Penguins prospect Daniel Laatsch faces a big senior year at Wisconsin

Daniel Laatsch’s dreams were typical for any kid from Altoona.

He wanted to play for Wisconsin.

Uh … what?

To be clear, Laatsch is a native of Altoona, Wisconsin , a suburb of Eau Claire, and not the largest city of nearby Blair County.

So, his loyalties are easy to understand.

“Growing up, I always was a Badgers fan,” said the Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect. “I remember there was a little picture of me wearing a Badgers jersey with a little mini-stick. So that was pretty cool once I had the opportunity. It’s a dream come true.”

That dream gave way to reality last season for the Badger’s men’s program as former Penguins assistant coach Tony Granato, an icon of the team, was dismissed as head coach and replaced by outsider Mike Hastings.

The changes led to considerable improvement during the 2023-24 season as the Badgers won 10 more games than the previous campaign and made a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in two years.

“At first, it was obviously a little nerve-wracking having a new coach, having to prove yourself and gain his trust a little bit,” Laatsch said. “There’s always that uncertainty. But overall, I just tried to play to my game and stick to what I know, gain a little confidence that way. If he likes what I’m doing, he’ll hopefully stick me out there in big times and big moments.”

Big is an apt way to describe Laatsch who, at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, was one of the largest mammals in the Penguins’ prospect development camp staged in Cranberry earlier this month.

His dimensions were what attracted the Penguins, under former general manager Ron Hextall, to select Laatsch in the seventh round (No. 215 overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Size doesn’t necessarily equate to being an overly physical player, however. Laatsch suggested as much when asked to explain how he uses his obvious physical components on the ice.

“I wouldn’t say I’m overly physical on the puck,” said Laatsch, 22. “But I do use my body to protect the puck. When it comes to defense, I like to get my stick out there. I’ve got a long reach. So, always having my stick on the puck to try to disrupt offense a little bit and make them uncomfortable as a defender. Because then it’s going to be harder for them to get their head up and make a play. I’d say I use my reach a lot.

“I try to use my body, whether that’s on breakouts, finding the little slip pass. On retrievals, I try to use my body. But I wouldn’t say I’m going to blow someone up at center ice, but I’ll still try to rub someone out and be physical.”

Offense isn’t what defines Laatsch. As a junior last season, the left-hander set a modest career high with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 40 games while largely playing both sides of Wisconsin’s top pairing.

Defense is clearly Laatsch’s avenue to the NHL in the eyes of Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos.

“I think there’s a lot of potential in Daniel, being the size he is, the intelligence he has defensively, the stick detail he has,” Kostopoulos said. “(Penguins development coach) Chris Butler has been saying it for a few years now, he has the best defensive stick in college hockey. He’s got to get stronger and keep working on the meanness to his game, but we think there is an NHL role for him. He’s in a great program there in Wisconsin. The decision was made for him to go back (for his senior season). I thought it was the best thing for his development.

“We’ll be tracking him all year and working with him. Hopefully, it comes to a good meeting at the end of his season next year.”

As is a legitimate concern with any larger player, skating is something Laatsch has focused on during his collegiate career. The Penguins had skating coach Jeff Murray visit him periodically during the 2023-24 season to provide guidance.

“He works with me on stuff, whether that’s forward stride, turning, edges, all that kind of stuff,” Laatsch said. “I take what he says and they also send me videos of myself skating. I try to take a little bit what they send me and what he’s talking to me about and just incorporate it daily, little by little. A little reminder in the back my head, ‘Oh, I should stride out a little further,’ that type of stuff.”

A generation or two ago, the type of defenseman Laatsch is — i.e. aircraft carrier-sized — was the norm for just about every NHL team’s blue line. But today, fleet fan-boat defensemen who can help generate offense are the majority.

But there is still room for some players like Laatsch.

He cites Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic — a robust 6-foot-6 and 217 pounds — as an ideal archetype. In April, Vlasic signed a lucrative six-year contract extension with a salary cap hit of $4.6 million.

“He wasn’t a big point guy in college which, that isn’t really me either,” Laatsch said. “But he’s a tall, lanky defenseman. Stick on puck, a pretty good puck mover. I try to watch him a little bit.”

The Penguins have until August of 2025 to sign Laatsch to an entry-level contract or they will lose his NHL rights.

In the meantime, his goals are typical of a kid from Altoona … Wisconsin .

“Hopefully, we can have another good season, another winning season,” Laatsch said. “Hopefully we can have a good push, try to maybe win a championship.”

Note: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hired Nick Luukko as an assistant coach. A native of West Chester, Pa., Luukko, 32, previously served as head coach and director of hockey operations for the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL.

Follow the Penguins all season long.