The recent past wasn’t kind to Badgers hockey, but if the 2016 NHL Draft is any indication, Tony Granato’s UW hockey program is well on its way to being a power once again. After seeing Luke Kunin and Trent Frederic drafted in the first round, three other soon-to-be Badgers were picked in the next four rounds to set a UW record with five players selected overall within the first five rounds of the draft.
The Badgers record class stands at six, coming in 1981 and including names like Chris Chelios and goaltender Marc Behrend.
Kunin was the first Badger off the board this time around, getting picked 15th overall in the first round by the Minnesota Wild. Next off the board for UW was Frederic, who went 29th to the Boston Bruins.
Saturday saw the rest of the NHL draft play out and it saw future UW skaters going in the next four rounds. Defenseman JD Greenway (Potsdam, New York) went to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the third round with the 72nd pick overall, Max Zimmer (Medina, Minnesota) was picked by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fourth round with the 104th overall pick and Philip Nyberg went to the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round with the 129th overall selection.
Greenway could be a huge answer to Wisconsin’s offensive problems the last few seasons, having been a key member of Granato’s US National Team Developmental Program the last two years. He racked up 28 points (five goals, 23 assists) in 64 total games with the U-18 team this past season, while also having six points in 53 games with the U-17 team the previous season.
Zimmer has UW ties before even putting on the Cardinal and White sweater, as his former high school teammate is current Wisconsin player Matthew Freytag. He also comes to the Badgers with a lot of experience at different levels of hockey.
He played the last few seasons with the Chicago Steel of the USHL, while also getting in on some international hockey along the way as well.
Nyberg will come to the Badgers from Sweden, where he played for Linköping HC J20. He had 18 points (4 goals) this past season, and added a goal in four playoff contests this past season. At 6-3, 192 pounds, he will be an imposing figure up front quickly for the Badgers.
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