MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin men's hockey's
Cole Caufield was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, while Caufield and defenseman
Wyatt Kalynuk were named first-team All-Big Ten, and forward
Roman Ahcan and defenseman
K'Andre Miller were named to the honorable mention team for men's hockey, the Big Ten Conference announced on Monday.
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Caufield, who won the Big Ten scoring title with 24 points in league play, was also named to the All-Freshman Team.
The 15th overall pick by the Montreal Canadians in the 2019 NHL Draft, Caufield led the Badgers and the Big Ten in all games, and shared the national lead among freshmen with 19 goals, while leading the Badgers and ranking second among Big Ten players with 36 overall points. His 36 points shared third in the nation among freshmen.
A Stevens Point native, Caufield becomes the second Badger to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year (Trent Frederic – 2017) and the seventh named a league rookie including the program's WCHA days.
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| Wisconsin Rookie/Freshman of the Year Award winners |
Year |
Conference |
| Mark Johnson |
1977 |
WCHA |
| Mike Richter |
1986 |
WCHA |
| Curtis Joseph |
1989 |
WCHA |
| Jim Carey |
1993 |
WCHA |
| Dany Heatley |
2000 |
WCHA |
| Trent Frederic |
2017 |
Big Ten |
| Cole Caufield |
2020 |
Big Ten |
Caufield also won the 2020
Mark Johnson Rookie of the Year Award for the Badgers.
Kalynuk, Wisconsin's 2019-20 captain, was a second-team All-Big Ten pick in 2019 and an honorable mention selection in 2018. He was also part of the 2018 All-Big Ten Freshman Team.
The Virden, Manitoba, native ranked second in Big Ten contests among rear guards with 17 points, leading the league with six goals from the back end. His seven goals and 28 points in all games both ranked second in the Big Ten for blue liners.
A seventh-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Flyers, Kalynuk also won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Caufield and Kalynuk mark Wisconsin's first two first-team All-Big Ten picks since 2014.
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Ahcan, Wisconsin's Spike Carlson-Chris Chelios MVP, tallied 14 goals and 25 points, including six goals and eight points in league contests to earn his honorable mention recognition. The Savage, Minnesota, native shared the league lead with four game-winning tallies.
Miller, the 22nd pick in the 2018 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers, earns his second consecutive honorable mention All-Big Ten award. He shared fourth in Big Ten scoring from the blue line with 13 points in league contests. His four goals was tied for third. In all games, Miller's seven goals shared second among league defensemen, while his 18 points ranked fifth.
The Minnetonka, Minnesota, native,
signed a professional contract with New York following the completion of this past season.
