Wisconsin hockey captain earns one-year entry-level NHL contract
23-year old Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey captain Ben Dexheimer has signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild.
Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey captain Ben Dexheimer has signed a one-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild . The defenseman's name has been tied to Wisconsin hockey for quite some time as he now looks to do some damage on an NHL franchise that has yet again punched its ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Badgers fans should know this contract doesn't start until the beginning of the 2026-27 season, so it's not like Dexheimer will be on the ice for their first round matchup against the Dallas Stars.
Dexheimer's age is the reason his contract was only for one year, not two, like the one that fellow teammate Quinn Finley signed with the New York Islanders . We have signed defenseman Ben Dexheimer to a one-year entry-level contract beginning in the 2026-27 season. The State of Hockey is happy to have ya back, Ben 🤩 📰 Full details » https://t.
co/G0Cz0jGJ64 pic. twitter. com/BGYuH0tRPV — x - Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 15, 2026 Regardless, the four-year Badgers defenseman has a ton to bring to the table.
Throughout his career in Madison, he collected 84 points and blocked 192 shots in a 149-game sample size. The Wild also announced they'd be signing Rieger Lorenz, a star Denver player who recorded one of the Pioneers' two goals against the Badgers in the National Championship game. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion .