Defenseman Patrick Wiercioch was such a sought-after college hockey recruit that last year he narrowed his list of suitors from dozens to five.

The 17-year-old wound up visiting Denver, Michigan and the University of Wisconsin. He stopped right there -- canceling planned trips to Boston College and New Hampshire -- after spending 48 hours in Madison last week.

"I got the feeling I wanted to have," Wiercioch said Sunday, explaining why he committed to attend UW and play for the Badgers.

Wiercioch could be in Madison as soon as next season if UW loses any of its young defensemen to the pros.

If there are no early defections -- sophomore Jamie McBain and freshman Ryan McDonagh are on that radar screen -- Wiercioch will play another season with Omaha of the U.S. Hockey League.

"I'm prepared to do whatever it takes," he said.

NCAA rules prohibit UW coach Mike Eaves from commenting publicly on recruits until after they sign a national letter of intent.

Wiercioch, from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, has two close friends with ties to the Badgers.

He played last season at Burnaby of the British Columbua Junior Hockey League with UW freshman center Kyle Turris. Wiercioch also rooms with center Matt Thurber, a Beaver Dam native who has committed to play for the Badgers next season.

Wiercioch, listed at 6-foot-2 and 178 pounds, is blessed with exceptional skating and offensive instincts but evaluating him this season has been difficult.

Wiercioch (pronounced wear-cot) has played 19 of 37 games for the Lancers because of a broken thumb, an injury that required surgery three weeks after it occurred because it wasn 't healing properly.

The latest issue of Red Line Report, an independent international scouting service, has Wiercioch ranked 205th on its list of prospects for the 2008 NHL draft.

At the outset of the season, RLR touted Wiercoich as a potential first-round pick.

A top student who will get his high school diploma this spring, Wiercioch said his trip to Madison "blew me over the edge" and made his decision obvious.

"If you're around coaches you respect and they respect you," Wiercioch said, "you can't go wrong."