5 things to know about the Wisconsin men’s hockey game against the United States Under-18 team | Wisconsin Badger Hockey

College teams classify games against America’s Under-18 teams as exhibitions, so the lineups that the elite youth squad face don’t always correspond to a regular college game.

UW, for example, plans to give more minutes to players who usually don’t have a lot of ice time. Third string goalie Ben Garrity will play, Granato said, and could start.

The United States is 6-3 against opponents in the NCAA this season, with wins over Notre Dame, Michigan Tech and Michigan State. He also beat D-III Adrian twice and Buffalo State once.

The USA Hockey National Team Development Program based in Plymouth, Mich., Selects the top 23 American players each year for a two-year program that often leads to high draft picks in the NHL. Five players from this season’s U18 squad received an A rating from the NHL Central Scouting Office, translating into potential first-round picks: forwards Logan Cooley, Cutter Gauthier, Isaac Howard and Frank Nazar and defenseman Ryan Chesley.

Cooley has 28 points in 18 games to lead the squad, which will play against the Madison Capitols on Saturday at Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton. The Capitols host the NTDP Under-17 team on Friday.

The Badgers have won six of the eight games they have played against the Under-18 team, but the two losses resulted in goals by some players who have become well-known figures.