MLive’s Ansar Khan profiles Red Wings draft pick Sam Stange today, discussing the University of Wisconsin commit with Badgers coach Tony Granato:
Stange progressed nicely in the USHL in 2019-20 and can further bolster his stock at the University of Wisconsin over the next few years. The 6-1, 200-pound right wing will begin his college career Friday when the Badgers visit Notre Dame.
“Last year was a big jump for him, going from high school to the USHL, and he became an elite scorer at that level,” Wisconsin coach Tony Granato, a former Red Wings assistant coach, said. “He’s a bigger-bodied kid that skates really well. Playing against older players in college will be a challenge but for the most part, the big body that he is and the way he skates, he should physically be able to handle that transition. It’s just playing to the pace of the game that college hockey is.”
Granato described Stange as an athlete who excelled in baseball as well.
“He’s built, he’s got a solid frame and he’s a worker,” Granato said. “The time he puts in the gym and off the ice to help himself to have the best chance at success in hockey is obvious. He’s a kid who’s physically ready for the battles you’re going to have to be ready for in college hockey and potentially pro hockey not too far down the road.”
