Building his book of business: Hastings continues track record of success at Wisconsin
Men’s hockey head coach excited for what second half of season brings
Kali Mick
1/12/2026
When the puck dropped on the 2025-26 season, Head Coach Mike Hastings and the Wisconsin men’s hockey team knew they had a long road in front of them. A strong first year under Hastings had reignited the program. A second season that fell short had reset expectations. Now, the Badgers entered the year with something to prove.
“We wanted to get back to what we believed the Badger men’s hockey team should be,” Hastings said. “Our returning players, group of eight freshmen and two transfers, really had us optimistic after the summer. Our expectations were to get off to a good start and continue to get better.”
They did exactly that. Wisconsin opened the season with a sweep of Lindenwood in October, then rolled into an eight-game unbeaten streak that signaled early this team would look different from a year ago.
The foundation for that response was laid long before opening night. On March 30, 2023, Hastings became the sixth full-time head coach of Wisconsin men’s hockey in the modern era, bringing with him an impressive 25-year track record that immediately raised expectations in Madison.
Before arriving at Wisconsin, Hastings spent 11 seasons at Minnesota State, guiding the Mavericks to eight NCAA tournament appearances, two Frozen Four berths and a national championship game appearance in 2022. Along the way, he earned three Spencer Penrose Awards as NCAA Coach of the Year, captured eight conference regular-season titles and was named league Coach of the Year five times.
His success stretches even further than trophies. Across 14 seasons as head coach of the United States Hockey League’s Omaha Lancers and 11 at Minnesota State, Hastings posted 25 consecutive winning seasons – a level of sustained excellence rarely seen in hockey coaches – and carried that standard into his first year with the Badgers.
His first game behind the Wisconsin bench in 2023 is something the Crookston, Minnesota, native will remember for the rest of his life.
“For me, it was a little bit surreal,” he said, reflecting on his first game at UW. “You get back there, and you feel blessed. I was really excited about it and was glad the university gave me the opportunity to surround myself with good people.”
That first season delivered immediate progress. Hastings led Wisconsin to a 13-win improvement, an NCAA tournament berth and a Big Ten title chase that lasted until the final weekend. He also helped coach senior goaltender Kyle McClellan to the program’s first Mike Richter Award as national goaltender of the year.
The following year brought a different challenge. In 2024-25, Wisconsin posted a 13-21-3 record, marking the first losing season of Hastings’ coaching career. The offseason that followed became one of evaluation and growth.
“There was a lot of self-reflection, starting with what we can do to make sure we’re not in this situation again,” he said. “At the end of the day, you look at that season, and you wear it as a hockey coach because it’s your job to. It wasn’t to the expectations, but I did feel we were still building the right way as far as trying to set our culture the way that it needed to be.”
That culture took visible shape as soon as the puck dropped this season.
“I don’t think there’s any one thing,” Hastings said when asked what has fueled Wisconsin’s turnaround. “There are a lot of little things, such as leaders who came back had high expectations for themselves.”
That returning core – players like Simon Tassy, Christian Fitzgerald, Gavin Morrissey, Ben Dexheimer, Joe Palodichuk and Quinn Finley – raised their individual standards, and in turn, elevated the group around them. Hastings said their team bonding, which began in June, helped ease the transition for the eight freshmen and two transfers while creating a belief that the work had already been done when adversity arrived.
The results have followed. After its season-opening eight-game unbeaten streak, the Badgers carried that momentum into the start of Big Ten play. Along the way, they’ve erased multi-goal deficits, won in hostile road environments and rediscovered an offensive edge that allows them to outscore mistakes – something last year’s team struggled to do.
“A year ago, we found ways at times to not climb the mountain on that given night,” Hastings said. “This year, we’ve had a lot of adversity that we’ve overcome, whether it’s injuries or playing from behind. I think a lot of that goes right to goaltending and a strong belief structure since they’ve worked as hard as they’ve needed to work.”
Signature weekends have reinforced that belief. Hastings pointed to series at then-No. 2 Michigan and then-No. 1 Michigan State in November as turning points in the first half. After letting a lead slip during the first game in Ann Arbor, Wisconsin responded with one of its strongest performances the following night. A few weeks later in East Lansing, the Badgers battled back from a two-goal deficit in game one before winning the next night in overtime, sweeping the number one team in the country for the first time since 2023.
“Those are probably two weekends that I’ve looked at that have provided some belief for the guys,” he said. “They went out and conquered what they were involved in.”
Under Hastings' direction, Wisconsin has become an offensive threat in a league stacked with high-powered attacks, currently boasting the second-best offense in the nation with an average of 4.15 goals per game. He emphasized that scoring depth has been essential in keeping pace with conference heavyweights – and in giving the Badgers the freedom to play aggressively.
“Being good offensively means that you don’t have to play defense as much, and it allows you to have some freedom,” he said. “I think there’s a confidence that comes with that. For us, it’s about staying on that and continuing to have that be a strength of ours as we continue to get better defensively.”
Behind the scenes, Assistant Coach Nick Oliver sees the program’s transformation as an extension of Hastings’ day-to-day approach. He says that Hastings sets the tone by building genuine relationships first, then demanding consistency in preparation.
“From day one, Coach Hastings really sets an example of how we want to show up to work every day,” Oliver said. “It starts with him and runs through the rest of our group.”
This emphasis on daily structure has become a defining principle inside the locker room. Senior defenseman and team captain Ben Dexheimer said Hastings’ focus on “dailies” – controlling what you can in 24 hours — has translated directly to results.
“He’s been really preaching about our dailies and coming to the rink every day and getting your work done,” Dexheimer said. “We’re only at the rink for a few hours a day, so if you can focus during those hours, then it’s beneficial on the weekends.”
Moments of reinforcement have mattered, too. Dexheimer recalls a team meeting after sophomore Eli Pulver’s standout goaltending performance at Michigan State, when Hastings used that moment to drive home a larger message.
“He showed us that it does take all 26 guys,” the senior said. “Coach harped on that, and I think we kind of had a new sense of belief after that.”
Now, with the second half approaching, Hastings sees the opportunity ahead to continue to build on the Badgers’ impressive 15-3-2 record. His message remains consistent: focus forward, control daily habits and take advantage of remaining home games.
“We need to keep getting better,” he said about starting the second half. “Just keeping our foot to the floor, focusing on what we get to control. That’s why we had the first half we had. That first half is over, so we’ve got to look out the front of the windshield, not the rearview mirror.”
The first half showed what this group is capable of. The second half will show how far they can go. And behind the bench, Hastings sticks to what he’s always believed – put in the work, build belief and let the results follow.
“We’re really excited,” Dexheimer said. “Coach has laid out how we need to be every day. I think that coming to the rink with that in mind has prepared us immensely for the second half.”