Gavin Morrissey, Quinn Finley, Simon Tassy and others have catapulted Wisconsin into the nation's second best scoring offense on a fiery start to the season.
As the holiday break ensues in the realm of NCAA men’s hockey, it’s always a good time to look back on the chaotic beginnings of a season and admire a sport like hockey for creating the unexpected, whether that be players or entire teams shocking the college hockey world.
With that being said, here at The Hockey News, we will be spotlighting a “biggest surprise” from each conference so far, day by day, over this lengthy break.
In a strong conference like the Big Ten, it is usually hard to find surprises with such stacked talent on paper. With that being said, there is a strong team that has risen above expectations and even wears the crown through 10 games of Big Ten play.
That would be the Wisconsin Badgers, the biggest surprise out of the Big Ten.
Last year was not according to plan for Wisconsin. Placing 6th/7 in the Big Ten at an overall record of 13-21-3 and a Big Ten record of 7-16-1, there was light at the end of the tunnel with an optimistic year ahead, only needing to open arms for eight new freshmen and two transfers.
Everybody knew Wisconsin would be better than last year, with key returners in Gavin Morrissey, who tacked on a near point per game season with the Badgers as a freshman, Quinn Finley, an exciting 3rd round NHL draft pick for the New York Islanders, alongside many more.
The returning talent has managed to get even better, with sudden standouts like Simon Tassy, who has 14 points in 16 games, compared to just 11 points over 31 appearances last year.
Wisconsin sits at an overall record of 12-2-2, with a Big Ten best 8-2-0 record in conference play; those only losses just a week apart between #2 Michigan on November 7th and RV Ohio State on the 14th.
The Hockey News editor Frank Zawrazky mentioned in his Top Sleeper In Each Conference article that Wisconsin can “get the job done against top high-ranked opponents.” Safe to say, the Badgers have lived up to that compliment.
Wisconsin’s resume might be the best in the entire country, with a sweep of #1 Michigan State in East Lansing, #19 Minnesota in a heated rivalry at home, and splitting with #2 Michigan in Ann Arbor.
They’ll look to add to that resume with the Kwik Trip Holiday Faceoff in Milwaukee. Opening up against Lake Superior State, they’ll play either #7 Western Michigan or #12 Boston College, depending on respective results.
A key recipe to the success of the Badgers stems from their offense. A nation’s 2nd best 4.4 goals per game overall on the season, and a Big Ten best 4.9 goals per game in conference play. The Badgers have rallied up 4 or more goals in 80% of their Big Ten matchups.
That offense is also spread out. Gavin Morrissey leads the way with 18 points, Quinn Finley leads forwards with 16 points, and from then on, there are five extra badgers in double digits in the points column.
There is no doubt that Mike Hastings and Wisconsin have been the most impressive or surprising team in the Big Ten so far, but there are questions to if a Badger team can keep pace with the talent-stacked rosters they face ahead.
A schedule just as difficult remains in the near future for the Badgers. By January 24th, Wisconsin will have hosted #3 Michigan State and #9 Penn State at the Kohl Center, with still plenty to be decided in arguably America’s best college hockey conference.