Multiple news outlets have reported Wisconsin hockey recruit Troy Hesketh will no longer be joining the Badgers' program next fall.
According to sources close to the situation in Minnetonka, that may be due to character concerns.
A person with knowledge of the Minnetonka Youth Hockey Association indicated that Hesketh is having problems with coaches. The source, who wished not to be named because of his close ties to the team, said coaches have expressed a desire for Hesketh to play more physically on the ice, and he has not responded. The terms ""un-coachable"" and ""prima-donna"" came up in conversation about Hesketh with the source.
A person familiar with Hesketh's career said he did not think the former UW recruit had improved his game since his junior year of high school. The source said Hesketh has the talent but doesn't engage in the games and is never around the action, which is why he has struggled in the USHL this year.
The 19-year old, 2010 graduate of Minnetonka High School is currently playing the United States Hockey League (USHL) where he recently joined his third team of the season after he was traded for the second time this year.
Hesketh, a defenseman, was a highly touted recruit entering his senior season of high school, and was drafted in the third round by the Edmonton Oilers after his junior season. In his senior season he helped bring Minnetonka to the state title game.
There have also been alleged concerns over Hesketh's academic credentials. According to the blog Sixty Minutes. No Alibis. No Regrets, Hesketh does not have an ACT score that will allow him to be admitted to UW-Madison.
The Badgers have signed fellow Twin Cities area recruit, defenseman Patrick Daly out of Benilde-St. Margarets in St. Louis Park, Minnesota as an apparent replacement for Hesketh.
