MADISON, Wis. – For the first time since 2008, three Wisconsin defensemen were chosen in an NHL Draft as Tyler Inamoto, Wyatt Kalynuk and Joshua Ess were each chosen on Saturday during the second day of the 2017 NHL Draft.

Forward Linus Weissbach was also chosen on day two.

Inamoto, a Barrington, Illinois, native, was the top pick among the Badgers this season, going in the fifth round, 133rd overall to the Florida Panthers.

After Inamato, three Badgers went in the seventh round. Gothenburg, Sweden, native Weissbach went to the Buffalo Sabres with the 192^nd pick.

Then Virden, Manitoba's Kalynuk went off the board four picks later, taken by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 196th pick of the draft.

Finally, Lakeville, Minnesota's Ess was picked by the Chicago Blackhawks with pick No. 215.

This marks the second consecutive year that four Badgers were chosen in the NHL Draft. Last season, forwards Luke Kunin and Trent Frederic were first-round picks, while defenseman JD Greenway and forward Max Zimmer were chosen in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.

The Badgers now have nine skaters drafted on the expected roster for the 2017-18 season.

WISCONSIN DRAFT NOTES
- The three UW defensemen picked in the draft marked the first time since 2008 that three Badger rear guards were chosen in the same draft. All three of the 2008 class, including Jake Gardiner, Cody Goloubef and Justin Schultz, have played in the NHL. All three were chosen among the top 43 picks in the draft.
- This year's draft marks the first time Badgers from three different countries were picked as Americans Inamoto and Ess, as well as Canadian Kalynuk and Swede Weissbach were chosen.
- A total of 158 Badgers have been drafted in the NHL Draft all-time.
- The pick of Ess by the Chicago Blackhawks marks the 14th Badger all-time taken by Chicago, the most of any NHL franchise.
- Wisconsin's second consecutive season with four players drafted marks the first time that has happened since the 2006, 2007 and 2008 drafts when at least four Badgers went in each of them.
- Philadelphia's pick of Wyatt Kalynuk marked the eight Badger taken by the Flyers all-time, but the first since goaltender Bernd Bruckler in 2001.
- Inamoto marks the third Badger picked by the Florida Panthers (Eddie Wittchow, Zach Bearson).
- Weissbach marks the fourth Badger selected by the Buffalo Sabres (Jake McCabe, Brad Navin, Doug Macdonald).
- Of the nine drafted defenseman who played at least one season for Wisconsin during Associate Head Coach Mark Osiecki's first tenure as a UW assistant coach (2004-10), eight reached the NHL (Tom Gilbert, Jamie McBain, Ryan McDonagh, Brendan Smith, Jake Gardiner, Cody Goloubef, Justin Schultz, John Ramage).