MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin women's hockey program and head coach Mark Johnson announced the signing of eight student-athletes for the 2017-18 season on Friday.

Joining the Badgers next fall are forwards Delaney Drake (Traverse, Mich.), Kyleigh Hanzlik (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis), Brette Pettet (Kentville, Nova Scotia), Maddie Posick (Madison, Wis.), Caitlin Schneider (Glenview, Ill.) and Sophie Shirley (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) and defensemen Grace Bowlby (Edina, Minn.) and Natalie Buchbinder (Fairport, N.Y.).  

"If you look at the class as a whole, they're all good students and have a lot of skill," Johnson said. "This is good because we're going to need them to step in and play since we're going to lose five seniors and we could lose a couple other kids to centralization. So they're all going to have to come in and make a contribution next year, but I think they're well-equipped to do that because we're real excited with what they all bring to us and to watch them grow and develop.

"A lot of them know each other and know some of the younger players on our team right now, so the transition from going to their respective high schools to college is going to be easier because they know people here. It will be fun to work with because next year's team is going to be a lot of sophomores and freshmen. But it's an opportunity to grow together as the following year when we bring a couple of kids back, and our younger players are older, it'll be a pretty good team."
  Delaney Drake
A forward from Traverse, Michigan, Drake was a member of the 2016 U.S. Women's Under-18 Select Team during its annual summer series against Canada and will compete for the U.S. at the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Under-18 Championship. Drake suited up for NAHA in the Junior Women's Hockey League during her four years of high school, earning All-State and Team MVP accolades. Drake served as assistant captain during her freshman year, where she collected 63 points in 69 games (24g, 39a). During her junior season, Drake tallied 75 points in 69 games played (28g, 47a) and was named to the JWHL All-Star team. Named team captain for her final year, Drake currently has 15 points (5g, 10a) in 14 games. The forward also participated in USA Hockey's 2016 Women's National Festival, and attended the 2016 USA Hockey Girl's Select U-18 Player Development camp.

Personal: Daughter of Amy and former NHL standout Dallas Drake, who won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. Has two brothers, Jakson (18) and Dysen (9), and one sister, Darby (14). Intends to major in psychology. Four-year high school academic honor roll member and also competed in soccer.

Johnson on Drake: "She's a very smart hockey player. Delaney sees the ice really well, is a playmaker, and has a chance to represent her country again at the upcoming under-18 world championship. Her dad played in the NHL so she comes from a hockey background, and she has a better outdoor rink than I do. She's a hard worker and passionate for the game. She's currently at NAHA, which is where Jenny Ryan and Annie Pankowski were, so she's stepped out of her hometown area to pursue her dream. It seems to be working quite well because now she's getting an opportunity to play in the national program with the under-18 team and that'll be a great experience like a lot of our previous players so that'll help her."
  Kyleigh Hanzlik
Hailing from Wisconsin Rapids, Hanzlik is one of two in-state signees added to the 2017-18 class. A forward for NAHA, Hanzlik tallied 61 points in 69 games from 32 goals and 29 assists during her 2013-14 freshman campaign on the NAHA Junior Red team. Last season, Hanzlik recorded 27 points in 28 games (15g, 12a) playing for NAHA White. So far this season, the forward has 20 points through 14 games from seven goals and 13 assists. A USA Hockey development camp participant in 2013, Hanzlik also attended the USA Hockey Girls Select U-18 Festival with current Badger Presley Norby in the summer of 2014.

Personal: Daughter of John and Jennifer Hanzlik. Has two brothers, Tyler (24) and Stephan (17), and one sister, Kaitlin (23). Intends to major in animal sciences. Also competed in track and field in high school.

Johnson on Hanzlik: "A local player, she went out to NAHA along with future teammate Delaney Drake. Kyleigh has great speed, size and hands and we believe she will grow into a good player. It's always great when we can add players from Wisconsin like Kyleigh, as one of our goals each year in recruiting is looking to see what's available out there within the state and try to keep some of the top talent in Wisconsin at home. Kyleigh was part of our camp for a year or two, we're looking for a lot of growth in her and she's a good, skilled player, she should fit into what we do here quite well."
  Brette Pettet
Joining the Badgers from Kentville, Nova Scotia, Pettet competed at Shattuck St. Mary's since eighth grade. Pettet won two USA Hockey Tier 1 U16 National Championships during eighth and ninth grade, and one USA Hockey Tier 1 U19 National Championship during her junior season. Last season, Pettet garnered 65 points in 54 games played from 26 goals and 39 assists. A participant in the 2016 Canada National Women's Under-18 camp, the forward was also invited to the International Ice Hockey Federation's U18 World High Performance camp in 2016. Pettet also earned a spot on the Canadian under-18 team that matched up against the U.S. last summer and she will represent Canada at the 2017 IIHF World Women's Under-18 Championship next month.

Personal: Daughter of John and Debbie Pettet. Has two brothers, Josh (22) and Michael (20). Intends to major in engineering. Also competed in lacrosse and tennis at Shattuck St. Mary's. Received academic honors in 2015-16.

Johnson on Pettet: "Brette is a part of the Canadian under-18 program and is very smart and has a very good hockey sense. I think anyone would want to play with her because she'd be able to get them the puck. She grew up in Nova Scotia and looked up to former Wisconsin captain Blayre Turnbull growing up, so there's that connection. She went to Shattuck St. Mary's, so did Blayre, she's been at Shattuck since the eighth grade. She knew she wanted to be a hockey player and went after it. She's a hard worker and we can't wait to see what she does at Wisconsin."

  Maddie Posick
A Madison native, Posick will join the Badgers after competing for the Tier I AAA Madison Capitols. Growing up just outside Madison in Stoughton, Posick joined the Madison Capitols five years ago and has posted 43 points off 13 goals and 30 assists this season. The forward also has national experience as a four-time invitee to USA Hockey National Development camps (2013-2016). Posick has served as a four-time captain of her teams at the U14, U16 and U19 levels and helped the Capiotls to a fifth-place finish last year, their best in program history.

Personal: Daughter of Brian and Lynn Posick. Father Brian is the radio voice of the Wisconsin men's hockey team. Has one brother, Ben (22), and one sister, Hannah (19). Intends to major in psychology. Competed in varsity soccer, track and field and volleyball at Stoughton High School, earning a pair of letters in volleyball and three letters in track and field. Member of the National Honor Society and four-year member of the high honor roll.

Johnson on Posick:  "Maddie grew up wanting to be a Badger as she's been around the Badgers program with her dad and that's exposed her to the men's game and our game. Hopefully a lot of kids who are from the area and watch us play are inspired to one day be a Badger and she's going to get an opportunity to do that. She's very athletic as she's a four-sport-athlete and she is a grinder. She's a very good student, and I'm sure she's very excited to be part of this environment and part of the mix next year."

  Caitlin Schneider
A Glenview, Illinois, native, Schneider joins the Badgers after playing for the Chicago Young Americans of the JWHL. In 2013-14, Schneider notched 75 points (38g, 37a) for the U16 Young Americans. Schneider has racked up 15 points so far this season in only nine games from eight goals and seven assists. The forward was a two-time USA Hockey Women's National Festival invitee in 2014 and 2015, and also participated in three USA Hockey player development camps (2012, 2013, 2014). In 2015, Schneider participated in the USA Hockey Select Uunder-18 camp.

Personal: Daughter of Glenn and Janet Schneider. Has two brothers, Nicholas (20) and Justin (11). Intends to major in special education. Competed in soccer at Glenbrook South High School. Three-time member of academic honor roll (2015, 2015, 2016).

Johnson on Schneider: "The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Caitlin is her speed. It's unbelievable when she's on the ice, she's very fast. She's a goal-scoring winger and will be flying up and down the wing for four years. When people watch her, they'll notice it right away. She works hard and she's been going to our camp for years too. She lives only two hours away so it's pretty close, and she's participated at the U.S. Top-66 Camp in the past few years. I think she'll make an impact on and off the ice as she's a smart and really nice kid."

  Sophie Shirley
Shirley has been making an impact on the international stage for Canada, as she suited up for the Canadian senior team earlier this month in its two-game series against the U.S. and will compete for Canada at the 2017 IIHF Women's Under-18 World Championship next month. Last season, the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native tallied 37 points in 24 games played (16g, 21a) for the Notre Dame Hounds of the JWHL and was named to the First All-Star team. During her freshman and sophomore campaigns, Shirley represented the Saskatoon Stars where she won Rookie of the year, MVP of the league, and First and Second All-Star team honors between the two years, respectively. A member of the Canada U-18 Women's WJC, Shirley tallied five point in five games with three goals and two assists to help the team capture silver.

Personal: Daughter of Tim and Carol Shirley. Has two brothers, Keenan (22) and Collin (20), and one sister, Grace (15). Intends to major in physical education or occupational therapy. Competed in soccer, volleyball, golf, tennis, softball, badminton and track and field in high school and was a two-time member of the honor roll.

Johnson on Shirley: "If fans don't notice Caitlin Schneider's speed, they'll notice Sophie Shirley's speed. She's extremely talented and skilled, very fast, smooth, and I think there's an opportunity for her to become an elite player over the next three or four years as she grows and develops and plays at a higher level. She'll have had the opportunity to play against the U.S. in two games coming up before Christmas for Canada, which gave her the chance to get exposed to our former and current Badgers before she's even stepped on campus. What we've seen in the past, whether it's a Canadian or American player going through that, when they come back to you they become better and understand what they need to work on. We're real excited to get her into camp and get a chance to work with her over the next four years because she has a chance to do a lot of special things. Growing up Sophie looked up to Emily Clark and that helped because Sophie's parents talked to Emily's parents about the Wisconsin experience, which helped in Sophie's decision making."

  Grace Bowlby
Hailing from Edina, Minnesota, Bowlby has played four years of varsity hockey for the Edina Hornets as well as appearing on numerous U.S. squads. A two-time USA Hockey Women's National Festival invitee (2014, 2015), Bowlby was a member of the U.S. National Women's Under-18 team and won gold in two IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championships (2015, 2016). The defender was also a two-time member of the U.S. Women's Under-18 Select Team at the U-18 series against Canada in 2014 and 2015. During her freshman campaign at Edina, the blueliner tallied 21 points in 28 games (4g, 17a) as was named to the All-Conference team. Bowlby recorded 19 points in 22 games (5g, 14a) as a sophomore, and during her junior season she notched 20 points in 27 games (3g, 17a). This year for Edina she has four goals and eight assists in only 11 games.

Personal: Daughter of Scott and Meggan Bowlby. Has one brother, Henry (19), and two sisters, CC (16) and Lucy (15). Intends to major in business. Father, Scott, also attended UW. Competed in soccer and flag football in high school. Three-time academic honors recipient. 

Johnson on Bowlby: "Grace is an offensive defenseman with great speed. She likes to jump up into the play, had experience with the U.S. Under-18 team the last two years and got a gold medal. She has good size, certainly going to be fun to watch her develop. Grace played with Mekenzie Steffen and Presley Norby the last two years, and Grace was invited to the U22 summer camp this past summer. Her dad went to school here, so she always wanted to be a Badger. As an eighth grader she played varsity hockey, and she can move. She can skate faster laterally than a lot of people can going forward."

  Natalie Buchbinder
A Fairport, New York, native, Buchbinder will join Bowlby as the other defenseman signing in the 2017-18 class. Buchbinder played with fellow recruit Brette Pettet at Shattuck St. Mary's, where she collected 24 points (9g, 15a) in 28 games last season. Buchbinder is a two-time national champion with Shattuck, winning the U16 Tier I National Championship in 2015 and 2016. A member of the 2016 U.S. Women's Under-18 Select Team at the U-18 series vs. Canada, Buchbinder recorded one goal and two assists in three games for the United States. The defenseman also participated in the 2016 USA Hockey Women's National Festival and will compete on the U.S. squad at the 2017 IIHF World Women's Under-18 Championship next month.

Personal: Daughter of Ron and Janet Buchbinder. Has one brother, Matt (19), and one sister, Camryn (15). Also competed in lacrosse at Shattuck St. Mary's, and was a two-time academic honor roll member (2015, 2016). Intended major is undecided.

Johnson on Buchbinder: "Natalie is a strong, physical, aggressive defenseman. She also has a great upside offensively. She's a Shattuck kid and I think we've seen growth in her play, especially over the last 18 months where she's getting exposed at camps for the U.S. and getting the chance to play. Now she'll get the chance to play in January over in the Czech Republic, so that's another step for her growth."