A analysis of the 2008-09 University of Wisconsin men's hockey team, position by position:

Goaltenders

In the net: Senior Shane Connelly.

In the wings: Sophomore Scott Gudmandson.

In practice: Senior Jeff Henderson, senior Ryan Jeffery.

It stands to reason that Connelly's play will be critical to the Badgers' chances over the first half of the season, especially as the team tries to get its footing. He said part of him wants to put that pressure on himself, but he realized that he just needs to do his part and not try to carry the team. The major focus for Connelly has to be not allowing soft goals and losing confidence.

Badgers coach Mike Eaves said Gudmandson will get more playing time this season in advance of taking over the starting job next season, but how much more is up in the air. For comparison, in Connelly's sophomore year, when Brian Elliott was a senior, Connelly appeared in seven games. Gudmandson appeared in six games last season.

Eaves said he hopes to get Henderson and Jeffery some playing time, but they're primarily practice goalies.

Defensemen

Sure things: Junior Jamie McBain, sophomore Ryan McDonagh, sophomore Cody Goloubef.

Good shot to be in the lineup: Sophomore Brendan Smith, freshman Jake Gardiner.

Fighting for a spot: Sophomore Craig Johnson, freshman Ryan Little, freshman Eric Springer.

With five of the players having been selected in the top two rounds of the NHL draft, all but one of the six lineup spots are filled for most nights this season. That leaves Johnson, Little and Springer competing for the last spot. Johnson played in 17 games last season, and Little and Springer are USHL veterans.

McBain is a potential All-American if he continues his growth as a two-way defenseman with high-level skills on both ends of the ice. McDonagh appeared to be a defensive defenseman in his first season, but scouts say he has the ability to do more offensively, too.

Goloubef had down stretches in his freshman season, and he'll be looking for more consistency. Smith missed much of the second half last season with a back injury, but he's healthy again and looking to catch up. Gardiner is talented but some of his defensive skills are raw because he's a relative newcomer to the position.

Forwards

Sure things: Senior Ben Street, junior Blake Geoffrion, junior Michael Davies, sophomore Patrick Johnson, junior John Mitchell, sophomore Podge Turnbull, junior Aaron Bendickson, sophomore Sean Dolan.

Good shot to be in the lineup: Junior Ben Grotting, freshman Derek Stepan, freshman Jordy Murray, freshman Matt Thurber, junior Andy Bohmbach.

Fighting for a spot: Senior Tom Gorowsky, freshman Chris Hickey, sophomore Tom Bardis.

When the phrase "scoring by committee" gets tossed out, it usually means you don't have a go-to scorer. Eaves said his team will use the committee approach on offense this season, but that doesn't mean there aren't individuals with the potential to be a top scorer.

Davies has shown that he could fill that role, but he needs to find the consistency required to do it. Street has scored at least 10 goals in all three of his seasons at UW, but he fits more of a playmaking role.