On the ice, junior forward John Mitchell has always stood head and shoulders above his teammates.
This season, his game has been something to look up to.
The 6'5\ winger from Neenah, Wis., has 11 goals in 26 games, tying him with captain Blake Geoffrion for the team lead. Mitchell's three game-winners this season are also good enough for a share of the Badgers' top spot.
After he scored only eight goals in 40 games last season, some fans may be surprised to see Mitchell at the forefront of Wisconsin's offensive attack. His teammates, however, could see this coming.
""John's come on real strong this year,"" junior forward Ben Grotting said. ""I'm not going to say that was a big surprise or anything. His shot has improved tremendously, and he's been able to bury the puck. It's good to see.""
Aside from the scoring touch he has developed, Mitchell has also shown he's no stranger to contact, racking up almost twice as many penalty minutes (78) as anyone else on the team.
Nonetheless, his athleticism has been on full display this season.
""As a big guy, I've been told that, for how tall I am and everything, I'm a very athletic guy,"" Mitchell said.
Growing up, Mitchell excelled athletically, both on and off the ice. A five-sport athlete in high school, he earned all-conference honors in soccer and volleyball while also competing in football, tennis and hockey.
""People would look at it and [say], 'That doesn't come across as helping his hockey game distinctively,'"" Mitchell said. ""But it helped with my athleticism. I was just one of those kids that liked to do everything growing up.""
Before coming to UW, Mitchell spent the 2005-'06 season with the Indiana Ice of the USHL and also practiced with the Badgers during the second half of that season. For Mitchell, being on the ice with the eventual national champions was a humbling experience.
""It was definitely an eye-opener,"" Mitchell said. ""I guess what I learned most was that I had a long way to go. I had a rough time throughout the juniors, getting thrown around from team to team. I was kind of beaten and battered and had no confidence at all. Coach [Mike] Eaves and coach [Mark] Osiecki got me back on my feet.""
At first, Mitchell's nerves nearly got the best of him.
""When I came to practice here for the first time, I was so nervous,"" he said. ""They were the No. 1 team in the country. To see all these guys who are professionals, to just watch them on the ice was a real treat. I just tried to mimic everything they did.""
Three years later and with the help of a little luck, Mitchell is seeing his hard work pay off.
""Everyone who's really good at goal-scoring, it's a gift that they have,"" Mitchell said. ""I don't necessarily have that yet. I've been in the right place at the right time a lot this year. Every summer, I work on my shot '¦ and I try to have a better shot every year.""
With a pair of tough weekends against Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota ahead, followed by a difficult WCHA backstretch after that, Mitchell recognizes that this is crunch time for the his team.
""We need to continue what we're doing,"" he said. ""Since the break, we've been playing tremendous hockey. Everyone's been clicking. Everyone just needs to keep stepping up the way [they've] been doing.""
