Former Badger John Tonje, current Badger Logan Hensler and future Badger Bruno Idžan heard their names called in the NBA and NHL drafts, respectively, this summer as they look to further their professional careers.
Tonje, a graduate student transfer from Missouri, had a short but impactful career in Madison. He led the Badgers to the second round in March Madness and the Big Ten Championship game, all while breaking records and boosting his draft stock after sitting out the 2023-24 season with injury.
The 2025 NBA Draft took place on June 25, and that morning, ESPN draft analysts had Tonje as the No. 39 pick to the Toronto Raptors — who finished the 2024-25 season nine games outside the playoffs.
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The draft did not work out how the analysts predicted, with Tonje falling to the No. 53 pick to the Utah Jazz — the team with the worst record in 2024-25. Thanks to their poor record, and no thanks to the draft lottery, the Jazz picked at No. 5 in the first round and selected Ace Bailey.
Bailey was a star at Rutgers during his first and only year in college, leading the Scarlet Knights in rebounds and blocks. But, Tonje got the last laugh in college, winning their only matchup 75-63 on Jan. 6.
The Jazz have been active during the offseason in a rebuild, acquiring Walter Clayton Jr., a standout guard from Florida, on draft night. The team also traded for Josef Nurkic and Kevin Love, two experienced stars to complement their now rookie-loaded roster.
Unfortunately for Tonje, due to an ankle sprain, he has not been able to showcase his skills in the NBA Summer League, a preseason for NBA teams to test rookies and players who play fewer minutes during the season. He did not play in the team’s games against the Philadelphia 76ers or Oklahoma City Thunder, and did not even dress for the game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Without the opportunity to earn his spot in the lineup next season, Tonje will continue to recover from his sprain and feature in the team’s remaining Summer League games before the regular season begins Oct. 22.
Hensler also had an eventful summer, as the freshman defenseman became the 19th Badger selected in the first round of the NHL Draft. As the No. 23 pick to the Ottawa Senators, Hensler is expected to play at least one more season in Madison before beginning his NHL career.
Last season, Hensler scored two goals and notched 10 assists, leaving him T-8 on the Badgers with 12 points, T-3 out of all defenseman on the roster. The All-Big Ten Freshman Team recipient was also featured on Team USA for the World Junior Championships, winning gold over Finland in January.
Scott Wheeler, an NHL analyst for The Athletic ranked the Senators’ pick as a “winner” and wrote that Hensler “has the skating, talent and tools as a 6-foot-2/3 right-shot D to develop into a top-four defenseman in the NHL.”
Last season the Senators finished sixth in the Eastern Conference, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team also conceded the 13th fewest goals of any team with 232.
As a right-handed defenseman, Hensler is very appealing to NHL teams like the Senators, as the majority of defenseman in the league are left-handed.
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Idžan has yet to play for the Badgers, but announced his commitment to Madison after spending half a season with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars, where he scored 22 goals and dished out 22 assists for 44 points. His 44 points are good enough for fifth on the Stars’ roster, but as he joined partway through the season, his 1.22 points-per-game leads the squad.
He also becomes the first Croatian-born player to not only play for the Badgers or any Division I hockey program, but also the first drafted into the NHL. Ironically, the Senators also selected Idžan with the No. 181 pick, pairing up Badger stars in the NHL for the foreseeable future.
While these three superstars made the jump to professional sports through the draft, several other Badgers also made their way to the pros through undrafted free agency.
Former Badgers Steven Crowl and Chucky Hepburn signed contracts with the Jazz and the Toronto Raptors, respectively. Crowl follows Tonje thanks to an ‘Exhibit 10’ contract, a one-year minimum-salary contract that does not guarantee a full contract for Crowl, but instead is a pathway towards a spot on an NBA roster.
Crowl has not featured for the Jazz during their Summer League games thus far, but will look to make more of an impact for the squad during their final games or potentially as a two-way player for their G-League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.
Hepburn, who transferred to Louisville for his senior season after three productive seasons in Madison, signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors, allowing him to feature for the NBA side and the G-League team, the Raptors 905. Hepburn will also feature in the Raptors’ Summer League matchups over the summer.