Ty Smilanic Transfers to Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin announced last Friday that former Quinnipiac forward Ty Smilanic will transfer into the Badger program next season.

Smilanic is a veteran of the US National Development Program, and considered among the top American prospects in the 2002 birth year. He was selected in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers with the 74th overall pick, though the Panthers traded his NHL rights at the 2022 trade deadline, along with a first round draft pick to Montreal in exchange for defenseman Ben Chiarot.

After originally committing to Denver, Smilanic began his college career at Quinnipiac. In two years with the Bobcats, Smilanic put up decent numbers in a depth-scoring role. He totaled 44 career points in 70 games, with 23 points last season.

In early April, Smilanic entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, and was the highest draft pick available in the Portal.

The Badgers will be looking for help offensively after a disastrous 2021-2022 campaign in which they averaged only 2.1 goals per game, tied for 52nd nationally. In the school’s press release, head coach Tony Granato said:

“We are very excited to add Ty to our program. He’s an exciting young player who has two productive years of college hockey under his belt. He is a great skater who will add speed and scoring punch to our lineup.”