The Badgers lost an all-time great, but are in prime position to repeat in 2026.
The Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey program had a nice showing in the 2025 PWHL Draft last week—or, should I say, the New York Sirens made sure former Wisconsin players had a nice draft.
The Sirens took 2025 Patty Kazmaier Award winner Casey O’Brien with the third overall pick, as well as former Badgers-turned-Buckeyes Makenna Webster (first pick of the third round) and Maddi Wheeler (third pick of the fourth round). Sarah Wozniewicz found a home with the Ottawa Charge, selected with the fifth pick of the third round.
Losing a Patty Kazmaier winner would create a large hole for most programs to fill the following season; instead, the Wisconsin Badgers just reload. Casey O’Brien was a special player and holds her fair share of Badger records, but we’re talking about a team that has played in six of the last eight NCAA Championship games.
If you ask me, the Badgers have another Patty Kazmaier winner lying in wait with rising senior Kirsten Simms, who was operating as part of a hive mind with O’Brien over the years, as the two commonly joked.
Simms led the country in points back in 2023-24, posting 75 on the year before following up with a 72-point junior campaign. She had a strong claim to be the 2024 Patty Kaz winner, but the award instead went to Cornell’s Izzy Daniel.
Wisconsin also returns the nation’s leading goal scorer in rising senior Laila Edwards, who has been playing her share of offense and defense while representing the United States in the offseason.
Coach Mark Johnson also experimented with using Edwards as a two-way player late last season as the Badgers looked to plug some holes caused by injuries. Marianne Picard announced this offseason that she would be using her extra year of eligibility to return to Wisconsin, a big boost for the Badgers in the face-off circle.
All in all, the Badgers bring back four of the NCAA’s top seven point producers from last season, aided by the return of redshirt super senior Lacey Eden, who scored 50+ points each of the last two seasons, and the nation’s top defender in senior Caroline Harvey.
Between the pipes will be the 2025 Women’s Hockey Goaltender of the Year, rising junior Ava McNaughton, who took over as the full-time starter last year and gave the Badgers a top-of-the-line backstop to complement their explosive offense.
And these are just some of the media darlings, of which Wisconsin has many. There are plenty of young players who have already been contributing to the Badgers, ready to take another step in their development.
Wisconsin has gifted goalscoring with juniors Kelly Gorbatenko and Cassie Hall, stout defense with senior Vivan Jungels and juniors Ava Murphy and Laney Potter, and a knack for big-time plays in sophomore Maggie Scannell.
These are just the players the Badgers are returning. There are also some exciting newcomers heading to Madison, even some familiar last names, to make things easy on everyone.
The Badgers are bringing in Adela Šapovalivová, a Czech-born forward who has represented her country on the national team since 2022, earning a silver at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship in 2024 and a bronze at the IIHF Women’s World Championship as part of the senior team in 2023.
Not that anybody has ever accused Illinois native Kelly Gorbatenko of being homesick, but she’ll have even less reason to be this fall when she’s joined by sisters Nicole (forward) and Rachel (defender).
Nicole was an Illinois All-State for four straight years, while Rachel made the All-State Defense team three times. The younger Gorbatenkos led their high school team to two state championships. Both sisters also played for the Chicago Mission, with Rachel scoring the game-winning goal to bring home a national championship in 2021. Rachel also has a gold medal from the World Championships as part of Team USA’s under-18 team.
Wisconsin also welcomes Minnesota native Mackenzie Jones from Andover High School, a standout blue-liner and state champion with multiple All-Conference selections to go with her two All-State selections.
Between the pipes, the Badgers are bringing in Nova Scotia’s Ryhah Stewart to fill out a loaded goalie room. Stewart has represented both Nova Scotia and Canada on the national circuit, earning silver with Team Nova Scotia in the 2023 Canada Winter Games and a bronze with Canada’s under-18 team at the 2024 World Championships.
This take doesn’t come off as particularly hot, but the 2025-26 Wisconsin Badgers should again be favorites to at least play for an NCAA Championship, if not win outright. If you want a prediction from this blogger,
I think Wisconsin is on a war path to repeat, not just as national champions, but with Kirsten Simms lifting the Patty Kazmaier Award at the end of the season. She’s scored 147 points over the past two seasons, and with no Casey O’Brien, there will be plenty of opportunities for Simms to load up the stat sheet.
The 2025-26 Wisconsin Badgers should be just as solid in every facet of the game as last year’s championship team, just with a little more experience this time around.
Badger women’s hockey has been the most consistently entertaining sport in Madison for a few years now, and that’s not going to change this fall. It’s a great time to hop on the bandwagon.
Just because Casey O’Brien is gone doesn’t mean this team can’t be fun. In fact, they might be more loaded this year than last. Time will tell, and I know Badger hockey fans can’t wait to find out.