Wisconsin hockey: Meet freshman forward Alex Shuchuk

	NHL Draft	Position	Shoots	Height	Weight
	N/A	Forward	Left	5'10	175
	Previous Team		Hometown		DOB
	Janesville Jets (NAHL)		Madison, Wis.		5/1994

A name that should sound very familiar to Wisconsin fans is that of incoming freshman forward Alex Shuchuk. The son of current UW assistant coach, Gary, Alex comes to the Badgers after spending two seasons in the North American Hockey League with the Janesville Jets.

Prior to his time in junior hockey, Shuchuk skated four seasons for Madison West High School, where he recorded 129 points in 89 games. Shuchuk also played for both the Team Wisconsin U16 and U18 programs during his high school career.

Verbal Commitment

Shuchuk committed to the Badgers in May as a walk-on forward. He also had recruiting interest from Air Force and Alabama-Huntsville. According to an article in the Wisconsin State Journal, UW head coach Mike Eaves described Shuchuk as the 15th forward who's "going to have to grind his way up the ladder'' to the lineup and who's "the kind of guy you want in the program.''

Coach Comments

"Alex has to go out there and prove he truly belongs. I told Alex this and I told (head coach) Mike (Eaves) this, ‘I don't want anything handed to him.' And nothing has been. I would never do this if I didn't think it would be the right fit.'' -- Gary Shuchuk, Wisconsin assistant coach

"We are very proud of Alex because this commitment is a result of all the hard work he put in on and off of the ice. Alex is a player with great hockey sense and isn't afraid to put in the work," -- Joe Dibble, Janesville Jets head coach

Scouting Report

"He's a kid that, from day one, he just brought his lunch pail to work. He continues to just want to get better and better every week. He's not a flashy, blow-you-away hockey player, but he has a work ethic and a good hockey IQ. And when he can chip in some points, everybody's happy for him." -- Joe Dibble, Janesville Jets head coach

2013-14 Statistics

Games: 39

Goals: 1

Assists: 5

Points: 6

Penalty Minutes: 36

Plus/Minus: -4

Honors

- Named All-City, All-Conference and All-Area at  Madison West High School

- Won the Lance Johnson Award for his "commitment to excellence"

Recent Press

Bucky's 5th Quarter: Badgers add walk-on forward Alex Shuchuk

Wisconsin State Journal: Alex Shuchuk will walk on, play for dad

UWBadgers.com: Introducing forward Alex Shuchuk

Janesville Gazette: Shuchuk hoping to follow in father's footsteps

Twitter

@shuey16

Season Projection

While his father admits Alex has a better shot than he did at this stage of his career, that won't be the role he'll play for the Badgers. Shuchuk was a defensive specialist in Janesville and was tasked with blocking shots, winning faceoffs and playing strong defense. Shuchuk will likely start the season outside of the Badgers' every-night lineup, but will have an opportunity to find a role as a fourth-line energy guy as his career progresses.

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