MADISON – The Wisconsin men's hockey team continues to see more departures.
Big Ten goaltender of the year Kyle McClellan and conference all-forward forward Cruz Lucius will not return next season.
McClellan, a Big Ten Player of the Year finalist and winner of the Mike Richter Award as the nation's top goaltender, signed with the AHL's Iowa Wild.
Lucius, the team's leading scorer last season, is listed in the transfer portal posted by Link Link and the Grand Forks Herald.
The Grant, Minn., native had 13 goals and 21 assists, finishing with 34 points for the second consecutive season. He was named All-Big Ten and honorable mention.
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With the departure of Lucius and the departure of senior David Cilliers, who signed with Calgary of the AHL, Wisconsin will be without its top two scorers from last season. Another key forward, Mathieu de Saint Phalle, also signed a professional contract, avoiding the opportunity to take advantage of his eligibility during the pandemic year.
McClellan also had a year of freedom due to the coronavirus pandemic, but he chose to begin his professional career. He signed an amateur tryout contract that allows him to join the team immediately, as well as a one-year, one-way AHL contract for the 2024-25 season.
McClellan leads the nation in save percentage with .931 and seven shutouts, and is second in scoring average with 1.94.
It's been a busy start to the offseason for the Badgers with the departures of Lucius and McClelland.
Seniors Sam Stange and Luke Lamaster, sophomore Charlie Stramell and freshmen Brady Cleveland and William Whitelaw also entered the transfer portal.
De Saint Phalle agreed to a two-year AHL contract starting next season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton earlier this week. He immediately joined the team under an amateur tryout contract.
Goaltender commits to Wisconsin
The Badgers lost one goaltender but gained one from the transfer portal.
Rochester Institute of Technology junior Tony Scarfone announced Monday that he will attend the University of California. The 6-foot Montreal native was a Richter Trophy semifinalist and Atlantic Hockey's Goaltender of the Year.
He ranks fourth in the country with a .925 save percentage and has 12 saves.th His goals against average was 2.26.
RIT finished with a record of 27 wins, 11 losses, and 2 draws, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Scarfone has won 25 games this year, giving him an overall record of 55-29-4.
