With the departure of the Badgers’ second and third string goaltenders, and addition of transfer sophomore Alexis Cournoyer and freshman Xander Miceli, Wisconsin men’s hockey’s goaltending situation looks different this fall.
The only returning goaltender for the Badgers is sophomore Daniel Hauser. His .900 save percentage and a 2.49 goals against backstopped the Badgers to their first national championship appearance in sixteen years.
Even as the youngest amongst the goaltending core, Hauser played the majority of the games last season. He started 30 of 39 games, and played 34 total.
Unstable goaltending has been a pressing issue for Wisconsin for the past few seasons.
According to Head Coach Mike Hastings, goaltending was a position he thought they could “continue to get better at,” at the end of last season. The belief drove the decision to add Cournoyer from the transfer portal.
Cournoyer played at Cornell for one season where he appeared in a total of 28 games and held a save percentage of .915. The six-foot-four Quebec, Canada native was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the Fifth Round of the 2025 NHL Draft. He was awarded the 2026 Eastern College Athletic Conference Goaltender of the Year and Ivy League Rookie of the Year.
Cournoyer was an instrumental player for Cornell, where he posted an 18-10-0 record and a 2.05 goals against. After a strong debut season, the news of his departure came as a shock for the Big Red.
Freshman Miceli played 34 games in the North American Hockey League for the Corpus Christi IceRays and held a .900 save percentage. Standing at six-foot-four, Miceli brings his size as he starts his collegiate career at Wisconsin.
With all three goaltenders competing for ice time, it will be interesting to see whether the Badgers will settle with a primary starting goaltender or rotate throughout the season.
While Hauser was a key part in the Badgers Frozen Four run, his smaller frame could become a deciding factor, despite his flexibility and fast post-to-post movement in the crease.
Additionally, Hauser’s upper body injury from just before he came to Wisconsin has affected his play, especially when he got bumped into against Ohio State on February 13, 2026. He was left unable to play for three weeks.
“[Hauser] is physically and mentally as stable and prepared as an athlete as we have in that locker room,” Hastings said in a press conference on Tuesday.
If I were to predict, given Hauser and Cournoyer’s seniority, it is likely that they will battle for the starting goaltender position over Miceli who would sit as third string goaltender.
Wisconsin has also brought in Steve Briere, the Director of Goaltending and Development, to the coaching staff.
“[Briere’s] a self-motivated, focused, all-in type of guy. It’s been a great addition from the energy he brings and the newness to providing some game planning on how to be better on and off the ice,” Hastings said.
While the competition for who gets the starting position has already begun, it hasn’t affected the chemistry the goaltenders are building outside the rink.
“The relationship in our goalie room has been amazing. Alexis and Xander are great goalies on the ice and even better people off the ice,” Hauser said in a press conference on Tuesday.
With Briere joining the coaching staff and three goaltenders showing promise for the future, Wisconsin appears to have built a more stable goaltending core heading into the season.
