MADISON, Wis. – Senior defenseman Ben Dexheimer will serve as the Wisconsin men's hockey team's next captain, head coach Mike Hastings announced on Wednesday.
Dexheimer is entering his fourth year with the Badgers after leading all defensemen on the roster with 16 assists and 17 points as a junior in 2024-25. Last year, the Edina, Minnesota, native also led the team in blocks with 58 and received Preseason All-Big Ten First Team honors. In 2023-24, the defenseman led all Wisconsin blueliners with five goals and 23 assists to total a career-high 28 points, earning him an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention nod.
Dexheimer enters the season 10th in the country among defensemen with 56 career points and second among that group with 50 career points.
Dexheimer will wear the 'C' on his jersey, while junior defensemen Zach Schulz and Joe Palodichuk, as well as sophomore forward Gavin Morrissey will help as the team's alternate captains.
Schulz, a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, racked up two goals and nine assists in 28 games played in 2024-25 to total a career-high 11 points. He received Academic All-Big Ten honors, and he was named the 2025 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off Most Outstanding Defenseman after tallying three assists in two tournament games played. As a freshman in 2023-24, Schulz notched two goals and six points, also posting 29 shots and 24 blocks on the season. The South Lyon, Michigan, native is a 2023 NHL draft pick by the New York Islanders, going in the sixth round at No. 177 overall. His previous leadership experience includes captaining Team USA at the 2023 World Under-18 Men's Championship, scoring a goal and three points in seven games to help the United States to a gold medal.
A native of Cottage Grove, Minnesota, Palodichuk enters the 2025-26 season after tallying one goal and four points in 25 games as a sophomore in 2024-25. The Academic All-Big Ten blueliner posted 39 blocks last year to rank fourth on the team after missing some of the season due to an injury. As a freshman the year prior, Palodichuk appeared in all 40 games, tallying three goals and 18 points to lead all freshmen on the roster, earning him a spot on the Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year watch list and the team's Mark Johnson Rookie of the Year award. Prior to coming to UW, Palodichuk served as an alternate captain for the USHL's Fargo Force in 2022-23.
Morrissey notched nine goals and a team-leading 23 assists in 2024-25 to post one of the best rookie seasons in Wisconsin men's hockey history. His 32 points ranked third on the team, and he was one of 12 Badger freshmen to reach 30 points in a season. The Rochester Hills, Michigan, native was one of three finalists for Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and he was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, in addition to being a Hobey Baker Memorial Award fan vote nominee. Morrissey was also highly successful in the faceoff circle, winning 437 of 759 draws for a 57.6-percent success rate to rank fourth among Big Ten skaters with at least 50 wins. The sophomore has previous leadership experience, acting as an alternate captain for the NAHL's Austin Bruins in 2022-23.
The Wisconsin men's hockey team begins its season on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3-4, against the Lindenwood Lions in Maryland Heights, Missouri.
