Great Expectations: 2025-26 Spartans Hockey Preview
College hockey is chock full of talent this year - and MSU is among the best
In what will be an NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey season the likes have never been seen before, the pre-season #3 Michigan State Spartans will enter the campaign with the most ever assembled talent that has come together in East Lansing. The Spartans have 15 NHL draft picks on the roster entering this season, with an incredible four of those players being selected in the first round. The NCAA allowing players from Major Junior hockey to now play NCAA (OHL, QMJHL, WHL) has led to the most high-end talent ever coming to the NHL game, and the Spartans led by coach Adam Nightingale, entering his fourth season, did not miss the boat on talent acquisition.
While the Spartans have gone back-to-back in winning the Big Ten Regular Season and Playoff Championships, their exit in the NCAA tournament at the regional stage in back-to-back seasons is what will be discussed and used as a measuring stick.
Can this program elevate to the Frozen Four, making the most of their balance in extraordinary talent with savvy veteran play?
The 2025-2026 season feels like a bonus, with an unexpected third year on campus for goaltender Trey Augustine (2nd round selection of the Detroit Red Wings in 2023), and while the rebirth of the program to prior expectations has been extremely exciting, one can’t help but feel anxiety that pressure will mount to a crescendo for a weekend in March, with a simple tournament match-up deciding if this season is a success or not.
The Spartans cannot control who they match up with, they can only control themselves, and for now let’s have a look at what we know -- this Spartans roster entering the season today, opening with exhibition play against the University of Windsor.