Freshman forward Kyle Turris, along with freshmen defensemen Ryan McDonagh and Brendan Smith were faced with a straightforward question after a recent practice on the ice at the Kohl Center: What will be the benefits and drawbacks of undergoing a Western Collegiate Hockey Association season with a team this young?
After all, this is a Wisconsin Badger men's hockey team that in no way resembles the UW championship outfit of a mere two years ago. Of the 27 players that make up head coach Mike Eaves' roster, 18 are either freshmen or sophomores. Only seven overall had seen game action before the season got underway last weekend.
What's more, and to this point unseen in UW hockey history, a record nine players are debuting in a Badger jersey as first-year collegiate skaters. That figure includes another first: three players who were selected in the first round of the 2007 National Hockey League Entry Draft in late June.
Those three players are Turris, McDonagh and Smith, and to answer the question regarding the benefits and drawbacks of fielding a young team, they talked almost exclusively about the upside.
We've got a really young team, but I think we're really talented, and our freshmen are definitely going to work hard and not let anybody in the room down,"" said Turris, who was selected with the third pick by the Phoenix Coyotes and the blessing of the organization's head coach and managing partner, Wayne Gretzky.
Turris is the headliner of the nine players, a recruiting class that Inside College Hockey, a comprehensive website that covers the sport, ranked as the top class in the country.
He played last season with the Burnaby Express of the British Columbia Hockey League, scoring a league-leading 66 goals in 53 games. Widely acclaimed for his offensive talents, he also prides himself on defense.
""I like to use my speed, create chances for my teammates and myself, and I like to put the puck in the back of the net,"" Turris said. ""I'm also strong defensively. I don't give up anything.""
McDonagh, chosen 12th by the Montreal Canadiens, was named ""Mr. Hockey"" in Minnesota for 2007, scoring 14 goals in his last year in high school.
""I like to be an all-around player,"" McDonagh said. ""Obviously as a defenseman, I like to take care of my own end and make sure the puck's not in my net. When the situation's right and I read it right, I like to jump up in the play and do a little offense.""
Smith is nominally a defenseman, but describes himself as an ""offensive defenseman"" who likes to be known as a ""defensively wise player."" The Detroit Red Wings selected him at pick 27.
While the circumstances might suggest the Badgers will be overly reliant on their youth this season - the team will have the youngest average age in the WCHA - the three first-year players speak only of a collective, team-wide effort.
Still, all three are forthcoming about the pressure they feel to perform at the college level, a transit point for what could be big careers professionally.
""I feel a lot of pressure, and I want to feel a lot of pressure,"" Smith said. ""I told coach, 'If you want to put me in that position, I want to do it.' I like being that clutch player in the dire moments, either trying to stop a goal or trying to get a goal, I want to be that guy.""
Eaves will be coaching his youngest team in his six seasons at UW, and like his celebrated freshmen players, sees the possibilities with young talent.
""This whole class is pretty latent with natural ability,"" he said. ""The other thing is, as a coaching staff, we have a lot of 'character' young men. When you have that as the base of your pyramid, you've got a good chance to be successful one day.
