There's been a lot of USHL news that we need to get caught up on from over the past few weeks. Starting with actual USHL games, 2012 Wisconsin recruit Eddie Wittchow and his Waterloo Black Hawks squad fell to the Green Bay Gamblers in five games in the Clark Cup Finals.

Wittchow had a great season for Waterloo with 22 points in 72 games as a defensive-defenseman while being +22. On Monday afternoon, Wittchow was named to the USHL All-Rookie team. Wittchow is expected to be a regular right out of the gates for Mike Eaves club next season.

The USHL also recently held their Futures Draft (only players born in 1996), and their Entry Draft (everyone else). One future Badger was taken in the Futures Draft and that was recent commit Peter Tischke out of Chicago. Tischke was selected by the Des Moines Buccaneers.

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Wisconsin junior defenseman Justin Schultz was the buzz of the hockey world yesterday when TSN's Bob McKenzie reported that Schultz had filed paperwork to officially withdraw from school.

Withdrawing from school was an important step in Schultz's hockey future. A 2008 second round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks, Schultz can become an NHL free agent this summer thanks to a provision in the collective bargaining agreement.

Since it's been four years since Schultz has been drafted, he has the right to choose his organization. The first step was notifying the parties involved that he would be officially withdrawing. Since that has happened, the Ducks will now own his exclusive negotiating rights for 30 days.

According to McKenzie, those 30 days expire just prior to the June 22nd Draft. After that, Schultz is free to negotiate with any teams leading up to the opening of free agency on July 1st when he can officially sign a contract.

However on Friday, Michael Russo who covers the Minnesota Wild for the Star Tribune mentioned on the radio that he thinks a team may have already gotten to Schultz, and that Anaheim may go after them with a tampering charge.

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The Wisconsin athletic department has officially released the 2012-2013 schedule and there are a few surprises on there that we didn't foresee coming.

Let's start with who the Badgers are playing. With a road trip scheduled to Alaska, Wisconsin is able to play four non-conference series this season. Those four series are Northern Michigan at the Resch Center in Green Bay (OCT 12/13), Alabama-Huntsville at the Kohl Center (DEC 13/14), Miami at the Kohl Center (JAN 18/19), and Penn State at the Kohl Center (FEB 24/25).

Alabama-Huntsville on the schedule is a surprise given that Andy Baggot from the Wisconsin State Journal had reported before that the Badgers would be playing Lake Superior State.

Another big shock is that the St. Cloud series March 8-9 will be played at the Coliseum instead of the Kohl Center. That's due to a conflict with the WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament. The last time the Badgers played at the Coliseum was in 2005 for a WCHA playoff series vs Alaska-Anchorage.

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Wisconsin was second to only Michigan last season in terms of NCAA alumni playing in the National Hockey League. That information has seemed to aid the Badgers in recruiting, as more and more players who have committed to the program are mentioning that as a reason for coming to Madison.

Peter Tischke, a defenseman from the Chicago area who committed to Mike Eaves and the Badgers last Wednesday night for the 2014 season said the development he expects to get at UW was a major reason he made his decision.

"I chose to play for Wisconsin because for one it's a top notch NCAA hockey school, but also they are known for developing players so they are ready to play in the NHL," Tischke told Bucky's 5th Quarter Tuesday.

"And I feel that the coaches at Wisconsin are the best of the best."

Tischke is the third player from the Chicago Mission U16 team he currently plays on to commit to the Badgers. Naperville, IL native Seamus Malone, and Brookfield, WI native Jake Linhart had previously given verbal pledges to Wisconsin.

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The Chicago to Madison college hockey recruiting pipeline continues to flow as consistently as ever. The latest Chi-Town native that has chosen to wear the cardinal and white Wisconsin sweater is Mission U16 defenseman Peter Tischke.

Tischke, who hails from Hinsdale which is just outside of Chicago is the third member of the Mission U16 team to commit to the Badgers in the past year. Brookfield's Jake Linhart, who is Tischke's defensive partner with the Mission committed in the fall, and Seamus Malone, a forward with the Mission from Naperville, IL gave his verbal pledge to the Badgers in March.

Linhart and Tischke are expected to join the Badgers in the fall of 2014, while Malone who is a young '96 isn't expected until the fall of 2015.

Tischke, who describes himself as a "Shutdown defenseman who makes good first passes and plays the body," recorded 14 points in 28 games for the Mission last season in the High Performance Hockey League.

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Mike Eaves made his 2012 recruiting class official when he announced the signing of Burnsville, Minnesota native Eddie Wittchow on Tuesday. Wittchow, currently a defenseman for the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) made his verbal pledge to the Badgers back on December 8th.

A 6'4, 200 pound blue-liner, Wittchow notched 18 points in 60 regular season games for the Black Hawks and was a team best +22. Waterloo is in the middle of a playoff run, and are currently tied 1-1 in the Clark Cup Finals against the Green bay Gamblers. Wittchow has four points in nine playoff games.

In a release today from the University, Eaves noted that the Badgers expect big things from Wittchow right out of the gates.

"Eddie will be able to come in and give us a real physical presence on the blue line," said Eaves. "He's got a big body and moves very well. He's got the propensity to make a good breakout pass and gets back quickly to help get the puck out of the zone. He possesses a really nice shot from the point - a smart shot. He's going to be a real anchor for us on the blue line."

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The USA Hockey Central District which features players from Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa held their Midget Festival this weekend in Fond du Lac. I was able to make it down on Saturday to take some individual player notes.

The festival is used as the last tryout process before players are selected to attend the USA select festivals which are held in Rochester, NY.

As always, this thing needs a disclaimer. I was only in the building for one day so there is no way I could get a solid look at every kid. There were a lot of excellent hockey players playing on two sheets of ice at the same time so I'm sure I missed some good things.

I tried to catch as much of the kids born from 1996 and 1997 as I could so I didn't get much of an opinion on anyone in the 1995 class.

As always, just because I didn't list a kid doesn't mean he's not a good player. Everyone that was invited to Fond du Lac this weekend is a good hockey player with an opportunity to play at the next level. My opinion isn't going to change that.

*Also of note, Wisconsin commits Jake Linhart and Seamus Malone and North Dakota commit Nick Schmaltz, all from the Chicago Mission program were not in attendance.

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The Wisconsin hockey roster continues its transition after a substandard 2011-12 campaign that saw the Badgers finish just 17-18-2, and miss the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported Monday that freshman forward Tyler Lapic, and junior third string goaltender Mitch Thompson are leaving the program to pursue options at the Division 3 level. This news comes on the heels of freshman defenseman Patrick Daly telling Bucky's 5th Quarter last week that he would be transferring to D-3 St. Thomas.

Lapic, a 6'1, 200 lb. winger played in just four games last season for the Badgers and did not record a point. The New Prague, Minnesota native played for three franchises in the USHL before arriving in Madison. In his two seasons in junior hockey, Lapic recorded 27 points in 87 games.

Thompson is a walk-on goaltender from Onalaska who has seen action in just one game since arriving in Madison.

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The best players born in 1995, 1996, and 1997 from the state of Wisconsin will be participating in the Central District Festival this weekend (May 11-13, 2012) in Fond du Lac. The Central District also includes Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas.

SCHEDULE LINK

TEAM ROSTER LINK

The following is a list of Wisconsin players that have been invited.

1995 Born Wisconsin Players

G-Nate Teuscher-Madison LaFollette/East HS
G-Collin Cropp-Madison Capitols U16

D-Daniel Addie-Janesville HS
D-Jake Miller-?
D-Austin Zyweic-New Richmond HS
D-Cole Rience-Notre Dame Academy HS
D-Daniel Trippichio (Hudson)
D-Jake Bunz-Middleton HS
D-Trenton Olson-Superior HS

F-Jason Reynolds-Notre Dame Academy HS (DePere)
F-Casey Jerry-River Falls HS
F-Brady Bollinger-Eau Claire Memorial HS
F-Hunter Routheau-Green Bay United HS
F-Jarod Zirbel-Notre Dame Academy HS
F-Jace Cseter-Menomonie HS
F-Austin Miller-Stoughton HS
F-Luke Novak-Milwaukee Jr. Admirals U18
F-Michael Wilson-Fond du Lac HS
F-Griff Jeszca-Marquette HS
F-Aaron Miller-Marquette HS?
F-Drew Callin-Milwaukee Jr. Admirals U18
F-Thomas Fazio-Homestead HS

1996 Born Wisconsin Players

G-Nathan Siclovan-Madison Capitols U16
G-Kyle Carrignan-Oregon HS

D-Cooper Watson-Appleton HS
D-Keegan Ford-Waunakee HS (Dubuque Fighting Saints USHL Tender)
D-Luke Davison-Green Bay Notre Dame (DePere) (Chicago Steel USHL Futures pick)
D-Connor Maxwell-River Falls HS
D-John Metzinger-Wausau West HS
D-Taylor Curtis-Cedarburg HS
D-Matt Berkovitz-Ashwaubenon HS

F-Connor Blanck-Fond du Lac Springs HS
F-Alexander Falconer-Shattuck-St. Mary's Midget AA
F-Sam Schultz-Arrowhead HS
F-Aaron Wakefield-Superior HS
F-Zed Dietrich-Waukesha HS
F-Charlie Parker-Verona HS
F-Brett Gruber-Notre Dame Academy (Appleton)
F-Charley Grasskamp-Eau Claire Memorial HS
F-Kyler Pollitt-Milwaukee Jr. Admirals U16
F-Ryan Mezera-University School of Milwaukee HS
F-Will Raebe-DePere HS
F-Timothy Nicksic-Tomah HS
F-Jared Erickson-Waupaca HS

1997 Born Wisconsin Players

G-Maxwell McConnell-Middleton HS
G-Dylan Phinney-Green Bay Jr. Gamblers 97

D-Anthony Stillwell-Notre Dame Academy
D-Adam Parsells-Wausau West HS
D-Brendon Gysbers-Fond du Lac Springs HS
D-Jackson Charlesworth-Antigo HS
D-Christopher Keliher-Germantown HS
D-Caleb Blank-Onalaska HS
D-Matt Doran-Green Bay Jr. Gamblers 97

F-Thomas Novak-St. Thomas Academy HS (River Falls)
F-Kevin Connely-Wausau West HS
F-Sam McCormick-Notre Dame Academy HS
F-Connor Perkins-Janesville HS
F-Matthew Pulver-Regis/McDonell/Bloomer HS (Chippewa Falls)
F-Kevin Ford-Madison Capitols 97's (Waunakee HS next year)
F-Alec Kent-Milwaukee Jr. Admirals 97's
F-Michael Gilbert-Milwaukee Jr. Admirals 97's
F-TJ Poglaze-Beloit HS
F-Ty Pelton-Byce-Madison Memorial HS
F-Phil Erickson-Eau Claire Bantam A
F-Collin Peters-Sheboygan HS
F-Tarek Baker-Verona HS

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Yesterday in a tweet Wisconsin hockey captain John Ramage told me that he planned to return to Madison for his final season of eligibility with the Badger hockey program.

Today Ramage joined the voice of the Badgers, Brian Posick on his afternoon radio show on the Big 1070 in Madison to talk about the process.

A fourth round draft pick of the NHL's Calgary Flames, Ramage talked with Posick about his decision to return to the Badgers. Ramage mentioned a number of reasons, including the new LaBahn arena practice facility.

Ramage also talked about the expectations at Wisconsin, and what he thinks about the Badgers chances at making some positive noise next season.

The following is the audio, as well as the transcript of their conversation.

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It's official, Mike Eaves has his captain back. In a tweet this afternoon, Badger defenseman John Ramage confirmed that he's returning to Madison for his final season of eligibility.

Ramage wore the captain's "C" last season for Eaves. Justin Schultz and Ryan Little were alternates. The other two times that captains returned during Eaves tenure? 2005-2006 when Adam Burish returned to lead the Badgers to the NCAA title, and 2009-2010 when Ben Street and Blake Geoffrion helped take Wisconsin to the Frozen Four.

Ramage, who was taken by Calgary in the fourth round (#103 overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft had been contemplating between returning for his senior season, and signing with the Flames.

The St. Louis native captained the Badgers last season to a 17-18-2 record. Son of former NHLer Rob Ramage, John recorded 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 37 games for the Badgers as a junior. Ramage has 33 points in 115 career games for the Badgers.

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For the most part, everyone following the Wisconsin hockey program was shocked when freshman defenseman Patrick Daly announced in early March that he was leaving the Badgers. The 6'0, 180 pound rear guard came to Madison last fall off the heels of being selected in the 7th round of the NHL draft by the New Jersey Devils.

At the time, Daly told us that the move was academically driven. "I didn't see myself playing in the NHL, so I wanted to spend my time focusing on improving my GPA rather then my hockey abilities," Daly noted.

However a little less than two months later it looks like the young blue-liner from Victoria, Minnesota has had a bit of a change of heart. Daly told Bucky's 5th Quarter on Monday night that he's planing on transferring to the D-3 level at St. Thomas, a private University in St. Paul.

"Hockey is a great game and after thinking long and hard about whether or not I wanted to completely give it up, I decided that I still had the itch to play," Daly said.

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The University of Wisconsin will unveil LaBahn Arena, the new hockey facility this upcoming fall. It appears that the two men likely to benefit the most from the 2,400 seat arena are going to be around for a while to see it come to fruition.

Friday afternoon the UW announced through a release on their website that the contracts of Badger men's hockey head coach Mike Eaves, and Badger women's hockey coach Mark Johnson have been extended through June 30, 2017.

Through ten seasons at Wisconsin Eaves has amassed a 209-156-44 record which includes five trips to the NCAA tournament. Eaves has also led the Badgers to two Frozen Fours during his tenure, and returned to Madison with the national championship trophy in 2006.

Eaves is also considered as one of the top talent developers at the NCAA level. 23 former Badgers have played in the NHL that were coached by Eaves at Wisconsin, including 21 that saw action in the league this past season.

In nine seasons behind the bench for the Badger women Mark Johnson has quickly cemented himself as the top coach in women's college hockey. Johnson has accumulated an astounding .832 win percentage during his time spent behind the Badger bench. Even more amazing, Johnson has led the Badger women to the national championship game in six consecutive seasons, winning four times.

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It's finally official. The long awaited outdoor game between WCHA rivals Wisconsin and Minnesota has been inked for Sunday, February 17, 2013.

The event, which will take place in Chicago at historic Soldier Field is expected to feature a double header with Miami (OH) and Notre Dame taking part in the other contest.

Mike Cerniglia, an assistant to UW athletic director Barry Alvarez confirmed to the Wisconsin State Journal Wednesday that UW had forwarded their signed copy of the contract. A tweet from Andy Baggot indicated that Minnesota had done the same.

The contest will be considered a home game for the Badgers, who are giving up a date at the Kohl Center for this event. Minnesota and Wisconsin will play Friday night at the Kohl Center, with a built in travel day Saturday before the border battle outdoor event on Sunday.

According to the WSJ report, Wisconsin is expected to receive between $200,000 and $250,000 for their part in the game. That's roughly what the University would pull in for gate revenue at a typical game at the Kohl Center.

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Yesterday the WIAA announced that they would be keeping the boys basketball tournament at the Kohl Center until the year 2020. They also announced that the girls basketball tournament will be moving to the Resch Center in Green Bay for the next two years.

This presents some good news for the Wisconsin hockey team, as well as a few more headaches in regard to future schedules.

There had been conflicts because the tournaments were scheduled to fall on weekends that the Badger men's hockey team need the Kohl Center available for the WCHA playoffs, and in the future the Big Ten tournament when that league starts in the fall of 2013.

However UW AD Barry Alvarez convinced the Big Ten to go to a neutral site tournament, avoiding conflicts at the Kohl Center. The Big Ten tournament will be played at the Xcel Energy Center in 2014 and 2016, and at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit in 2015 and 2017.

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If Sunday's gold medal game at the 2012 Under 18 IIHF World Championships is any indication of how incoming UW hockey recruit Nic Kerdiles is going to play in big games while at Wisconsin, Badger fans have something to start getting excited about.

Kerdiles, widely considered the top forward on the United States under 18 team helped secure gold for the red, white, and blue over the weekend, thanks in large part to a two-goal, three-assist performance in a 7-0 gold medal game thrashing of Sweden.

The 6'2, 200 pound C/LW finished the tournament as the top point producer for the United States, with 9 points in 6 tournament games (4g, 5a).

The Irvine, California native certainly helped his draft stock over the past week, which was already in solid standing. Kerdiles was recently ranked as the #29 North American skater by NHL Central Scouting, placing him firmly on the bubble to be drafted somewhere between the late first, and early second round at the Draft this summer in Pittsburgh.

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We all know the chances are slim, but it's hard not to think about the possibilities...

The Big Ten Conference will officially begin to sponsor hockey starting with the 2013-14 season, and now the leagues conference tournament has an official home. Well, two homes to be exact.

It was announced Thursday that the end of the season league tournament will rotate between St. Paul and Detroit for the first four years of the newly formed hockey conference. The 2014 and 2016 tournaments will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, while the 2015 and 2017 tournaments will be at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

The tournament will be a single elimination format featuring all six league members (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan State). The Big Ten tournament will be a three day event, with the leagues #4 seed playing the #5 in one quarter-final on Thursday, and the #3 seed playing the #6 seed in the other quarter-final. The top two seeds will receive byes to the semi-finals on Friday, with a championship game to be played on Saturday.

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Thanks to the help of some beat writers from around the league, namely Kevin Pates from the Duluth News Tribune, we've been able to piece together most of the 2012-13 Wisconsin Men's hockey schedule.

Here are the facts that we know at this time. Wisconsin will play Minnesota, Minnesota State, and Alaska Anchorage four times each. The Gophers are the Badgers traditional scheduling rival and they have always played then four times per season. This year the Wisconsin and Minnesota pod matches up with the Mankato and Anchorage pod, so that's why they will play them four times each.

With the guaranteed road trip to Anchorage, the Badgers will be granted an exemption to schedule two extra non-conference games this season. That means instead of a 34 game schedule, the Badgers will play a 36 game schedule this season.

The four non-conference opponents that the Badgers will face this season are Miami, Lake Superior State, Penn State, and Northern Michigan. The Penn State games are at the Kohl Center. The Northern Michigan games are at the Resch Center in Green Bay but are home games for NMU. It's unknown if the Miami and Lake State series will be home or away, but we'll assume they are both home at this point to guarantee the Badgers 20 home dates.

Also keep in mind that Wisconsin's home series with Minnesota this year is tentatively scheduled to include an outdoor game at Soldier Field on Sunday, February 17th.

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It appears that Mike Eaves will have his captain back next season. According to a tweet from Andy Baggot, Wisconsin defenseman John Ramage will likely be back for his senior season in Madison.

Wisconsin junior defenseman John Ramage says it's "looking more and more like I'll be coming back" instead of signing with Calgary.

— Andy Baggot (@AndyBaggotWSJ) April 13, 2012

Ramage, who was taken by Calgary in the fourth round (#103 overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft has been contemplating between returning for a fourth year of eligibility, or signing with the Flames.

The St. Louis native captained the Badgers last season to a 17-18-2 record. Son of former NHLer Rob Ramage, John recorded 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 37 games for the Badgers as a junior. Ramage has 33 points in 115 career games for the Badgers.

In a recent article in the Calgary Herald, Flames player development coach Ron Sutter was very complimentary of Ramage.

"I look at John as being a hard, two-way guy to play against," Sutter said. "To play at the pro level, there are things he'll need to improve on, beginning with his quickness. But he's a kid that's gone through a lot of personal things in the last couple years. He's figuring out his body as far as nutrition."

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The future of Wisconsin recruits Seamus Malone and Jake Linhart have been a topic of discussion recently, as both players contemplated where they would spend the next few seasons before eventually joining the Badgers.

Both players were selected in last weekends OHL draft. Linhart, a defenseman from Brookfield was selected by the Plymouth Whalers in the 9th round. Malone, a forward from Naperville, Ill was also taken by Plymouth later in the draft.

Neither player is expected to seriously consider the OHL route, and that was confirmed this week when both players made commitments to play in the USHL next season.

It was announced today that Malone, who is committed to the Badgers for the fall of 2015 has signed a tender to play for the Dubuque Fighting Saints. With the tender, Malone is required to play in at least 55% of Dubuques games next season in the USHL.

"The acquisition of Seamus continues our philosophy of scouting and adding players who have high hockey sense and a high compete level," said Fighting Saints Head Coach Jim Montgomery. "We believe that Seamus’ skill and drive will assist him to have success in the future, and help us win hockey games in Dubuque."

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The NHL Central Scouting staff released their final 2012 NHL Draft rankings and four current or future Badgers made the list.

Incoming 2012 recruit Nic Kerdiles was the highest ranked player with Badger ties. The California born C/LW was ranked as the 29th best North American skater by the Central Scouting staff. Kerdiles was ranked 27th in the mid-term rankings earlier this season.

Listed at 6'1.5, 201 pounds by Central Scouting, Kerdiles has been the top forward for the USA NTDP U18 team all season. Kerdiles currently leads the U18 squad in scoring with 39 points in 48 games heading into the World Championships that start this week.

Current Wisconsin defenseman Jake McCabe was given a very high ranking by Central Scouting as well. The Eau Claire native checked in at number 47 on the final rankings. McCabe was also ranked #47 in the mid-term ranking.

The 6'0, 195 pound blue-liner notched three goals and nine assists in 26 games for the Badgers in his rookie season in Madison.

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The NHL regular season ended on Saturday which means that the playoffs are kicking off in a few days. Nine former Badgers are expected to be on NHL playoff rosters at this point.

Brendan Smith could make it ten, but it hasn't been decided if he'll be on the Wings roster for the first round series or not at this point. Jack Skille is also on a playoff team, but he's been out with a shoulder injury and his status is unclear.

The Badgers will be represented on eight teams if we're including Smith and Skille. Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh (New York Rangers), Jack Skille (Florida Panthers), Kyle Turris (Ottawa Senators), Brian Elliott (St. Louis Blues), Craig Smith and Ryan Suter (Nashville Predators), Joe Pavelski and Brad Winchester (San Jose Sharks), Davis Drewiske (LA Kings), and as I mentioned, possibly Brendan Smith with the Detroit Red Wings.

The most intriguing first round match ups from a Badger prospective are St. Louis/San Jose, Nashville/Detroit, and New York/Ottawa.

During the playoffs I'll be tweeting daily updates of how the Badgers still remaining in the playoffs are doing, as well as which former Badgers will be playing on TV on a nightly basis.

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Former Wisconsin defenseman Cody Goloubef became the 22nd former Badger to play in the National Hockey League this season when the Columbus Blue Jacket's called him up for a game on Saturday March 31st against St. Louis.

The former second round pick of Columbus was called up on an emergency basis to cover for an injured John Moore. According to numerous reports, Goloubef didn't find out about his call up until the 10 AM the morning of the game.

Goloubef had to catch a noon flight from Springfield, Massachusetts where his current team the Springfield Falcons was scheduled to play that day, to St. Louis where he was to make his NHL debut. On the way he had to catch a connection in Charlotte.

Apparently the connection was delayed, putting Goloubef behind schedule. Once he arrived in St. Louis, he was so far behind that he got stuck in traffic with fans going to the game.

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The Ontario Hockey League held their annual draft on Saturday and two players with verbal commitments to attend Wisconsin were selected.

If you're not familiar with the OHL, it's a junior hockey league based primarily out of Canada that the NCAA considers professional because some players that play in the league have been signed to NHL contracts. Any player playing in the league automatically forfeits their NCAA eligibility by playing, or signing with an OHL team.

This years draft was held mostly to draft players born in the 1996 birth year. Wisconsin has two players committed from that birth year, and they were both selected on Saturday.

The Plymouth Whalers used their 9th round selection to draft 2014 Badger recruit Jake Linhart. The Brookfield, Wisconsin native is a defenseman who currently plays for the Chicago Mission U16 team.

I interviewed Linhart in October and asked him if the OHL may be something he would consider. Linhart quickly noted that it wasn't something he was interested in.

"I really didn't give the OHL much consideration," Linhart said.

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Saturday, April 7th was by far the most important date for the Anaheim Ducks in their pursuit to sign Wisconsin junior defenseman Justin Schultz. The day came and went, with no announcement from either side that they have reached an agreement.

The reason the date was significant was because it was the last day that the Ducks could get Schultz under contract for the current NHL season.

The biggest bargaining chip for the Ducks was the fact that they could burn a year off his entry level contract by signing him during the current season, allowing Schultz to become a restricted free agent sooner, and in turn accelerating his timeline for a bigger pay day.

Turning down that offer from the Ducks says a lot about Schultz's intentions. Not only did he leave $200,000 on the table by not finishing the season with the Ducks, but he also gave up an opportunity to accelerate his timeline for that bigger payday down the road.

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Badger defenseman Justin Schultz added his name to an elite group of athletes at the University of Wisconsin Friday as he was named First-Team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association. It's the second consecutive season that Schultz has been named a First-Team All-American.

Schultz is just the fourth two-time First-Team All-American to wear a Badger sweater, joining all time greats Mike Eaves, Mark Johnson, and Craig Norwich.

The junior blue-liner is the 38th All-American to play for Wisconsin. The Badgers have had six All-Americans over the past four seasons. Justin Schultz (2011 & 2012), Jake Gardiner (2011), Blake Geoffrion (2010), Brendan Smith (2010), and Jamie McBain (2009) were all named as AHCA All-Americans.

The West Kelowna, British Columbia native was the top point producing defenseman in college hockey for the second consecutive season. Schultz recorded 16 goals and 28 assists for 44 points in 37 points for the Badgers this season.

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For the first time since Wisconsin's season ended on March 11th, Badger defenseman Justin Schultz has spoken publicly about his hockey future.

The 2008 second round draft pick of Anaheim is weighing his options between returning for his senior season at Wisconsin, signing with the Ducks, or taking advantage of a provision in the collective bargaining agreement that allows him to become a free agent July 1st.

Instead of spending next week suiting up for Anaheim, Schultz is expected to return to his parents West Kelowna, British Columbia home during Wisconsin's spring break.

Schultz spoke with the Wisconsin State Journal's Andy Baggot on Wednesday, and implied that he won't be signing with the Ducks before the NHL season is over on April 7th.

"We feel it's best to finish out the school year and then look at my options and then see what's best for me," Schultz told Baggot.

Schultz's quotes confirm an earlier Bucky's 5th Quarter report that the junior blue-liner was planning on taking his time in this process, and planned on finishing the semester at Wisconsin.

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