It is no secret that outstanding leadership in athletics is a crucial element in achieving the greatest potential success for a team. The Badger men's hockey team has discovered early this season that tremendous dividends can be gained in quality, not quantity.
Wisconsin has only four seniors on its roster in defensemen Davis Drewiske and Kyle Klubertanz and forwards Josh Engel and Matthew Ford, but all of them have shown exceptional leadership both on and off the ice.
Head coach Mike Eaves has made leadership a major priority since the beginning of the season and is quite satisfied with the results that have been produced thus far.
Leadership is one of those things that's hard to put a price on,"" Eaves said. ""It makes the coach's job a lot easier and your chances at becoming truly a team are greater when you have good leadership.
""[The seniors have] stepped up. We've had meetings, we talk about it, it's something we're very much aware of and we try to promote and help everybody grow up in terms of a leadership role, so they've done a nice job especially with a young team.""
Kyle Klubertanz, assistant captain, attributes most of this success to the unity of the upperclassmen.
""Us four seniors, we've come together, we've come a long way these four years, we're a pretty close group,"" he said. ""We hang out all the time, even with the juniors, too, the upperclassmen. We take pride in leading this group.""
Klubertanz is enjoying another successful season on the ice: He has two goals and three assists on the year, and his five points are good for fourth best on the Badger roster.
One important measure of senior leadership on the ice is demonstrated by clutch play. Ford has certainly personified this characteristic, as he tied for the team lead last season with three game winning goals. But Ford believes the concept of leadership is really about a player's overall performance in every setting.
""I think for the most part it's just leading by example,"" Ford said. ""Going out, whether it's just to the weight room, whether it's in practice or on the ice in games, if you work hard and do your own thing, guys are going to follow.""
Another senior already enjoying a great year on the ice is Drewiske, the team captain who has registered four assists in the Badgers' first four contests. Drewiske is extremely impressed with the job the younger players have done and their maturity level early on in this season.
""They're willing to learn and they're willing to listen and they're learning to work hard and that's the most important thing,"" Drewiske said. ""Obviously, they're very talented, too, which I think is kind of a byproduct. But being involved, you learn, listen and work hard, I think you're going to get talented and develop your skills if you're willing to do those things.""
One of the most talented players on the young roster is sophomore defenseman Jamie McBain. Last season, McBain was named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Rookie team after leading all Badger defenseman with 18 points. McBain echoed a similar theme of sentiment regarding leadership and the job this year's seniors have done.
""It's definitely essential when you've got so many young guys,"" McBain said. ""Davis, Kluby and the other captains and seniors, the way they lead and the way they present themselves as a whole. They know they have to lead and they're doing a good job just keeping us all focused.""
The Badger seniors have seen both extremes with a national championship in the 2005-06 campaign and a disappointing season last year, as the Badgers finished with just a 19-18-4 record. Senior forward Josh Engel has not forgotten the disappointment of last year and has used this as motivation to improve this season.
""We want to win another national championship, seniors and juniors; we've been there so we know what it's like to be there,"" Engel said. ""Last year was a really depressing year for us and as a senior you want to go out on top, make sure we let everyone know what we want to accomplish.""
The Badgers have started off strong toward this national championship goal with a 3-1-0 record this season. If Wisconsin continues to combine exceptional play of its youngsters with strong leadership from its seniors, maybe these lofty expectations will translate into reality.
