The Wisconsin Badgers announced their 2024 class on Wednesday, as five recruits officially signed their national letter of intent to join the program.
The 2024 class includes forward Ryan Botterill, forward Gavin Morrissey, defenseman Logan Hensler, defenseman Jack Phelan, and goaltender Anton Castro.
Head coach Mike Hastings shared an announcement in regards to his five recruits, courtesy of UW Communications.
“I think they address our needs right now,” head coach Mike Hastings in an announcement on Wednesday. “I think on the back end, when you take Hensler and you take Phelan, they’re two very different players. I think one’s a very good defender who you’re gonna see kill a lot of penalties for us and another one that I think has real power-play upside.”
“So, you get a lot of different roles. It’s the same thing with the forward group with Botterill who’s a true left winger and shooter, and Morrissey who I think is a cerebral centerman and more of a distributor. Then there’s Castro in goal who’s had a great start. I love the balance of the group.”
Here’s what Hastings said specifically about Botterill, who is currently with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League.
“Botterill’s got a really good stick. He’s shoot the puck well and has always had a knack for scoring if you look at his history coming from the MJHL. He’s made a quick transition to the USHL.”
Here’s what Hastings said specifically about Castro, who is currently with the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League.
“Absolutely love his start right now. He’s athletic and I think he’s very poised for a goalie. He’s in a situation where he’s butting heads with a draft pick in Fargo right now, so more than anything we love the way he’s handled that and he’s off to a really good start.”
Here’s what Hastings said specifically about Castro, who is currently with the USA’s Under-18 team.
“The first thing that comes up about Logan is just how athletic he is and what a great skater he is. He brings an offensive upside to his game. We’re probably most excited about his growth from last year – you can tell now that he just continues to get better every day.”
Here’s what Hastings said specifically about Morrissey, who is also with the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League currently.
“Gavin Morrissey is a very cerebral, smart centerman. He’s very flexible in terms of how you can play him in a lot of different spots up and down your lineup. He can kill penalties and he’s been on the power play. He was a captain last year in Austin, and I think it’s important to have guys that were in your locker room that have been in leadership roles.”
Here’s what Hastings said specifically about Phelan, who is also with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League currently.
“He’s a long, mobile defender. Really good penalty killer. Another one that’s wearing a “C” on his jersey right now for Sioux Falls in terms of a leadership role. We’re really excited because he can play a lot of different roles too, but more so than anything he prides himself on being a very good defender.”
The Badgers did recently lose out on one of their potential recruits, as four-star defenseman Will Skahan de-committed from the program and committed to Boston College earlier today.
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