A look at the comings and goings of the Wisconsin men's hockey team this offseason

MADISON – The start of hockey practice is months away, but the Wisconsin men’s roster is taking shape.

Badgers' coach Mike Hastings announced the signings of transfers Kyle Kukkonen, Cody Laskosky, Ryland Mosley and Tommy Scarfone on Monday. The addition of those players plus UW’s incoming freshmen gives the team nine newcomers for the 2024-25 season.

Here is a look at the additions and departures from the program since the end of the season.

Pickups from the transfer portal

Kyle Kukkonen, forward (Michigan Tech)

The 5-foot-10, 177-pounder from Maple, Minnesota, has two years of eligibility remaining. He was the CCHA Rookie of the Year for the 2022-23 season when his 18 goals broke the program’s freshman record. Last season he posted 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 27 games for a team that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.  He comes to UW with 66 games of experience and has recorded 19 goals and 20 assists.

Cody Laskosky, forward (Rochester Institute of Technology)

The 5-11, 180-pound graduate transfer from Camrose, Alberta, recorded a career-high 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 37 games last season. He was an Atlantic Hockey first-team all-conference selection who helped the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament. He has 124 games of experience that include 32 goals and 52 assists.

Ryland Mosley, forward (Michigan Tech)

The 5-11, 190-pound graduate transfer from Arnprior, Ontario, was clutch during the Huskies' postseason run. He scored four goals and three assists in four tournament games and finished the season with 18 goals and 15 assists in 40 contests. His postseason hot stretch included the game-winning goal against Bemidji State in the CCHA championship game. He was a first-team all-CCHA selection as a junior and has 128 games, 36 goals and 43 assists under his belt.

Tommy Scarfone, goaltender (Rochester Institute of Technology)

The two-time Atlantic Hockey first-team all-conference selection was the league’s goaltender of the year this past season when he helped the Tigers win regular season and tournament titles. Scarfone (6-0, 175) finished the season with 25 wins and a 2.26 goals allowed average. The Montreal native's four shutouts ranked fourth in the nation and .925 save percentage was fifth.

The incoming freshmen

Ryan Botterill, forward (Youngstown, USHL)

The 5-10, 176-pound player from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, led the Phantoms in goals (29) and points (55) during the regular season and tied for the points lead with six assists during a postseason run that ended in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the Clark Cup playoffs.

Anton Castro, goaltender (Fargo, USHL)

The 6-0, 180 pound native of Mendota Heights, Minnesota, went 22-7 during the regular season to help the Force post the best regular-season record in the league. He had three shutouts, a .886 save percentage and a 2.63 goals against average.

Logan Hensler, defenseman (U.S. National Team Development Program)

This 6-2, 194-pound defenseman racked up four goals and 28 assists in 61 games for the U.S. national under-18 team. The native of Woodbury, Minnesota, helped the U.S. finish second at the Five Nations Tournament in February and win a silver medal at the under-18 world championships in April.

Gavin Morrissey, forward (Fargo, USHL)

The Dayton, Ohio, native was listed as 5-11, 181 pounds last season. He recorded 11 goals and 16 assists in 48 games to help the Force win the Clark Cup title.

Jack Phelan, defenseman (Sioux Falls, USHL)

The 6-2, 187-pound defensemen was a fifth-round draft pick of Detroit last season. The Hinsdale, Illinois, native played in 44 games for the Stampede, posting one goals and six assists.

The departed transfers

Brady Cleveland, defenseman (Colorado College)

The 6-5 defenseman from Wausau played in 17 games for UW last season as a freshman. He didn’t record a goal or assist.

Luke LaMaster, defenseman

LaMaster was a mid-season addition for the Badgers who appeared in one game after playing the previous three seasons for UW.

Sam Stange, forward (Omaha)

The 6-1, 208-pound native of Eau Claire played in 106 games for the Badgers in three-plus seasons. He appeared in seven contests in 2023-24. He was a fourth-round draft pick of Detroit in 2020.

William Whitelaw, forward (Michigan)

The Rosemount, Minnesota, native was selected in the third round of the 2023 NHL draft by Columbus and then played in 37 contests for the Badgers as a freshman. He posted 10 goals, seven assists and a +3 plus-minus rating.

Charlie Stramel, forward (Michigan State)

A first-round pick by the Minnesota Wild last June, Stramel played in 67 games in two seasons with the Badgers and posted eight goals and 12 assists.

Cruz Lucius, forward (Arizona State)

The 6-0, 178-pound forward led the Badgers in scoring as a freshman (11 goals, 23 assists) and as a sophomore (13 goals, 21 assists). He was drafted in the fourth round by Carolina in 2022, but his rights were traded to Pittsburgh in March.

Badgers who moved on to the pros

Mathieu De St. Phalle, forward

The Badgers alternate captain signed a two-year AHL contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton that begins next season but he joined the team immediately on an amateur tryout agreement shortly after the conclusion of the season.

David Silye, forward

The Badgers senior forward signed with the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL in early April. He finished second on UW with 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) while serving as a key member of a penalty kill unit that ranked third in the nation.

Kyle McClellan, goaltender

The All-American goaltender and Richter Award winner joined Iowa Wild of the AHL with about two weeks left in the season and is signed with the team for next season.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin men's hockey: Who's coming, who's going this offseason