Head coach Tony Granato stood back-to-back with Ryan Wagner after practice and asked the group of reporters who was taller.
Wagner had a slight advantage, the top of his helmet just sticking above Granato’s hair.
That probably had something to do with Wagner standing on his tiptoes, trying to gain any extra advantage he possibly could.
“He’s a character. So you need character and characters. He’s both,” Granato said of Wagner. “He’s a great locker room guy. Certain guys have C’s and A’s for different reasons and there’s a guy that easily could be wearing a letter on his sweater.”
The light-hearted exchange between Granato and Wagner is a perfect example of the type of person and player that Wagner is. What the 5-foot-8 junior lacks in height, he makes up for in constant effort on the ice, from diving headfirst into the boards to prevent icing to always sacrificing his body on the defensive end.
Despite that intensity, Wagner may have the most fun on the team—even if it comes at the expense of his teammates. An excellent button-pusher and master of sarcasm, Wagner focuses on keeping it light in the locker room.
“It’s just all fun and games. Practice out there I like to whack everyone’s sticks just to mess with them and stuff,” Wagner said.
Two weeks ago, freshman forward Max Zimmer scored the first goal of his collegiate career. He then attended his first press conference, along with Wagner, who was there for his version of moral support. As they exited the room, Wagner sarcastically patted Zimmer on the back, dryly saying, “I’m proud of you, buddy.”
“I just like giving it to him. I’m living with him this year and I was just happy to see him [score] and I was just having a little fun up there with him,” Wagner said.
But regardless of his propensity to push his teammates; buttons, Wagner has led the charge for a team that consistently plays hard hockey. After two tough years, the Badgers have a renewed hunger about them, flying all over the ice and throwing their bodies in front of shots and players.
“His spirited play I think is one that everybody admires and guys feed off of it,” Granato said. “Because it doesn’t matter the score, what the situation of the game is, he’s gonna be out there crashing and banging and bumping into people and standing in front of the net and paying the price to make plays. I think he provides that energy and courage that the rest of our team supports and plays that way because of it.”
Wagner credited this gumption to his large family. His mother is one of 16 kids and Wagner has 57 first cousins. He lived close to them as a kid, leading to a fiercely competitive atmosphere.
“Everything has always been a battle growing up. Obviously I’m on the smaller side, so I’ve always had to outwork my opponents to prove myself and that’s I think where it comes from,” Wagner said. “Always battling, always being competitive, even if it’s outside playing basketball, I always just want to win.”
This competitive drive has fueled his play on the ice and helped the Badgers to a 7-5 record to start the Granato Era. This weekend, they take on a 7-5 Omaha team that ranks No. 1 in Division 1 on the power play. The Badgers will need Wagner and his teammates to continue playing high-energy hockey.
It shouldn’t be much of a problem for Wagner.
“He’s one of those kids that [when] he’s on the ice, he’s gonna crash and burn like he’s 6-foot-5,” Granato said. “He’s a tiny guy that has a bunch of courage.”
Wisconsin squares off with Omaha Friday and Saturday at the Kohl Center for its last series before Big Ten play.
The little guy with hair that sticks out of the back of his helmet will probably be all over the ice, diving, sliding, pushing, shoving—doing whatever it takes.
There’s a good chance he’ll face up a much taller player who gets too close to his goalie.
He may stand on his tiptoes, trying to get every inch he possibly can.
