Leadership takes many forms in college hockey.
The knee injury to senior co-captain Ben Street earlier this season dealt a tremendous blow to the Wisconsin men's hockey team, both on and off the ice. Having named Street and junior forward Blake Geoffrion as the squad's only co-captains before the season started, head coach Mike Eaves was forced to choose a pair of assistant captains to help fill the void.
Junior defenseman Jamie McBain was the obvious choice in the minds of many fans. A draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, McBain tied for fourth on the team in points last year and led all Badger defensemen with 19 assists. As a junior, he was one of the older players on a team that returned only two fourth-year skaters this season.
Eaves seemed to go out on a bit of a limb with the other A,"" putting it on the sweater of sophomore defenseman Ryan McDonagh. Some worried that the Minnesota native was not vocal enough for the job, especially compared to a fiery player like Geoffrion. Inexperience was also an issue. With only one full year under his belt, McDonagh had not yet played in every WCHA arena when the season began.
However, those doubts were quickly erased the first time McDonagh hit the ice at the Kohl Center.
""Once Ben Street went down and we formalized leadership by putting an 'A' on [McDonagh's] jersey, I think he stepped up to the plate,"" Eaves said. ""We have what we call a 'leadership core,' which is a non-formal leadership group, and Ryan was a part of that, but I think that he has stepped up.""
Drafted No. 12 overall by Montreal in the 2007 NHL draft, it is clear that McDonagh possesses extraordinary on-ice talent. After recording 12 points in 40 games during his freshman campaign, he is currently fourth on the team in points, having tallied four goals and four assists through 12 games this season. When it comes to leadership, McDonagh prefers to let his game do the talking.
""I'm more of a 'lead by example' guy both on and off the ice,"" McDonagh said. ""I'm doing the important things first and trying to stay focused, coming to the rink every day with a good attitude and ready to work hard.""
As the season has progressed, Eaves has seen that work ethic pay off for his assistant captain.
""More than anything, guys respect him because of how he works and what he can do on the ice,"" Eaves said. ""I see him stepping up, talking to the coaches, talking to his teammates and being more active.""
Despite the respect he has earned from his teammates, the leadership role still poses a challenge for McDonagh, especially because he is only in his second season at Wisconsin.
""The toughest thing is not [having been] at every rink,"" McDonagh said. ""[Last weekend] was my first time playing at UMD, and I didn't really know what to expect.""
As the freshmen gain more experience, Eaves has noticed them picking things up from the leaders on the team.
""They've been learning,"" Eaves said. ""It's good for young defensemen not only to play but then to sit out and watch, because you learn a lot like that. Everybody's pulling their weight on the rope.""
Unbeaten in the last five games, it is clear that something is working for the Badgers.
""[We are] just trying to keep it going,"" McDonagh said. ""We have been working really hard in practice, and if it's producing the right results we are going to keep doing it.""
McDonagh remains humble about his new leadership role through everything that has happened during his career.
""On any team, the first thing you look for is leadership,"" he said. ""The coaching staff and the players felt that I was one of those guys, and it feels good.
