Altoona's Laatsch selected by Penguins in NHL draft

Jul. 26—Daniel Laatsch had to sweat out the final round, but the wait was worth it. The Altoona native accomplished a dream of being selected in the National Hockey League draft on Saturday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins picked Laatsch, a future Wisconsin Badger, in the seventh and final round of the event, and with the 215th pick out of a total 224.

"He's a good-sized kid," said Chris Pryor, the Penguins' director of player personnel. "He knows how to play the game. He just needs time and patience. He's going to Wisconsin, and they're known for developing defensemen. Mark Osiecki's done a really good job in that role as an assistant coach at Wisconsin. He's had a number of guys come through there and play in the NHL and have really good careers. So Daniel has got big upside there. He's in a good spot, we can just put him there and let him develop and grow."

Wisconsin will be the latest landing spot for Laatsch, who has traveled around the country in pursuit of honing his craft. He played one season of high school hockey in the Chippewa Valley for RAM in 2016-17, where he notched 21 points in 23 games before heading across the state to Notre Dame Academy. After one year with the Tritons he joined the prestigious United States National Team Development Program, which he competed for for two years before jumping to the junior level with the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League.

Laatsch put up 19 points on two goals and 17 assists in 51 games while playing for former UW-Eau Claire coach and player Luke Strand in Sioux City, helping him secure a plus-23 plus/minus.

"His path is very intriguing," Pryor said. "He went to the program there and, I don't want to say lost his footing, but some of these guys just kind of get out of sorts at an early age. Some of these bigger guys, it just takes some time. He went to Sioux City this year and got on track."

Laatsch certainly has an NHL frame at 6-foot-5. He'll get a chance to improve on his strength and to play against top-notch competition this fall when he joins Wisconsin for his freshman season.

"You can't teach 6-4 and a half," then USNTDP coach Seth Appert told the Leader-Telegram in May. "In three- or four-years time, he's going to be 6-4, 6-5, he's going to add enough muscle to be 215 pounds. He's a good defender, he's competitive, he's intelligent and he's a good puck mover. Those traits aren't easy to find in someone that's 6-4 or 6-5. And that's part of the reason we selected him in the first place."

Laatsch is the second Chippewa Valley native selected in the NHL draft in the same amount of years, joining a future Badger teammate of his. Former Eau Claire North Husky Sam Stange was selected by the Detroit Red Wings last year in the fourth round.

They'll be accompanied on the Badgers next year by Stange's former linemate, Zach Urdahl. He was in his final year of NHL draft eligibility, meaning he'll be a free agent when he finishes his career in Madison.

McCabe testing waters

Eau Claire native Jake McCabe will likely test free agency when it opens later this week, according to Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams.

"We've definitely had conversations all along here," Adams said Saturday during his post-draft media availability. "I'm a big fan of Jake McCabe as a player and a person. I think we're in a spot here where he I think has gotten close, and he has said, 'I think I'm going to see what's out there.' That doesn't mean that I get a phone call from his agent that we wouldn't welcome him back, because I really think he was a good hockey player for us."

McCabe, an eight-year NHL veteran, was off to a strong start to the season before suffering a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee after a collision with New Jersey's Nico Hischier in February. In May he said his rehab was going well, and shared hopes of his injury not scaring off teams heading into free agency.

"Obviously teams have the right to be concerned about a knee injury," McCabe said. "But I'm not, especially in hockey. Usually there's maybe one ACL throughout a season for hockey. But this year I know there was three of us in a month, which was pretty crazy. It's just an unusual injury for hockey, but in saying that, we're not a plant and pivot sport like a basketball, football, soccer. Moving forward I'm not as concerned about it and I don't think teams should be."

McCabe is an unrestricted free agent after completing a two-year, $5.7 million deal. The former Eau Claire Memorial Old Abe has put up 77 points in 353 games, all with Buffalo.

Free agency begins on Wednesday at 11 a.m.