The most prosperous dynasty on campus returns to action on Friday, dropping the puck on the 2026-27 season with a two-game road trip to take on St. Lawrence in Canton, New York. The Wisconsin Badgers, who narrowly edged the Ohio State Buckeyes as the top-ranked preseason team in the USCHO and USA Hockey polls, will debut a new-look roster as they look to win their third-consecutive national title.
Replacing a Patty Kazmaier Award winner is nothing new to Wisconsin, who won a title last year following
the departure of Casey O’Brien. That being said, filling the void once occupied by Olympic MVP Caroline Harvey will undoubtedly lead to some growing pains. Harvey patrolled the blue line for four years while also being one of the most gifted goal scorers and facilitators in the world.
And it’s not just Harvey; the Badgers lost an all-world lineup that includes last year’s NCAA points leader in Lacey Eden, a former point leader in Kirsten Simms, and a former goal-scoring champion in Laila Edwards. Five Badgers were selected in the first 11 picks of the 2026 PWHL draft (the formerly mentioned players, plus Vivian Jungels). While Wisconsin reloads, there hasn’t been a season with a full nucleus replacement like this in quite some time—maybe ever.
But if any program is ready to reload, it’s the Wisconsin Badgers. After winning five of the last seven NCAA titles, Wisconsin looks to once again be locked into a season-long war of attrition with the Ohio State Buckeyes, the two favorites to meet in the championship game for the fifth-straight year.
Aside from senior defenders Ava Murphy and Laney Potter, the Badgers are poised to be very young defensively. Sophomore Mackenzie Jones and junior Emma Venusio are the other familiar faces expected to see a significant increase in minutes this year. Junior Lauren Johnson, a Sun Prairie native, was brought in as a transfer from Union College to help provide some experience on the blue line.
The new-look defense will have the benefit of a stalwart goaltender protecting their backside, with senior Ava McNaughton set to once again shoulder the load and provide consistency in the crease. McNaughton, who enters the year with an overall record of 84-6-4 with eyes set on eclipsing the 100-win mark, boasts a career goals-against average of just 1.33 over her three years as a starter. That’s a level of production that allows a new core to find their footing early in the year.
Newly minted captain Kelly Gorbatenko figures to be Wisconsin’s leading scorer. The senior had a slow start last season before getting hot, posting 28 goals with the all-star roster ahead of her on the depth chart. With the departures of Edwards and Eden, Gorbatenko will be the go-to winger this season.
If anybody will challenge Gorbatenko in goals scored, it will be senior forward Cassie Hall, who is coming off back-to-back 20-goal seasons after finishing with 19 goals in her freshman campaign. Hall could very well eclipse 50 points this year after finishing just two points shy last season. She has been the epitome of a reliable forward and is now expected to see an expanded role in her senior year.
The development of sophomore center Adéla Šapovalivová will be integral to Wisconsin’s success this year. The Czechia Olympian was a postseason revelation, notching five points in the Frozen Four to help deliver another banner to Madison. Šapovalivová was not asked to do too much as the top center last year, thanks in large part to the star power surrounding her. Now, with a year of experience under her belt, she will be one of the main factors that make the offense tick.
This year will also feature the long-awaited arrival of Nela Lopušanová, the Slovakian standout who announced her commitment to the Badgers two years ago after a dominant performance at the World Junior Championships. Playing up to new competition is nothing new to Lopušanová, who has consistently played in advanced leagues throughout her young career, but I expect some growing pains as a WCHA newcomer developing in her first NCAA season.
Other offensive reinforcements include:
- Rosalie Tremblay, a Canadian under-18 national champion and MVP who centered Team Canada’s top development line.
- Maddy Kimbrel, the 2026 Ms. Hockey Award winner in Minnesota and an elite offensive prospect known for her speed and quick release.
- Haley Box, a Wyoming native who cut her craft playing hockey in both Minnesota and Canada, another speed demon known for pushing the pace.
The ice is frozen, the skates are sharpened, and hockey season is finally here. The new-look Badgers will make their debut this Friday against St. Lawrence before returning home in week two, where they will raise the 2026 championship banner when they welcome Boston University.
In the famous words of Chance the Rapper quoting the ancient Canadian proverb, let’s do that hockey.
