June 28, 2026, 5:04 a.m. CT
This weekend’s NHL Draft marks 29 straight where the Wisconsin Badgers have had a player selected.
Future Badger Jayden Kurtz went off the board as the Anaheim Ducks selected Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey with the No. 45 overall pick.
Wisconsin may not have had a player selected on day one, but they quickly had one taken in the second round.
Not only that, but the Winnipeg Jets selected Zach Wooten at No. 116 overall. Wooten is an incoming freshman who is fresh off a 62-point season with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers.
Officially, Wisconsin has now had one Badger drafted every year since 1970 except 1983 and 1997.
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Fresh off Carolina Hurricanes star K’Andre Miller winning the Stanley Cup, it’s clear Wisconsin has a stronghold on the NHL and continues to recruit at the highest possible level.
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