Michigan State enters the 2026-27 season with the kind of preseason respect that comes with winning at a relentless clip. The Spartans were picked to finish second in the Big Ten Coaches Poll after stacking three straight regular-season conference titles in 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
The national picture looks just as strong. Michigan State opens the year as the consensus No. 3 team in the country in both the USCHO and USA Hockey polls, a fitting start for a roster that blends proven production with a heavy dose of high-end talent.
One of the biggest individual nods went to sophomore forward Ryker Lee, who landed on the Preseason All-Big Ten Second Team. Lee’s freshman season gave the Spartans plenty to build on: he finished fourth on the team in scoring and third in goals with 15 goals, 15 assists and 30 points.
There’s no shortage of star power on this roster, and the NHL draft numbers tell the story. Michigan State has 17 NHL Draft picks on its roster, the second-most in the NCAA this season.
Even more striking, the Spartans’ nine first-round selections lead all NCAA teams. With only 30 first-round NHL picks slated to play college hockey in 2026-27, MSU has 30% of that group in East Lansing.
That collection of talent ties a school record. Seventeen NHL Draft picks matches the most in program history, last reached by the 1990-91 Spartans, a team that included three first-rounders: Jason Muzzatti, Bryan Smolinski and Michael Stewart.
At the same time, this version of Michigan State looks different in some key places. The Spartans bring back 14 letterwinners and add 12 newcomers, including nine freshmen and three transfers. For Adam Nightingale, it also marks the first MSU team of his tenure without Daniel Russell, Matt Basgall and Tiernan Shoudy, who each never missed a game across four seasons.
The biggest turnover is in goal. Michigan State is introducing an entirely new trio of goaltenders after the departure of Trey Augustine, last season’s Mike Richter Award winner, who signed an ELC with the Detroit Red Wings after his junior year.
Nightingale is closing in on a major benchmark of his own. He is five wins away from 100 in his Spartan career and enters the season at 95-44-11, a .670 winning percentage. Ron Mason remains the fastest coach to 100 victories at Michigan State, getting there in 182 games.
The leadership group is also set. Patrick Geary has been chosen as the program’s 81st captain and will wear the “C” this season. Tommi Mannisto and Shane Vansaghi will serve as assistant captains, and both are first-time captains.
Michigan State opens against a familiar nonconference opponent in Boston College, and the series history leans the Eagles’ way. Friday will be the 11th meeting between the schools since 2000, with MSU holding a 3-7 record overall, including 1-2 at home and 1-5 away. It is the fourth time Boston College has faced the Spartans with Nightingale behind the bench.
The Spartans did get the better of BC last season, winning 4-3 on Oct. 12, 2024.
Gavin O’Connell picked up an assist in that game. Boston College arrives off a 20-15-1 season in 2025-26, a year that included a 13-11 mark in Hockey East play and a trip to the conference tournament semifinals.
In Other News...
Tom Izzo Just Gave Spartans Fans Plenty To Think About
Tom Izzo has already given Michigan State fans a reason to look ahead, landing four-star center Jaydn Jenkins to join five-star point guard Antonio Pemberton in the 2027 recruiting class. It is the kind of early foundation that keeps the Spartans pipeline in focus, especially with Izzo continuing to shape the roster around size and playmaking for the future.
There is also a more immediate layer to watch as the season approaches, with Cam Ward set to miss the upcoming exhibition against Incarnate Word because of a sprained ankle. Jesse McCulloch is expected to start in Wards place, giving Michigan State a first look at how its frontcourt pieces fit together while the staff waits on Wards return. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Soccer Is Getting National Respect For A Big Reason
Michigan States womens soccer program is drawing national attention in a familiar way for a team built on consistency and senior leadership. Kennedy Bell and Kayla Briggs were both named to the 2026 Hermann Trophy Mid-Season Watch List, putting two Spartans among 30 NCAA Division I standouts recognized by the Intercollegiate Womens Soccer Organization for Coaches and United Soccer Coaches.
For Michigan State, the double selection says plenty about how far the program has come and how central those seniors have been to the seasons early momentum. The watch list will be trimmed later to semifinalists and finalists, so Bell and Briggs still have work ahead if they want to stay in the conversation as one of college soccers top individual honors. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State's Newest Commit Could Fill A Major Long Term Need
Michigan State added a major piece to its 2027 basketball recruiting class with the commitment of Jaydn Jenkins, a four-star center from Archbishop Wood High School in Pennsylvania. Jenkins, who is ranked 60th overall in his class and rated the top prospect in Pennsylvania, gives the Spartans an early anchor in the frontcourt and another sign that the staff is targeting long-term size in a class that could matter down the road.
What makes Jenkins especially intriguing is the way his game fits a need Michigan State has been trying to address. His defensive potential and long wingspan point toward real value as a rim protector, the kind of interior presence that can change possessions even before he becomes a finished product. For a program that always values toughness and defense, landing a center with that profile this early gives the Spartans something to build around. [Read more 🡒]