Quick six: No. 6 Wisconsin opens up against Robert Morris
September 29, 2026 | Men's Hockey
Badgers set for first games since 2026 NCAA Championship Game run this weekend at the Kohl Center
MADISON, Wis. — The No. 6 Wisconsin men's hockey team opens up their season against the Robert Morris Colonials at the Kohl Center Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3.
Friday's game will begin at 8 p.m. and Saturday's at 7 p.m.
Here is six quick things to know before gameday:
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ROSTERS: Badgers || Colonials
1 – Fresh skates: After a run to the 2026 NCAA Championship Game, the Badgers welcome 11 new skaters for 2026-27, including well-prospected freshman Zach Wooten, a fourth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets; Clark Cup champion and All-USHL Third Team selection Brent Solomon; Waterloo Black Hawks alternate captain Chase Jette, Madison Capitols forward Gavin Uhlenkamp, Capitols alternate captain John Stout, and Vernon Vipers Most Valuable Player and Leading Scorer Talan Blanck. Also part of the group is Corpus Christi IceRays goaltender Xander Miceli and Finnish forward Eetu Orpana, who will become the fourth Finnish-born player in program history.
Joining as transfers: Dylan Compton hailing from Northeastern. He comes to Madison ranked second among Husky defensemen for points, he was the 2025 USHL Defenseman of the Year Finalist as well as USHL Second All-Star team honors. Making his way over from Cornell is 2026 ECAC Ken Dryden Goaltender of the Year Alexis Cournoyer. JJ Wiebusch rounds out the transfers. The Wisconsin native spent his last two years at Penn State, where he placed second on the team in goals and his five power-play goals ranked him eighth nationally among frosh.
"Going out and managing the things we get to control, staying out of the box, being disciplined, trying to be able to utilize our depth as much as we can, whether that's up front or back of the blue line," said Mike Hastings about the newcomers integration to the team. "Those are the things that we're focused on right now and trying to get guys into a game mindset, that we'll be able to rinse and repeat."
2 – Veteran Talent: Badgers welcome back 15 returners – eight forwards, six defensemen and one goaltender – as well as head coach Mike Hastings.
Among those is tri-captain Gavin Morrissey, who is coming off a personal record-high sophomore season with a career-high 27 assists and 36 points. He also won 2026 Worcester Regional All-Tounament Team honors and was named the team's Dr. Joseph Coyne/Joe Pavelski Most Consistent Player Award.
Coming back for his second year, defenseman Luke Osburn finished with six goals and 21 points to rank second among defensemen on the roster in goals and points and second among UW freshmen in scoring. He was also the recipient of the team's Mark Johnson Rookie of the Year Award while winning All-Big Ten Freshman Team and Honorable Mention All-Big Ten accolades.
Hastings returns for his fourth season at Wisconsin after leading the Badgers to the 2026 NCAA Championship Game. It marked the third time in six seasons he led his team to the NCAA Frozen Four.
3 – Preseason rankings and honors: The Badgers begin this season ranked for the third year in a row, coming in at No. 6 in USCHO and USA Hockey preseason polls. That marks UW's highest preseason poll since entering the 2013-14 season at No. 3.
Osburn earned preseason All-Big Ten First-Team honors, while Morrissey earned preseason second-team accolades.
UW, which ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten, begins Big Ten play against Notre Dame on Oct. 3 at the Kohl Center.
4 – Flashback: This will be the first time the Badgers meet the Colonials since Oct. 19-20, 2007, when UW captured 7-2 and 8-2 victories. Helping lead the way were future NHLers Kyle Turris, who scored three goals and eight points; freshmen Ryan McDonagh and Brendan Smith, who each scored their first NCAA goals from the blue line; and future Hobey winner Blake Geoffrion, who posted a five-point night in Game 2.
5 – Here comes the Colonials: The Robert Morris series against Wisconsin also marks the opening of their regular season. The Colonials top returner is defenseman Dominic Elliott who has been named to the 2026-27 AHA Preseason All-Conference Team. Elliott comes off a dominant sophomore season in which he tallied six goals, 12 assists and 19 points, leading all RMU defensemen in each category.
6 – How to watch: Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday at the Kohl Center. The games stream live on B1G+, while audio play-by-play for Friday's game will air on 1310 WIBA and Saturday's on Fox Sports 1070 as well as on the Badgers app and The Varsity Network app. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram at @BadgerMHockey.
"I'm really excited about it because this is what you put together, an eight-week summer and the recruiting piece and building the relationships you have with the players. This is their game time, so I'm looking forward to dropping a puck on Friday," Hastings said.
