MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's hockey team and head coach Mike Hastings announced its early group of recruits for the class of 2025 on Friday, welcoming four forwards and one defenseman to the program.

The class includes forwards Finn Brink (Maple Grove, Minnesota), Grady Deering (Des Moines, Iowa), Blake Montgomery (Annapolis, Maryland) and Vasily Zelenov (Moscow, Russia), as well as defenseman Luke Osburn (Plymouth, Michigan).

"For us to continue to grow as a program, we've got to bring in players who can impact us on the ice and off the ice in a positive manner," head coach Mike Hastings said. "All the guys we're talking about are good in the classroom, but the impacts they're having on their programs this season, they're playing significant roles.

"We want to be a team that's strong down the middle. We like to bring quality to our locker room both on and off the ice and this group does that. It's a great supplement to what we already have in our program and we look forward to these guys having an immediate impact.

Finn Brink
Forward, 5-10, 185, L
Maple Grove, Minnesota
Madison Capitols (USHL)

Brink currently captains the USHL's Madison Capitols, whose arena is down the street from UW in Middleton. In his third season, and second full season, skating for the Capitols, the forward owns six goals and 12 points in 14 games played this year. The Maple Grove, Minnesota, native is currently tied for third place on the roster in points, and is tied for 16th in goals and 17th in points in the league. Last year, Brink racked up five goals and 20 points in 42 games played and has 21 goals and 50 points in 83 total games played with the Capitols for his career.

Prior to skating in the USHL, Brink played for Maple Grove High School from 2020 to 2023. He was also part of Team USA's bronze-medal-winning World Junior A Challenge team in 2023.

Associate Head Coach Todd Knott on Brink:
"He's a very good skater and has taken that to another level. He's also captain of his team and a big-time human being. It's fun to watch him right now. It's one thing to be a leader on a team that is struggling but another to have success and right now along with our alumni coaching staff at Madison, they're doing a really good job and Finn Brink is a huge part of that. They'll be a lot of things he can do in our lineup."

Grady Deering
Forward, 6-2, 209, R
Des Moines, Iowa
Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)

Currently the leading scorer for the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks, Deering owns three goals and 13 points in 17 games played for the 2024-25 campaign. He notched 15 goals and 35 points in 57 games played last year. Before joining the Black Hawks, Deering skated for the Chicago Mission AAA team from 2021-23 and the Des Moines Buccaneers AAA team from 2019-21.

Associate Head Coach Todd Knott on Deering:
"He's a big power forward who is hard to handle. He can play center and did all last year. He is playing on the wall for Waterloo right now. He's got very good vision for a big kid and has taken his skating to another level. Really excited about what he can bring in terms of that big-bodied power forward who can protect pucks, eat pucks in the offensive zone. He's wearing a letter so a really good human being and leader. He's a competitive kid too."

Blake Montgomery
Forward, 6-4, 181, L
Annapolis, Maryland
Lincoln Stars (USHL)/London Knights (OHL)

A fourth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators at No. 117 overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, the forward spent the 2023-24 season and the first 10 games of this season playing for the USHL's Lincoln Stars. With Lincoln, Montgomery tallied 22 goals and 43 points in 58 games played in 2023-24 and three goals and 10 points in 10 games played in the first month of the 2024-25 USHL season. Montgomery's 22 goals last year were tied for first on the Stars' roster. He now skates for the OHL's London Knights, skating in one game so far this season after joining the team within the last week.

Prior to skating for Lincoln, Montgomery played for Mount St. Charles Academy AAA and the New Jersey Rockets in 2022-23. 

Associate Head Coach Todd Knott on Montgomery:
"He's a 6-4 forward who can absolutely skate. He's athletic. The amount of times he can separate from defensemen and skate right by them in the neutral zone is what differentiates him offensively. He's just gifted that way with his feet."

Luke Osburn
Defenseman, 6-1, 183, L
Plymouth, Michigan
Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

Osburn, who is a 2024 Buffalo Sabres fourth-round pick at No. 108 overall, currently skates for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. Through 14 games played this season, Osburn has one goal and six assists, with his seven points tying him for first among Youngstown defensemen. The Plymouth, Michigan, native racked up eight goals and 23 points in 60 games played for the Phantoms last season, skating with current Badger freshmen forwards Ryan Botterill and Adam Pietila. His 23 points ranked fourth among defensemen on the team. 

The defenseman was recently named to the 2024 U.S Junior Select Team that will compete in the 2024 World Junior A Challenge in Camrose, Alberta, during December.

Before joining the Phantoms, he skated for the Compuware AAA team for three seasons, leading all defensemen in points with 12 in 15 games played in 2022-23.

Associate Head Coach Todd Knott on Osburn:
"He's an offensive, smart and cerebral player who runs the power play right now in Youngstown. He's going to bring a little bit of that offensive element to our defensive corps which we need. He's another one wearing a letter on his jersey."

Vasily Zelenov
Forward, 6-0, 181, L
Moscow, Russia
Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)

Zelenov is a seventh-round pick (No. 204 overall) of the Buffalo Sabres from the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and currently plays for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. The forward boasts four goals and 10 points through 14 games played so far to rank third on the roster both in points and goals. Before playing for the Gamblers, Zelenov skated in Austria for RB Hockey Juniors. In 2023-24, he tallied 14 goals and 37 points in 40 games played to rank third on the team in points and second in assists with 23.

Associate Head Coach Todd Knott on Zelenov:
"He's a very smart 200-foot true centerman, which we need right now. Excited what he will bring as we build depth down the center of the ice. He's a young guy and I think he'll be able to be used in a lot of spots killing penalties and on the power play and his hockey sense is one of his strengths.