The UW men's hockey team's freshman class is stacked with talented forwards, a nice addition to an already talented forward squad. But all that talent on one team comes at the expense of playing time for some players, and has now led to the departure of one Badger sophomore.
That sophomore was Matt Auffrey, a 2004 draft choice of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, who had three goals and five assists last season in 25 games. Auffrey saw limited playing time in one of the Badgers' two games so far this season.
In a private meeting with head coach Mike Eaves Monday, Auffrey told Eaves he would be leaving the team to play Canadian major junior hockey. He will join the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League.
'It was just hard to get back in the groove with the great depth the team has there,' Auffrey said. 'I needed to get going again, and I thought my best opportunity would be to go the major junior route.'
Eaves said the decision surprised him, but he still had high regard for the departing winger.
'It was a very tough thing for him to do,' Eaves said. 'I give him full credit. Matt came in [Monday] and sat down with me man-to-man and told me a very tough thing. I'm not sure I agree with the decision, but it was obvious there was no going back.'
The decision caught Auffrey's teammates off-guard, but they showed no resentment as they sent him off on a high note.
'The team was awesome and understood the situation,' Auffrey said. 'I didn't get flak from anybody. Everybody said they understand where you're at and good luck. It made the [departure] a lot more comfortable. They're like my brothers. I had to make a hockey decision.'
