All three members of the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team’s top line are out of the picture for next season.
Leading scorer Cruz Lucius entered the transfer portal on Monday after two seasons with the Badgers. He was the left wing on Wisconsin’s top grouping; center David Silye and right wing Mathieu De St. Phalle signed contracts in the American Hockey League instead of returning for a fifth season of eligibility.
The Badgers, meanwhile, found their replacement for goalie Kyle McClellan: Former RIT netminder Tommy Scarfone said Monday that he’s transferring to Wisconsin for his final season of eligibility.
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There also was more clarity about players returning for one more season: Forward Owen Lindmark will be back in 2024-25 for a sixth season because of a medical redshirt and defenseman Anthony Kehrer will use his fifth season with the Badgers.
Lucius, a fourth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2022 who had his NHL rights traded to Pittsburgh in March, is on his way to another college team. His entry in the portal came with an instruction that he was not looking to be contacted, according to sources, which typically is a sign that a player already has a destination in mind.
He had 34 points in both of his seasons with the Badgers, leading the team two years in a row.
Cruz Lucius led the Badgers in points in both of his two seasons at Wisconsin.
Lucius was the sixth player from the 2023-24 team to enter the transfer portal but the first who was a high-minutes player in the first season under coach Mike Hastings.
Defensemen Brady Cleveland and Luke LaMaster and forward Sam Stange were out of the lineup at the end of the season. Forwards Charlie Stramel and William Whitelaw finished on the fourth line and weren’t part of the team’s two power plays despite being first- and third-round NHL draft picks, respectively.
Lucius was on the top power play and was listed on the first line for 34 of the 36 games he played as a sophomore. His production slipped toward the end of the season — he scored goals in only two of the last 14 games he played and missed two games with an injury during that stretch.
The personnel changes makes it appear that the Badgers forward corps is turning more blue-collar for Hastings’ second season.
The Badgers added forwards Ryland Mosley and Kyle Kukkonen as transfers from Michigan Tech. They lost out on a center they targeted to help ease the loss of Silye when former RIT player Carter Wilkie committed to North Dakota.
Junior hockey veterans Gavin Morrissey and Ryan Botterill are signed to join the group of forwards next season. The Badgers also could look to the transfer portal for additional reinforcements at center.
McClellan’s signing with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League opened a goalie spot, and the Badgers had eyes on Scarfone. So did a lot of other big schools, Scarfone said after he made his commitment to Wisconsin public on Monday.
“A lot of places that I didn’t talk to when I committed to RIT when I was in junior,” Scarfone said. “It was like being a kid again and going through the whole (recruiting) phase again.”
Scarfone was the Atlantic Hockey goalie of the year, and his .925 save percentage and four shutouts both ranked fourth in the country.
“My goal was to head to a bigger division and prove myself on the big stage,” he said. “I’ve done everything I could and won everything in the Atlantic. I just want to go do it and prove it on the bigger stage and play with the best.”
Scarfone will join William Gramme, who started three games as a freshman in 2023-24, in the Badgers goaltending corps. Anton Castro of the United States Hockey League’s Fargo Force is signed to join the team next season as well.
McClellan came to the Badgers out of the transfer portal in 2022 from Atlantic Hockey’s Mercyhurst with the hopes of making a name for himself and getting a pro contract. Scarfone has similar ideas.
“The visibility you get in the Big Ten, you can’t really compare it to any other conference,” Scarfone said. “That’s an exciting part; I think that’s just the bonus. For me, I have one year left … and I want to come in and I want to win a Big Ten championship.”
Photos: Samantha Madar’s favorite Wisconsin men’s hockey photos from the regular season
Wisconsin’s Christian Fitzgerald walks out to the ice before a game against the Lindenwood Lions on Jan. 13, 2024, at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Wisconsin forward Quinn Finley celebrates after scoring during the unofficial shootout against Minnesota at the Kohl Center on Feb. 3, 2024.
Wisconsin forward Owen Mehlenbacher shoots the puck against Minnesota defenseman Carl Fish in the first period Feb. 2, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin’s David Silye breaks his stick as he shoots the puck in the second period against Lindenwood Jan. 13, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin forward Owen Lindmark celebrates after scoring against Minnesota in the third period Feb. 2, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin forward Tyson Dyck attempts to pass the puck against Notre Dame in the second period Feb. 10, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin goaltender Kyle McClellan stops the puck in the second period against Notre Dame on Feb. 9, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin forward Mathieu De St. Phalle, left, and forward Simon Tassy celebrate after defeating Michigan on Nov. 4, 2023, at the Kohl Center in Madison.
The Wisconsin student section sings in the third period of game against Notre Dame on Feb. 9, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin defenseman Joe Palodichuk slides to the puck against Minnesota forward Brody Lamb in the third period on Feb. 3, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin forward Carson Bantle, right, celebrates with forward David Silye after scoring a goal against Notre Dame in the third period Feb. 9, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin forward Mathieu De St. Phalle celebrates after scoring against Michigan in the first period at the Kohl Center on Nov. 4, 2023.
Wisconsin players Daniel Laatsch, from left, Kyle McClellan and Anthony Kehrer are introduced before a game against the Lindenwood Lions on Jan. 12, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin forward Quinn Finley prepares for the puck drop against Notre Dame in the first period Feb. 10, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin’s Ben Dexheimer heads out to the ice before a game against Lindenwood on Jan. 12, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Minnesota defenseman Ryan Chesley (71) grabs Wisconsin forward Sawyer Scholl and throws him onto the ice in the first period at the Kohl Center on Feb. 2, 2024.
Wisconsin forward William Whitelaw (8) celebrates with teammates after scoring during the unofficial shootout against Minnesota on Feb. 3, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Notre Dame’s Niko Jovanovic pushes Wisconsin forward Quinn Finley to the ice in the first period Feb. 9, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin forward Simon Tassy skates with the puck in the first period against Notre Dame on Feb. 9, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin forward Christian Fitzgerald celebrates with fans after scoring a goal against Notre Dame in the second period Feb. 9, 2024, at the Kohl Center in Madison.
The skate of Penn State defenseman Jimmy Dowd Jr. touches Wisconsin forward Simon Tassy in the second period Dec. 8, 2023, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin forward Carson Bantle smiles as Notre Dame forward Carter Slaggert (25) speaks to Bantle in the third period Feb. 9, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin defenseman Joe Palodichuk (14), forward Tyson Dyck (16) and defenseman Ben Dexheimer (4) celebrate with forward William Whitelaw (8) after Whitelaw scored a goal in the first period Feb. 10, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin forward Carson Bantle shoots the puck in the first period against Notre Dame on Feb. 10, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Notre Dame defenseman Michael Mastrodomenico hits Wisconsin forward Simon Tassy in the second period Feb. 10, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin’s Jack Horbach passes the puck to Owen Lindmark during a game against Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 24, 2023, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin defenseman Anthony Kehrer (24), forward Mathieu De St. Phalle (12), forward David Silye (15) and Carson Bantle (21) lean against the boards as the referees review a play against Minnesota Feb. 3, 2024, at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Wisconsin forward Simon Tassy shoots the puck against Michigan State goaltender Trey Augustine in the first period March 1, 2024, at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Wisconsin forward Owen Mehlenbacher passes the puck in the first period against the Michigan State Spartans March 1, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin players yell at Michigan State forward Reed Lebster after he flipped into the Badgers’ bench in the first period March 1, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Michigan State defenseman Patrick Geary hits Wisconsin forward Sawyer Scholl in the first period March 2, 2024, at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin goaltender Kyle McClellan blocks a Michigan State shot in the second period March 2, 2024, at the Kohl Center in Madison.
