Press release via Wisconsin Athletics.

MADISON, Wisconsin – Head coach Tony Granato and his Wisconsin men's hockey coaching staff announced Thursday the signing of eight individuals to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.

All eight are expected to join the Badgers for the fall of 2018.

Among the group are forwards Dominick Mersch (Park Ridge, Illinois), Mick Messner (Madison), Sampo Ranta (Naantali, Finland); defensemen Ty Emberson (Eau Claire), Christian Krygier (Novi, Michigan), Cole Krygier (Novi, Michigan) and K'Andre Miller (Hopkins, Minnesota); as well as goaltender Daniel Lebedeff (Helsinki, Finland).

"We are excited about the high-end talent that is in this class," associate head coach Mark Osiecki said. "For fans of Wisconsin, you are going to see talent that will obviously help us here, but you are going to be able to track their futures. They are going to have the ability to play beyond Wisconsin hockey."

TY EMBERSON

Defense R 6-foot-1 194

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

U.S. Under-18 Team

Emberson, a 6-1, 195-pound Eau Claire native, plays for the U.S. Under-18 Team and just returned from competing in Hameenlinna, Finland at the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament. The right-handed defenseman has recorded five assists for the Under-18 team this season. That includes two assists in three games against USHL competition.

Last season, Emberson played 56 games for the U.S. Under-17 Team, dishing out 18 assists, including eight assists in 34 games in USHL contests. He competed at the U17 World Hockey Challenge, tallying three assists in five contests.

Draft eligible in 2018, Emberson spilt the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons between Team Wisconsin and Eau Claire Memorial High School. He was a 'B' rated prospect in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary watch list for the 2018 draft, which indicates a second/third round candidate.

OSIECKI ON EMBERSON

"Leader. Steady. Solid. He's a Wisconsin kid who bleeds Red and White. He reminds us of Jake McCabe. He's someone who is a solid, steady, dependable defenseman who will be a leader here."

CHRISTIAN KRYGIER

Defense L 6-2 194

Novi, Michigan

Lincoln Stars (USHL)

Christian Krygier, a 6-2, 194-pound defender, is in his second season with the USHL's Lincoln Stars, recording an assist in nine games so far. Last season, the lefty tallied two goals and three assists for the Stars. He also played 15 games with the U.S. National Under-17 Team, five of which were at the World Hockey Challenge. Krygier played alongside his brother Cole at the 2017 Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

The Novi, Michigan native is eligible for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was a 'B' rated prospect in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary watch list for the 2018 draft, which indicates a second/third round candidate.

OSIECKI ON THE KRYGIERS

"Talking about both Christian and Cole (Krygier) you talk raw energy and toughness. They have good first passes and are defensemen who skate well. They have bigger bodies and are really, really intense. They come from a very athletic family. Their potential is really untapped still."

COLE KRYGIER

Defense L 6-2 189

Novi, Michigan

Lincoln Stars (USHL)

Cole Krygier, a 6-2, 189-pound defenseman, plays alongside his twin brother for the USHL's Lincoln Stars. The left-hander has two assists in nine games this season, after scoring six points on three goals and three assists last season for the Stars. Draft eligible for 2018, Krygier also represented the U.S. at the 2017 Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

The Krygiers come from a family of athletes, as father Todd played collegiately at the University of Connecticut and went on to have a professional career with NHL's Hartford Whalers, Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals. The Krygier's older brother Brock also played college hockey for Michigan State and Arizona State. Sister Natalie played college soccer at Connecticut and Iowa, while sister Grace is a freshman on the Wisconsin women's soccer team.

Draft eligible for 2018, he was a 'B' rated prospect in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary watch list for the 2018 draft, which indicates a second/third round candidate.

DANIEL LEBEDEFF

Goaltender L 6-2 188

Helsinki, Finland

Janesville Jets (NAHL)

Lebedeff, a 6-2, 188-pound goaltender, is currently playing for the NAHL's Janesville Jets. In six contests this year, the Helsinki, Finland native has recorded a .915 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average in eight apperances. Prior to joining the Jets, Lebedeff played two seasons for the Madison Capitols, posting a .906 save percentage last year.

Lebedeff, who has experience playing for the Finland Under-16 and Under-18 programs, is draft-eligible in 2018 and was ranked 22nd among North American goaltenders in 2017 by NHL Central Scouting. He is listed as a 'C' rated prospect in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary watch list in 2018, which indicates a candidate for rounds four through six of the draft.

OSIECKI ON LEBEDEFF

"When you watch him, he looks like your typical NHL-type Finnish goaltender. He is still young and has to prove that he is going to be a high-level goaltender. He has a great personality, and again, he is someone who brings energy that people around the locker room will feed off of."

DOMINICK MERSCH

Forward L 6-0 196

Park Ridge, Illinois

Lincoln Stars (USHL)

Mersch, a 6-0, 196-pound forward, is in his third full season with the USHL's Lincoln Stars. Serving as team captain, Mersch has already scored three goals and six points in nine games this season. Last year, the Park Ridge, Illinois native scored 11 goals and 25 points, and tallied six goals and 11 points in 2015-16. Prior to joining the Stars, the left-hander played for the Chicago Mission U16 and competed in four games with the U.S. NTDP.

Badger fans might be familiar with his name, as his brother, Michael, played for Wisconsin from 2010-14, winning the 2014 Big Ten Championship before a professional career with the Los Angeles Kings organization. Father Mike also played collegiately for the University of Illinois-Chicago from 1983-86.

OSIECKI ON MERSCH

"He bleeds red and white. You can get a sense of the theme for us. He has always been a Badger. You talk to anyone who has played on a team with him and they will tell you they love playing with him. He has unreal character. He's a leader who has relentless work habits. He's a quality person on the ice and around campus."

MICK MESSNER

Forward L 5-11 199

Madison, Wisconsin

Madison Capitols (USHL)

Messner, a 5-11, 199-pound forward, doesn't have to travel far to continue his hockey career. A Madison native, Messner has played with the USHL's Madison Capitols since 2015, serving as team co-captain this season. Last season, the left-hander scored 31 points on 13 goals and 18 helpers. Prior to joining the Capitols, Messner played two seasons for Madison West High School.

Messner also has international experience, playing with the Team USA U18 team at the 2016 Hlikna Memorial Tournament, scoring two goals. He also competed at the World Junior A Challenge with the U.S. Junior Select Team alongside Wisconsin's Tarek Baker, scoring a goal and an assist to help the team to gold.

OSIECKI ON MESSNER

"Words that come to mind are 'Culture' and 'Leader.' He will be easy to coach. For me, it is going to be fun to have him around, because I've known him since he was little. He's someone who you want to build Wisconsin hockey around. He is that type of kid."

K'ANDRE MILLER

Defense L 6-3 206

Minnetonka, Minnesota

U.S. Under-18 Team (USHL)

Miller, a Hopkins, Minnesota native, is in his second season with the U.S. NTDP, competing with the U.S. Under-18 Team. The 6-3, 206-pound defender just returned from Hameenlinna, Finland where he competed at the Under-18 Five Nations Tournament.

Eligible for the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Miller played 54 games with the Under-17 team last season and scored three goals and 17 points. That total includes seven assists in 34 contests against USHL competition. Miller also competed at the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge, recording one assist. Prior to joining the development program, Miller played for Minnetonka High School from 2014-16.

He was a 'B' rated prospect in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary watch list for the 2018 draft, which indicates a second/third round candidate.

OSIECKI ON MILLER

"He's very athletic. He's only played defense for a relatively short period of time. He is a really, really good skater who has good offensive instincts. He is going to play in the NHL a really long time."

SAMPO RANTA

Forward L 6-1 192

Naantali, Finland

Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)

Ranta, a 6-1, 192-pound forward is in his second season competing with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers, leading the team with five goals and eight points this year through 11 contests. Last season, the left-hander scored nine points on six goals and three assists in 30 games for Sioux City.

A Naantali, Finland native, Ranta's international experience includes representing his country at the 2017 Hlinka Memorial Tournament, scoring a goal and an assist, as well as playing for the Finland Under-16 and Under-17 Teams. He is the fifth, among Wisconsin's signing class, named in 'B' rated prospects in NHL Central Scouting's preliminary watch list for the 2018 draft, which indicates a second/third round candidate.

OSIECKI ON RANTA

"He's a big power forward who is strong over the puck and has good hockey IQ. He's a fun kid. Every time you see him at the rink he is always smiling. He brings energy. He will be fun to have in the locker room. All his teammates are going to feed off of his energy and how excited he is to be at the rink and play hockey."