Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey goaltender Kyle McClellan won the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year award, the Big Ten announced Tuesday, becoming the first ever Badger to receive the honor.
McClellan previously received five Big Ten Stars of the Week awards this season and was amongst three finalists nominated for 2023-24 Big Ten Player of the Year, with sophomore forward Gavin Brindley of the University of Michigan receiving the award.
McClellan’s consistent performance garnered him attention in the Big Ten and nationwide. McClellan leads the country with a .931 save percentage and seven shutouts, and he is second in the nation with 1.92 goals-against average. He also has 24 victories, tied for third nationwide.
For his efforts, he’s also a Mike Richter Award semifinalist for National Goaltender of the Year and a Hobey Baker fan vote nominee for National Player of the Year, amongst other honors. McClellan also became the first Badger goaltender to be named first-team all-Big Ten.
This was McClellan’s first and last season in the starting goaltender role for Wisconsin, playing behind Jared Moe on last year’s team and spending his first two years playing at Mercyhurst..
McClellan is undrafted in the NHL, but this season’s performance will likely boost his chances of finding a home in professional hockey.
Also on Tuesday, Wisconsin’s Cruz Lucius, David Silye and Ben Dexheimer received all-Big Ten honorable mentions, and Owen Lindmark won a Big Ten Sportsmanship award.
Ian Wilder is a senior staff writer and current men’s hockey beat reporter for The Daily Cardinal. He’s a former state politics and features reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @IanWWilder.
