ST. PAUL, Minn. – To cap off his history-making season between the pipes for Wisconsin, senior goaltender Kyle McClellan was named winner of the 2024 Mike Richter Award, given annually by the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) to the top goaltender in men's NCAA Division I hockey.
The Manchester, Missouri, native is the first Mike Richter Award winner for Wisconsin in the 11-year history of the award. Â
McClellan, along with Boston College freshman Jacob Fowler and Colorado College sophomore Kaidan Mbereko, comprised the award's three finalists. The winner was announced on Friday, April 12, during the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The award, named after the Badger and NHL great, U.S. Olympian, Stanley Cup champion, UW Athletics Hall of Famer and U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer, was first given out in 2014. In UW men's hockey history, Joel Rumpel was one of the top-five finalists for the inaugural award.
McClellan also picked up second-team West All-America honors, the American Hockey Coaches Association announced on Friday.
The senior is the first Badger to be named an All-American since forwards Cole Caufield, Dylan Holloway and Linus Weissbach received the honor in 2021, bringing UW's All-Americans total to 44 all-time. He is also the first Wisconsin goaltender to be named an All-American since Brian Elliott picked up first-team honors in 2006 and the ninth all time.
McClellan led the nation with a .931 save percentage and seven shutouts. He also ranks second in the country with a 1.94 goals-against average and fourth with 24 victories.
The Hobey Baker Award top-10 finalist, First-Team All-CHN, Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, First-Team All-Big Ten, HCA National Goaltender of the Month for December, Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off Most Outstanding Goaltender and a conference-best five-time Big Ten Star of the Week, McClellan began the season perfect, opening with shutouts in UW's first two games of the season to make him the first Badger in school history to record consecutive shutouts over the same opponent during a series. He posted back-to-back shutouts a second time with blankings over Air Force and Northeastern to help UW capture the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off.
McClellan's .926 career save percentage is good for second among active NCAA DI players. He allowed two goals or less in 26 of his 37 starts this year, backstopping the Badgers to one of the best defenses in the nation – second in fewest goals allowed per game (2.03), third penalty-killing success rate (87.2 percent) and first in shutouts (eight).
He produced an eight-game win streak (Dec. 1-Jan. 12) and a six-game win streak (Oct. 20-Nov. 4). During the six-game streak, McClellan helped the Badgers sweep then-No. 17 Michigan Tech and then-No. 1 Minnesota on the road, before posting a home sweep over then-No. 11 Michigan.
The senior's seven shutouts are good for second on the UW single-season list, one behind Brian Elliott's record of eight set in 2005-06. He also currently sits second in single-season goals-against average behind Elliott and third in single-season save percentage. Finally, his 24 wins share fifth in program history along with Vezina Trophy winner Jim Carey and UW Athletics Hall of Famer and 1990 NCAA Champion Duane Derksen.
McClellan, who skated his first two years at Mercyhurst before joining the Badgers for his junior year in 2022-23, is set to begin his professional hockey career with the AHL's Iowa Wild, signing a one-year, one-way contract for the 2024-25 campaign.
