EAST LANSING ~ The chase for a fourth straight Big Ten title starts with a roster that is built for another run. Michigan State returns its scoring stars, adds a rookie class stacked with first‑round NHL talent, and hands the crease to a newcomer stepping into one of the program’s most visible roles. Seniors Tommi Mannisto and Gavin O’Connell lead a team defined by pace and pressure.
MSU finished 26‑9‑2 last season and brings back fourteen players, giving head coach Adam Nightingale stability across the forward and defensive lines. The biggest shift comes in goal. Trey Augustine, a two‑time Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, signed with the Detroit Red Wings, leaving junior Quentin Sigurdson — who posted a .920 save percentage at Northeastern — to take over.
The incoming class arrives with NHL contracts. Forward Chase Reid, drafted seventh by the Seattle Kraken, joins the Spartans after a forty‑eight‑point season with the Soo Greyhounds and as the top‑ranked CHL skater in the 2026 draft. MSU also rostered fifteenth pick Nikita Klepov, but lost the winger to a three-year entry level contract with the Anaheim Ducks.
Nightingale enters his fifth season with a roster designed to keep MSU’s pace high. Returning forwards should steady the top line while rookies add transition speed, and the change in net will test the defense to adapt quickly.
The Spartans will play four conference series at home and six on the road, including two against Wisconsin, which knocked MSU out of last year’s playoffs in overtime. The season opens October 9 against Northern Michigan at Munn Arena.
