BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
The memory from six years ago was so vivid, the psychological impact so heavy and deep, that when
Kyle McClellan spoke of it, tears suddenly began streaming down his face.
The moment was painful because it nearly cost McClellan his dream, but it also provided him with the courage to bet on himself and become one of the most talked-about members of the Wisconsin men's hockey team.
The ninth-ranked Badgers have one of the best defenses in the nation – third in fewest goals allowed per game (1.98) and penalty-killing success rate (86.8 percent) and first in shutouts (eight) – due in large part to McClellan.
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A senior goaltender from Manchester, Missouri, McClellan currently has the second-most wins (24), the best save-percentage (.931), the most shutouts (seven) and the second-best goals against average (1.92) in the nation. Thirteen of his 36 outings have come against teams currently sporting top-10 scoring averages and 19 have come against top-20 offenses.
McClellan is currently flirting with school single-season records for save ratio (.938) and shutouts (eight). Both were established by Brian Elliott in 2005-06 when he helped guide the Badgers to their sixth, and most recent, NCAA title.
McClellan is living the goal he had for himself growing up: Play college hockey in the Big Ten Conference and create a pathway to the pros. His mother, Julie, said her oldest son spoke of this plan often.
"As a kid, he always said, 'I'm going to be in the NHL,''' she recalled. "He never veered from that.''
That lofty objective was endorsed by Luke Venker, a St. Louis-based goaltending coach who's worked with McClellan since McClellan was a teenager.
"He's one of the most naturally gifted goalies I've ever trained,'' said Venker, whose client list includes U.S. Olympian Nicole Hensley and Tyler Parks, who played at St. Lawrence and been in the pro ranks since 2016. "He's one of those guys who I document what he does rather than teach him anything. He's a pretty fascinating case.''
McClellan has been enamored with hockey since he was 3 when his parents and grandparents, who were college hockey fans living in Michigan, regularly attended the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit. Kyle was immediately drawn to the goaltenders because he liked their pads.
"We put him on the ice and that was it,'' his mother said. "Since then, his whole life has revolved around hockey.''
McClellan became so smitten with the sport that whenever he was given a writing assignment in middle school it wound up being about hockey. He did so even after his teachers pleaded that he find another topic.
"His first movie was "Miracle,''' his mom noted.
That passion came to a crossroads when McClellan was in high school. He was cut by a local Triple AAA team, not once, but twice.
"They said Kyle wasn't consistent enough,'' his mother said. "He was devastated.''
Another local Triple AAA outfit gave Kyle a shot and he played well, but not enough to secure a berth on a junior team. So, McClellan made a gutsy decision that brought him to tears six years later.
Instead of quitting hockey and going off to college like many of his friends, McClellan accepted a postgraduate invitation to return to his Triple AAA team for another season.
"A lot of the parents, a lot of his friends, told him that he was making the wrong decision; that he should quit and go to college,'' his mother said. "That was a tough year for him. He really didn't have a path.''
At one point, unbeknownst to his family, McClellan applied and was accepted to Missouri State. He went so far as to research on-campus housing.
"I'd kind of made up my mind I was going to college,'' he said.
That's when McClellan began hearing from local coaches who told him to stick it out. Their sentiment ultimately won the day.
"They said, 'Don't quit. Push through it,''' Kyle said.
After his second full season in Triple AAA, McClellan found a spot at the junior level with Austin (Minn.) of the North American Hockey League. That gave way to a berth with Omaha (Neb.) of the U.S. Hockey League and a scholarship offer to play NCAA Division I at Mercyhurst. He was there for two seasons before transferring to UW.
McClellan became emotional revisiting his decision to keep pursuing his dream.
"Obviously, you want to be the best you can, but when you get told 'No,' it kind of hurts,'' he said. "I got cut when I was younger and that kind of took a toll. They didn't think I had the talent.
"Everything happens for a reason, so getting cut, I don't know, I think you learn from things like that. If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be here today. I learned a lot from that moment.''
Most of all, McClellan discovered that doubters make excellent motivators.
"Seeing where I was then – being told you're not good enough – and looking at where I am now, it's pretty special,'' he said. "It's a cool story.''
McClellan, who turned 25 in March, spent his first season with the Badgers as the backup to
Jared Moe, going 3-6 with a 3.57 goals-against average and .883 save ratio. When Moe turned pro, McClellan seized the opportunity to be the No. 1 guy.
"I took away a lot from last year,'' McClellan said. "It wasn't fun, but, ultimately, it helped with me learning how to deal with certain situations.''
There are few positions in sports that require more emotional stability than the role McClellan plays. What's the key?
"It's tough,'' he said. "You have so many emotions going on during the game. You have some bad thoughts sometimes. You just have to keep a positive mindset and learn how to deal with adversity. If you let in a goal or two quick ones, it's tough mentally. It's the challenge of forgetting and moving on and worrying about the next thing. That's kind of my approach.''
McClellan said a change in head coaches after last season –
Mike Hastings replaced Tony Granato – brought about a greater emphasis on defensive structure "which has built a lot of confidence in me knowing that.''
That inner belief has been on display ever since McClellan opened the season with consecutive shutouts of Augustana, becoming the first goaltender in program history to not allow a goal in the same two-game series. In his 36 starts, McClellan has held opponents to two goals or fewer 25 times.
"The way he plays is kind of how he is in person,'' UW senior defenseman and captain
Mike Vorlicky said of his roomie. "He's just a calm, cool, collected character back there.''
McClellan has long been a stickler for details and routines. When he was a youngster, he insisted on having the bows on his shoelaces the exact same length before he would leave the house.
"If he had an issue, we couldn't go anywhere; we had to keep re-tying them,'' his mother said. "Luckily, Velcro shoes came into style.''
Reports about Kyle from former coaches, teammates and billet families speak of immaculate quarters, specific nap and meal schedules, no conversations before games and solo walks to the rink sipping coffee as he goes.
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"I wouldn't say he's very goofy or awkward or quirky in any way,'' said Venker of his goaltending pupil, "but when he puts on his gear, it's his armor.''
McClellan says he's a perfectionist. That's a tough role to play when so many things in a hockey game are beyond your control. Pucks can carom off teammates. Sticks can break. Assignments can be blown. The list goes on.Â
"I always nitpick little things to try and get a little bit better,'' he said. "I'm always looking for the answer even though maybe I can't find it.
"It's a constant battle trying to be perfect. It's not realistic, but I think that's always something you can strive for.''
Venker, who operates 3E (Efficient, Effective, Effortless) Goaltending in St. Louis, said he gets at least one text or phone call from McClellan almost every day.
"Kyle's always looking for perfection,'' Venker said. "I would say his biggest weakness is, if he starts changing everything about his game, he'll struggle. As soon as you start thinking too much and changing everything, you're going to have a Kyle like last season.''
So far, so good. McClellan is the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year and a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, given annually since 2013 to the best goaltender in the college ranks. Richter starred for the Badgers in the 1980s and went on to the NHL where he won a Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994.
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"As soon as he learns how good he is,'' Venker once told McClellan's mom, "there's no stopping him.''
Julie McClellan credits Venker for bringing out the best in her son.
"I reach out to Luke all the time and thank him,'' she said. "He'll give Kyle all the credit. I give it back to Luke. I think he's been an unbelievable friend and mentor.''
McClellan is motivated by more than just his skeptics. His helmet has decals that represent dedications to a grandmother who died of Alzheimer's, one of his billet dads who succumbed to brain cancer and a grandfather who died from lung cancer.
"Each one means a lot,'' he said.
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McClellan already has a degree in personal finance. Now he's seeking to add a master's in real estate. Clearly, his time at Wisconsin has been well-spent on and off the ice.
"He's living out his dream,'' his mother said.
