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Wisconsin Women's Hockey 2024-2025

I'm personally quite alright with no Transfer pickups or losses. I don't begrudge anybody who wants to leave, but I enjoy watching players progress through their time at UW. I like watching good hockey, even if it's a Badger loss. Of course I love winning games, winning both aspects of the WCHA and the National Championship -and would love the dynasty to continue. But what I love most, is going to a regualar season game at LaBahn, cheering for last years freshmen to get out on the ice and have a great shift. I get 15+ games of this every year - I see get a National championship as a bonus.
 
I'm personally quite alright with no Transfer pickups or losses. I don't begrudge anybody who wants to leave, but I enjoy watching players progress through their time at UW. I like watching good hockey, even if it's a Badger loss. Of course I love winning games, winning both aspects of the WCHA and the National Championship -and would love the dynasty to continue. But what I love most, is going to a regualar season game at LaBahn, cheering for last years freshmen to get out on the ice and have a great shift. I get 15+ games of this every year - I see get a National championship as a bonus.
I agree with you that we don't need any transfers especially with Eden and Picard coming back. Despite losing the Patty Kaz winner here is what the Badgers will have next year:
  • 83% of their goal scoring returning
  • 3 players who have finished in the top 3 of Patty Kaz award the past 2 years (Simms, Harvey, Edwards)
  • 5 members of the USA Gold Medal team at the World Championships (McNaughton, Edwards, Simms, Harvey, Eden)
  • The National goaltender of the year according to HCA: McNaughton
  • The world's best 18 year old freshman in Adela Sapovalivova from Czechia
Quite the lineup. Only 4 players exhausted their eligibility from last year: Wozniewicz (9 goals), O'Brien (26 goals), Kotlowski (0 goals) and Kuntz (saw action in 9 games as backup goalie).

The Badgers will be the clear #1 heading into the 2025-2026 season.
 
I agree with you that we don't need any transfers especially with Eden and Picard coming back. Despite losing the Patty Kaz winner here is what the Badgers will have next year:
  • 83% of their goal scoring returning
  • 3 players who have finished in the top 3 of Patty Kaz award the past 2 years (Simms, Harvey, Edwards)
  • 5 members of the USA Gold Medal team at the World Championships (McNaughton, Edwards, Simms, Harvey, Eden)
  • The National goaltender of the year according to HCA: McNaughton
  • The world's best 18 year old freshman in Adela Sapovalivova from Czechia
Quite the lineup. Only 4 players exhausted their eligibility from last year: Wozniewicz (9 goals), O'Brien (26 goals), Kotlowski (0 goals) and Kuntz (saw action in 9 games as backup goalie).

The Badgers will be the clear #1 heading into the 2025-2026 season.
Simms and Edwards benefitted greatly playing with OB. Replacing her assists and face-off dominance is nearly impossible. I'm not saying you are wrong, my glass is just less full than yours. That being said, I don't think anything UM or TWSNBN have done enough to this point to over-take what UW is returning.
 
Not confirmed yet, but it was not Paul.

When will the 2025-2026 roster be finalized?

“It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.”

― Not Nietzsche

"Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed"

― Not Nietzche
 
In my head, when summer school starts. The fr will be in town getting acclimated and we'll know if anyone bailed on us.
What formal or informal processes are in place for the community to help incoming players get acclimated? I have heard team leaders devote a good portion of their summers helping with this. Seems like they have better things to do than ride the bus to Hilldale with the freshmen.
 
What formal or informal processes are in place for the community to help incoming players get acclimated? I have heard team leaders devote a good portion of their summers helping with this. Seems like they have better things to do than ride the bus to Hilldale with the freshmen.
This strikes me as a bit of an odd question. But OK...

First, two of the six incoming freshmen have an older sister on the roster, and have been to games at LaBahn numerous times. So they probably don't need much acclimating.

Beyond that, I know there used to be a 'mentoring' arrangement, where an upperclass player is paired with a new player. I remember that Sarah Nurse and Abby Roque used to kid about their mentor-mentee pairing in social media videos pretty regularly.

Third, what's wrong with riding the bus to Hilldale? There's a BIG Target store there popular with UW students - I don't recall ever seeing any UW hockey players there, but I've seen a half dozen volleyball players thereover the years. And there's a mural that says "MADISON" in big letters that is quite popular for people to take pictures in front of; it is right across Midvale from my apartment, and I see people taking photos every day.

(Maybe 8 or 10 years ago now, during summer, I remember seeing a group of UW women hockey players roller-blading down the bike path that runs before the Kohl Center. They were headed west, already well past the Field House, and I was running east, between Glenway and my normal turn up Virginia Terrace.)

Finally, I imagine at least some of them take summer school classes, to get some credit load out of the way so that they can carry a lesser load during the year and hockey season.

Taking classes, skating at LaBahn, and shopping at Hilldale... sounds like a good summer to me. :-)
 
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What formal or informal processes are in place for the community to help incoming players get acclimated? I have heard team leaders devote a good portion of their summers helping with this. Seems like they have better things to do than ride the bus to Hilldale with the freshmen.
Team bonding is crucial to success. I think the coaches map out the summer program from off ice training, events and on ice work that they are not allowed to conduct and the players follow it.
 
Team bonding is crucial to success. I think the coaches map out the summer program from off ice training, events and on ice work that they are not allowed to conduct and the players follow it.
“…what's wrong with riding the bus to Hilldale?”

The simple answer is: nothing.

The follow-on (main) point is whether it’s the best use of team leaders’ time. For (some) freshman, going to Target might be somewhat of a big deal, but for upperclassmen, there are better team-building opportunities than traveling with new teammates to a mall.

The other aspect is what the (un)structured mentor-mentee pairings contribute to acclimating freshman (and their mentors) to the community beyond the university and campus. Madison has a lot to offer and players talk about it all the time. It's a main attraction for recruits. However, if their awareness extends to knowing that Mickie’s Dairy Bar is a place to get a greasy breakfast after waiting in a long line of college students, that’s about as superficial as awareness can be. As a community, we can do more to help the team.
 
“…what's wrong with riding the bus to Hilldale?”

The simple answer is: nothing.

The follow-on (main) point is whether it’s the best use of team leaders’ time. For (some) freshman, going to Target might be somewhat of a big deal, but for upperclassmen, there are better team-building opportunities than traveling with new teammates to a mall.

The other aspect is what the (un)structured mentor-mentee pairings contribute to acclimating freshman (and their mentors) to the community beyond the university and campus. Madison has a lot to offer and players talk about it all the time. It's a main attraction for recruits. However, if their awareness extends to knowing that Mickie’s Dairy Bar is a place to get a greasy breakfast after waiting in a long line of college students, that’s about as superficial as awareness can be. As a community, we can do more to help the team.
I really don't understand what you're trying to get at.
 
I really don't understand what you're trying to get at.
Sorry. Maybe someone will. If I figure out how to can get at it differently, I will.

Hint: Madison hosted an international women's hockey tournament, mostly with volunteers, on three weeks' notice. There is a lot (more) this community can do to make hockey players and their families feel welcome if we put our best feet forward.
 
Sorry. Maybe someone will. If I figure out how to can get at it differently, I will.

Hint: Madison hosted an international women's hockey tournament, mostly with volunteers, on three weeks' notice. There is a lot (more) this community can do to make hockey players and their families feel welcome if we put our best feet forward.
The U18 Championship was certainly done on short notice, but not "three weeks". It was announced on March 21st, played 11 weeks later.
 
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