MADISON, Wis. – Nine former Badgers across seven different teams are set to begin their quest for the Stanley Cup in the 2025 NHL playoffs.
All time, 14 Badgers have their names on the Stanley Cup as winning players a total of 22 times. Both are tops among NCAA programs.
Jake McCabe and the Toronto Maple Leafs clinched the top seed in the Atlantic Division with 108 points. The Maple Leafs will be taking on the Ottawa Senators, who earned the Eastern Conference's first wildcard spot, in their first-round series, which begins on Sunday, April 20, at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
The defenseman finished his regular season with two goals and 23 points in 66 games played, and has been out of the lineup with an injury since April 2.
Finishing just below the Maple Leafs with 102 points, Ryan McDonagh and the Atlantic Division second seed, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are set to face the Atlantic Division third seed, the Florida Panthers, in the first round. The "Battle of Florida" series begins on Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Defenseman McDonagh, an alternate captain for the Lightning, finished the regular season with four goals and 31 points in 82 games played. He also finished the season leading the NHL in plus-minus with a plus-43 rating.
Also part of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket is forward Cole Caufield and the Montreal Canadiens, who clinched the conference's first wildcard spot with 91 points. The Canadiens will start their playoffs with a series against the top seed in the conference, the Washington Capitals, beginning on Monday, April 21, at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Caufield proved to be an offensive powerhouse for Montreal this year, racking up a career-high 37 goals and 70 points in 82 regular-season games played. His 37 goals are good to tie for 13th in the League in scoring, and he ranks second on the Canadiens in points.
On the West Coast, six Badgers across four teams will take part in the 2025 playoffs.
For the fourth year in a row, the Pacific Division's two and three seeds, the Los Angeles Kings and the Edmonton Oilers, respectively, will play each other in the first round of the playoffs. This series begins on Monday, April 21, at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Alex Turcotte, a forward on the Kings, tallied a career-high nine goals and 25 points in 68 regular-season games played.
Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ty Emberson finished his regular season with two goals and a career-high 13 points in 76 games played, scoring his first goal of the year on April 11 against the San Jose Sharks.
Also on the Oilers is forward Trent Frederic, who made his Oilers debut on April 5 after spending the majority of the second half of the season on injured reserve. In 58 regular-season games played, Frederic had eight goals and 15 points.
Defenseman Brendan Smith and the Dallas Stars, the second seed in the Central Division, are set to play the Colorado Avalanche, the division's third seed. This series begins on Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. CT on TNT.
Smith, who had six points in 32 games, scored his first goal of the 2024-25 season on April 12.
The final two Badgers in the playoffs are forward Dylan Holloway and defenseman Ryan Suter of the St. Louis Blues. The Blues, who orchestrated a dominant second-half performance to clinch the West's second wildcard spot, will play the Presidents' Trophy-winning and top-overall seed Winnipeg Jets starting Saturday, April 19, at 5 p.m. CT on TNT.
Holloway, who has been out with an injury since April 3, had 26 goals and 63 points in 77 regular-season games played, while Suter had two goals and 15 points in 82 games.
The three other Badgers who permanently played on NHL rosters this season also had successful years.
Craig Smith, a forward on the Detroit Red Wings, had nine goals and 18 points in 58 games played for both the Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks this year.
New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller had seven goals and 27 points in 74 games played, tallying four points in his final five games of the season.
Finally, Luke Kunin, a forward on the Columbus Blue Jackets, finished the regular season with 11 goals and 18 points in 75 games played for both the Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks.
All three Badgers who did not make the playoffs were part of the five Eastern Conference teams who were within eight points of clinching the conference's second wild card spot, being eliminated from contention during the final five games of their season.
Several Wisconsin alumni in the AHL are also preparing to start their quest for the Calder Cup. The AHL season ends on Sunday, April 20, with the full playoffs bracket and schedule still to be determined.
As of April 18, four Badgers and their respective AHL teams have clinched a spot in the AHL playoffs.
Among this group is Cameron Hughes, a forward on the Texas Stars. In 68 regular-season games played, Hughes has 22 goals and 55 points to rank third on the roster.
Mathieu De St. Phalle and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins sit third in the Atlantic Division with two games remaining. After being called up to the Penguins on Feb. 22 and again on April 11, the forward has one goal in six AHL games this year after spending the majority of the season in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers. In 62 games played with the Nailers, who have just begun their Kelly Cup campaign, De St. Phalle has 20 goals and 55 points.
Carson Bantle and the Grand Rapids Griffins are third in the Central Division and have two games remaining. In 22 games played for the Griffins this year, Bantle has one goal. The forward has also spent time in the ECHL with the playoff-bound Toledo Walleye, where he has 21 goals and 29 points in 39 games played.
Finally, forward
David Silye and the Calgary Wranglers have clinched a playoff spot in the Pacific Division. In 55 games played for the Wranglers, Silye has six goals and 14 points this year.
Still in the fight to clinch a playoff spot in the North Division is the Cleveland Monsters, which is home to four Badgers: Corson Ceulemans, Roman Ahcan,
Ryland Mosley and Joseph LaBate.
Ceulemans, a defenseman, has two goals and seven points in 33 games played this year after spending the majority of the second half out of the lineup with an injury.
Forward Ahcan has 18 goals and 28 points in 65 games, while fellow forward LaBate, who played a short stint in the NHL this year with Columbus, has eight goals and 21 points in 49 games played. A member of the Badgers' graduating class of 2025, Mosley, also a forward, has played in three AHL games and is still looking for his first professional point.
Three other Badgers are also part of ECHL teams chasing the Kelly Cup in the 2025 ECHL playoffs.
Forward Jack Gorniak and the Fort Wayne Komets begin their first-round series against goaltender
Kyle McClellan and the Iowa Heartlanders on Friday, April 18. Gorniak has 18 goals and 34 points in 70 regular-season games played this year, while McClellan has 15 wins in 35 games played between the pipes for the Heartlanders, accumulating a .898 save percentage and 2.62 goals-allowed on average.
Forward Brock Caufield and the Reading Royals are set to play the Trois-Rivières Lions in their first-round matchup beginning on Friday, April 18. In 38 games played for the Royals this year, Caufield has six goals and 10 points.
Complete list of Badgers in the NHL playoffs:
Eastern Conference
Montreal Canadiens - Cole Caufield (2019-21)
Tampa Bay Lightning - Ryan McDonagh (2007-10)
Toronto Maple Leafs - Jake McCabe (2011-14)
Western Conference
Dallas Stars - Brendan Smith (2007-10)
Edmonton Oilers - Ty Emberson (2018-21), Trent Frederic (2016-18)
Los Angeles Kings - Alex Turcotte (2019-20)
St. Louis Blues - Dylan Holloway (2019-21), Ryan Suter (2003-04)
