Staying in touch with the Windigo

It’s that time of the year again when hockey teams in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) hit the ice for a regular season that will run into April. Normally, I’d be all set with coverage of the Wisconsin Windigo here in Eagle River, but with a new shift in the off-season, the team relocated to southern Wisconsin. In all reality, it was a great time covering the team and I know the community embraced the team. I still plan to follow the team, which leads me to mention the Windigo opened the regular season Sept. 12-13 with a weekend split with the Janseville Jets.

Many Windigo fans will likely follow in my footsteps and keep an eye on how the team does, especially with some familiar faces on the 2025-26 roster who they may have watched in their time in the Northwoods. 

Players from last year who made the team this year include Alexios Georgaklis, Riley Joslin, Ronnie Hill, Declan Burns, Beau Kralovec, Michael Ryan and Josh Sardo. 

Georgaklis appeared in 54 regular-season games last season in the Windigo’s run to the Robertson Cup semifinals. He scored 15 goals and had 21 assists in regular-season play. Joslin and Hill also played in 50-plus regular-season games for the squad last season. They combined for 14 goals and 32 assists in 103 combined games. 

Burns, Ryan and Kralovec appeared for Head Coach John Mitchell in 46, 44 and 39 games, respectively. 

The Windigo opened their season for the first time in Brookfield, pleasing the home crowd with a weekend split. Wisconsin got off to a slow start Sept. 12, giving up two first-period goals to the visitors and eventually falling 4-1 in the game. Despite the loss, it seems like the offensive chances are there once again, as the team outshot Janseville 27-24. A day later, the Windigo had more success finding the back of the net in a 3-2 victory. The team fired off 44 shots on net, scoring all three goals in the second period to secure the win. 

It honestly sucks that the team was sold and relocated to a different area, but I hope the fans in the community won’t forget about the team and support them in any way possible.