BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — To truly appreciate the evolution of Corbin McGuire, you need to know that Wisconsin men's hockey coach Tony Granato is already looking for someone just like him.
A year ago at this time, McGuire was in the midst of an energetic, if unspectacular career as a fourth-line winger for the Badgers.
A sudden shortage of defensemen due to an injury and a suspension prompted then-UW associate head coach Luke Strand to champion the idea of bumping McGuire back to the blue line.
McGuire isn't big — he's listed at 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds — but he seemed suitably qualified given his skating ability, tenacity and general hockey IQ.
No one knew that an offensive force might be lurking. After accounting for three goals in 56 games as a forward, McGuire has five conversions in 11 outings as a defenseman. That includes the three he scored during the season-opening series versus Northern Michigan last week.
Strand lobbied then-UW coach Mike Eaves to sign off on converting McGuire to a defenseman. It was one of the few things that went right for the Badgers during a second straight losing season that cost Eaves and his staff their jobs.
Granato called the idea to move McGuire "brilliant" and "outstanding" because it's a difficult process all the way around.
First you must isolate a prospect.
"It's hard to decide," Granato said. "I look to our roster, too, and I look for the next (conversion candidate) because we have eight defensemen and at some point, due to injuries, there needs to be another (forward) that can play defense."
Once found, the chosen one must be nurtured as McGuire has been.
"Somehow they found him and within 12 months or whatever it's been now, turned this guy into not just a guy who can play defense, but is going like that," Granato said, pantomiming a skyward arc with his hand.
Of course, the task of adapting doesn't happen overnight.
"That's an extremely difficult transition," said Granato, who spent 13 seasons playing and 13 more years coaching in the NHL learning to appreciate such a task.
McGuire, a history and political science major from Ridgefield, Connecticut, said his comfort level is around a seven based on a scale of one to 10. This is after a summer in which he focused heavily on skating, pivoting and transitioning from forward gear to reverse.
"I definitely feel a lot more confident in my skating ability, especially backwards, and now with our new style of play this year," he said. "A lot of our defensemen are told to forward skate, which is easy for me."
Forward skating, McGuire explained, "is when a forward's coming down at you, instead of going at him and then pivoting backwards, you take a wide angle from the middle of the ice towards the boards and continue with his speed and be on his off hip."
Those instincts will be needed Friday and Sunday when the Badgers (1-1 overall) stage their home season-opening series by hosting perennial Hockey East Association powerhouse Boston College at the Kohl Center.
The sixth-ranked Eagles are extremely young with 13 freshmen — seven underclassmen turned pro after last season — but they're expected to have their usual mix of skill, speed and creativity.
"They have a lot of really good skilled forwards," McGuire said, mentioning center Austin Cangelosi and right winger Ryan Fitzgerald, both seniors and 20-goal scorers last season, by name. "If we give them too much time and space, they'll make plays behind us."
McGuire, 23, said the process of becoming a responsible two-way defenseman is all about the details. The task began last January when a dearth of defensemen — senior Eddie Wittchow was serving a Big Ten Conference-mandated suspension and Patrick Sexton was injured — created a need.
"The offensive side of playing defense has come naturally and has worked out so far," McGuire said.
As for getting comfortable in the defensive zone, McGuire said his steepest learning curve has to do with assessing the play unfolding in front of him.
"Gauging speed on zone entries," he said when asked for a specific area of attention. "When a forward's coming down at me, just basing my angles and speed on where I want to be, so I don't get beat wide or I don't get beat when a forward tries to cut to the middle again.
"That's going to come with more practice and more watching video and that type of thing."
It helps to have a tutor like Mark Osiecki, the UW associate head coach whose reputation as a defenseman whisperer is well-earned. He not only played the position at his alma mater and the NHL, he's identified, recruited and developed some of the best young blue-liners in the world.
McGuire, paired mainly with freshman JD Greenway, said Osiecki approached him after the Northern Michigan series with an enticing assessment. "If we can tame you down a little bit," Osiecki said, "I think we can make you into a pretty decent defenseman."
McGuire's offense validates the move to the blue line, but so does the fact he was on the ice in the final minute of the series finale against Northern Michigan because his defensive awareness was needed to help protect a one-goal lead.
The Badgers bounced back from a 3-2 loss in the series opener to register a 6-5 victory. McGuire had a goal the first night and added two more in the second game, including one in the third period that erased a 5-4 deficit.
The equalizer came after a between-periods lecture from Granato about the need for assertive playmakers.
"He gave us a challenge," McGuire said. "It's time for guys to step up, for guys to want to be in these big moments and have the puck on their stick to make a big play to win us a hockey game."
It's intensely satisfying to produce in those moments. After McGuire came through with the tying goal, freshman center Trent Frederic scored the winner on the power play. It marked the first time in 56 games dating back to 2014 that the Badgers had won a game when trailing in the third period.
McGuire said the speech served as a huge boost of confidence.
"In years' prior, guys were afraid to have that puck on their stick and Saturday night showed we've got 20 guys who wanted the puck on their stick and wanted to make the game-winning play," he said.
McGuire was among those who obliged.
"All the coaches have told us, 'Don't be afraid to make those plays,'" he said. "They said, 'If you have that in your arsenal, try it.'" McGuire is trying to grow his repertoire, one shift at a time.
