Michigan State hockey just put together a draft class that barely sounds real.
Nine future Spartans were selected in the 2026 NHL Draft, the most in the nation this year and enough to tie Minnesota’s 2007 mark for the most picks in a single draft ever, according to College Hockey Inc. Even more eye-catching: five of those nine came in the first round. For a college program, that’s a haul with historic weight.
The run started with defenseman Chase Reid, who went seventh overall to the Seattle Kraken. Reid had been projected to go even earlier, but a few teams passed on him before Seattle grabbed him.
He’s expected to be at Michigan State this season after starring for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL, where he posted 18 goals and 30 assists for 48 points in 45 games with a plus/minus of +27.
Nikita Klepov followed soon after, with the Anaheim Ducks taking the forward in the middle of the first round. Klepov is headed to East Lansing this year and arrives with serious offensive credentials after a monster season for the Saginaw Spirit.
He led the OHL in scoring with 37 goals and 60 assists for 97 points in 67 games, then added Rookie of the Year honors and first All-Star team recognition. Michigan State will need that kind of punch after losing its top two goal-scorers from last season, Porter Martone with 25 and Charlie Stramel with 19.
Then came Ethan Belchetz at 17th overall, as the Utah Mammoth traded up to get him. Belchetz committed to MSU in May and is also slated to join the Spartans this season.
The winger spent last year with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL and produced 34 goals and 25 assists for 59 points. He also brings a big body to the roster at 6-foot-5 and about 230 pounds.
The first-round parade kept rolling with Jack Hextall, who went 30th overall to the Calgary Flames. Hextall is expected to play for Michigan State this year, giving Calgary two first-rounders who will suit up for the Spartans next season alongside transfer portal addition Cullen Potter.
Hextall spent the last two seasons with the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL and broke out this year with 20 goals and 38 assists for 58 points in 59 games. He also has a notable family connection: he’s related to goalie and Vezina Trophy winner Ron Hextall, with his dad being Ron’s cousin.
The fifth first-rounder for MSU was defenseman Tommy Bleyl, taken 31st overall by the Nashville Predators. Bleyl is committed to Michigan State, but he appears headed for one more season with the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL before arriving for 2027-28.
Nashville also has first-round pick Ryker Lee as part of MSU’s next roster. Bleyl led the QMJHL in assists last season with 68 and won the league’s Defenseman of the Year Award after putting up 13 goals and 81 points in 63 games.
By the end of Day 1, five future Spartans were off the board. That alone represented 15.6% of the picks in the round. The pipeline didn’t stop there.
Brooks Rogowski became the first Michigan State-bound player taken on Day 2. The Brighton native and Detroit Catholic Central product is expected to spend another season in juniors before joining the Spartans for 2027-28. Rogowski has spent the last two seasons with the Oshawa Generals in the OHL and is set for a third, after scoring 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in 46 games last season.
Jonas Kemps was the final MSU player taken among the top 100, going as a defenseman committed to the Spartans for 2027-28. He played last season with the Chicago Steel in the USHL and appears headed to the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL for the coming year. At 6-foot-6, Kemps gives Michigan State another towering blue-liner, the kind of profile Adam Nightingale has shown he values.
Michigan State’s draft class closed with defenseman Nick Bogas, selected 139th overall. The Royal Oak native has been committed to the Spartans for a while, though it isn’t clear exactly when he’ll arrive. He turns 18 next month, so another year elsewhere would not be a surprise.
The last name on the list was defenseman Cullen McCrate, who went to Boston in the final round and should be set to join Michigan State this season. McCrate, from Adrian, Mich., played for the Fargo Force in the USHL this past year and finished with 10 goals, 20 assists and 30 points in 60 games, along with a plus-19 rating.
For Michigan State, the draft wasn’t just productive. It was historic.
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