last offseason, but I think this season only amplified concerns that Hastings (who has a great resume and who I think was an excellent choice as head coach) has never demonstrated an ability to win in the current college landscape in the B10. More specifically, can he recruit the type of elite offensive talent that is needed to win consistently in the B10 given the type of talent on the rosters of most of the other B10 schools? Is the system he coaches the type of system that elite talent will want to play under or is it too rigid? Is their too much defensive accountability to attract future Caufields and Halloways? I think he can, but if he can’t, then I think we’ll end up with a lot of seasons that look like this past one.



2. Things got worse instead of better.

This is another point that everyone else has already made. This team started the season struggling to score goals and struggling with not-good-enough goaltending and this season ended with those same issues. There’s not much that happened in the last ¼ of the season that gets me excited for next season.



Let’s hope that they gain more than they lose in the portal and their incoming recruits exceed expectations.
 
Extensive list and it makes a lot of sense to me.

I agree with you on many points, particularly the hating on Finner. He shows that offensive players can be successful and a find a way on Hastings teams. And they will learn the 200' game (if they are willing) and this prepares them for NHL.

Morrissey showed it's not all old players that play for Hastings. He was the top line center as a freshman and his vision combined with Mosley and Finley made them a fun line to watch all year. He also worked his butt off on both PK and PP.

I am not sure what happened on the goaltending end, but like you said it was a disaster this year compared to last year.
 
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