MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's hockey team continues its homestand at the Kohl Center this weekend with an exhibition game against the U.S. Under-18 National Team. The Badgers' meeting with Team USA comes on the heels of last weekend's home series against then-No. 8 Denver.

Puck drop for the Badgers' match up with the Stars and Stripes is slated for 7 p.m. CT (Tickets).

Here are six things to know ahead of this week's battle against Team USA.
 

Exh. | Wisconsin vs. U.S. Under-18 Team
Date	Saturday, Jan. 12 | 7 p.m. (CT)
Location	Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center (15,359)
Watch	BTN Plus ($)
Listen	1310 WIBA  |  Badger Sports Network | Listen Live
Follow	Live Stats | @BadgerMHockey
Game Notes	Wisconsin (PDF)
Tickets	UWBadgers.com

UNDERCLASSMEN IMPACT: Eleven of the Badgers' 16 points against Denver last weekend were scored by underclassmen. Six underclassmen tallied points over the weekend and rookie winger Jack Gorniak tallied assists in both games, while Inamoto and freshman Dominick Mersch opened the scoring in both contests for UW.  Freshmen and sophomores account for 71 percent of the Badgers' scoring this season, and four of the top five UW scorers are underclassmen. K'Andre Miller currently leads the team with four goals and 17 points in 18 games.

ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Freshman defenseman K'Andre Miller was named the Hockey Commissioners' Association (HCA) National Rookie of the Month honors for December after posting impressive numbers during the month.
The 6-4, 205-pound rear guard opened December with a four-point game in the Badgers' 8-5 comeback victory over No. 6 Penn State at the Kohl Center. Miller scored the game-winning goal and tallied three assists to finish with UW's first four-point game since October 2016, and the school's first four-point contest by a defenseman since two-time Stanley Cup champion Justin Schultz in January 2012. Miller scored two goals and six points in UW's three games to help the Badgers post a perfect 3-0-0 mark to close out 2018.

The team's leader in scoring, Miller was away last weekend with Team USA winning a silver medal at the 2019 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia.

TYLER ON FIRE: After going 14 games without a point, sophomore defenseman Tyler Inamoto has tallied six points in four of the last six games, including a goal and an assist in the Badgers' series opener against the Pioneers. The Barrington, Illinois native, who has skated in every game of his collegiate career so far, has one goal and five assists through 20 contests. Inamoto also ranks second in blocks with 41 stops this season, one behind team leader Peter Tischke. In his rookie campaign, Inamoto had a goal and four points along with 45 blocks in 37 games.

CAUFIELD, LINDMARK AND TURCOTTE: Three future Badgers, all who signed National Letters of Intent this past fall, will skate at the Kohl Center this Saturday, including Stevens Point native Cole Caufiled, Naperville, Illinois, native Owen Lindmark and Island Lake, Illinois, native Alex Turcotte. All three are projected as NHL draft picks in 2019, with Caufield and Turcotte considered first-round prospects with top-10 potential, while Lindmark is projected to go in rounds four to six by NHL Central Scouting. 

Caufield's 28 goals pace Team USA, while his 40 points rank third on the team. He also boasts 82 career goals with the U.S. National Team Development Program to rank third all-time, two tallies behind Chicago Blackhawks' superstar Patrick Kane for second. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel is the all-time leader with 104 goals. He has 12 goals and 16 points in 16 NCAA games.

Turcotte, who has been out of the lineup much of this year with an injury, is back and has five goals and 10 points in seven games against NCAA competition.

Lindmark has six goals and 12 points in 26 total games this year, with three goals and eight points in 16 games against NCAA opponents.

BROTHERLY LOVE: This weekend's match up between the Badgers and the U.S. Under-18 Team will serve as a family reunion of sorts for freshman winger Brock Caufield when the rookie faces off against NTDP forward and younger brother Cole. Despite taking the ice as teammates during their prep years, the duo have spent the last few seasons as opponents, fueling a sibling rivalry that will come to an end this Saturday. Both will rejoin the ice as teammates next year when Cole begins his freshman season at Wisconsin this fall.

Brock is tied for second among UW rookies in scoring this season with five goals and seven points.

SCOUTING THE NTDP: This weekend's contest between the Badgers and the USNTDP marks the seventh meeting between the two teams. The Badgers are 5-1-0 all-time against the U.S. Under-18 Team, with the first meeting in the series coming Dec. 16, 2005. The last time the Badgers played Team USA, Wisconsin defeated the Stars and Stripes, 4-3, at the Kohl Center during the 2016-17 season. Junior Max Zimmer tallied a goal and an assist in the victory, and senior Will Johnson notched a goal of his own.

The Under-18 Team is 23-8-1 through 33 contests and 9-7-0 against NCAA opponents this season. Notable wins over collegiate teams include a 4-1 win over Notre Dame and a 4-2 victory over defending national champion Minnesota Duluth.