ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Does Ryan McDonagh know his own strength?

The junior defenseman and tri-captain for the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team hears the question and nods his head in affirmation.

“I’m a pretty strong guy,” he said matter-of-factly.

McDonagh has few collegiate peers when it comes to physical tools. He’s 6-foot-1 and 216 pounds. He can bench press upwards of 300 pounds. He has a 33-inch vertical jump, well above the norm for his sport. He also has less than 10 percent body fat and a skating stride that resembles a high-end muscle car.

“McDonagh’s a freak, a machine,” UW senior center and assistant captain Blake Geoffrion said. “He’s probably in better condition physically than probably half the NHL, I’d say.”

But does McDonagh really know his own strength?

“Nope,” UW assistant coach Mark Osiecki said quickly, smiling. “He’s like Bam-Bam in the ‘Flintstones.’ I honestly don’t think he does.”

Good case in point: In the season opener against Colorado College on Oct. 16, McDonagh checked winger Mike Testwuide, listed at 6-3 and 220, with such explosive, legal force that Testwuide went aloft like a kite in a gale and slammed into the boards, suffering a concussion.

Bad case in point: In the third period of a tie game Oct. 24 at Minnesota State-Mankato, McDonagh extended his arms and launched winger Eriah Hayes, listed at 6-3 and 210 pounds, into the boards and drew a 5-minute major penalty for checking from behind. The Mavericks scored on the ensuing man-advantage and prevailed 3-2.

The only thing more difficult than knowing your own strength is to know where the line is between trying too hard and doing too much. McDonagh, from Arden Hills, Minn., is still coming to grips with both challenges.

“Once he learns how to keep things simple — when it needs to be simple — then the game’s really going to happen for him,” said Osiecki, who oversees UW defensemen.

“We’re trying to get him to that point of knowing what his skill set (is) and playing to that skill set,” UW coach Mike Eaves said of McDonagh. “Not getting too fancy.”

Going into a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series at St. Cloud State tonight and Saturday night, it’s pretty easy to measure the impact McDonagh has on the Badgers this season.

He’s plus-10 in the six victories — goals scored for and against while he’s on the ice — and even in UW’s other games (0-3-1). He and partner Jake Gardiner, a sophomore, have been on the ice for only two of the 19 goals allowed and have not been on the ice for any of the four power-play conversions UW has given up.

“For our team to be successful, it has to come from our back end a lot,” McDonagh said of a defensive unit that features three NHL first-rounders — McDonagh, Gardiner and junior Brendan Smith — and second-rounders Cody Goloubef, a junior, and freshman Justin Schultz.

McDonagh said he’s “getting pretty good at knowing to play a lot more simple,” but trying too hard is a whole other animal.

The penalty against Mankato was a classic case of that. The Badgers were just about to kill off a previous 5-minute major penalty to freshman right winger Craig Smith when McDonagh went too far.

“He gets so amped up, so excited to help this team win, he felt awful,” Osiecki said.

“It looked pretty bad,” McDonagh said of the incident on video. “I was devastated. I didn’t say a word the whole bus ride. That was a terrible feeling, something that motivates you to make sure you don’t get in that position ever again.”

McDonagh prides himself on being a leader, a go-to guy for teammates seeking advice or a vision for how to study, train, practice and play.

“I like being the guy who sets the example,” he said.

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