Michigan State hockey is having a historically-good offseason

I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t follow hockey. There have been times throughout my life in which I got invested in the Red Wings and I celebrated the Michigan State hockey title in 2006 when I was in high school, but I was never a “hockey fan.”

That may soon change because of Adam Nightingale.

For years, I’ve kept an eye on Michigan State’s success on the ice, or lack thereof, and it was disheartening to see a once-proud program wither into mediocrity.

When Nightingale was hired, I just assumed it would be more of the same. A coach with a solid resume comes to Michigan State with plenty of hype and promise only to disappoint years later. This feels very different.

Nightingale has made a believer out of Michigan State hockey fans and myself in just one year, turning a dead program into a near-NCAA Tournament team.

He did that in just one year. Imagine what he can do over the next few.

Michigan State hockey made a huge splash on Thursday

After a solid first season by Nightingale, he knew he had some work to do in order to improve the roster and transform it into a title contender.

Well, he’s done just that.

Nightingale has gotten commitments from the top goalie in the 2023 class in Trey Augustine (flipped from Michigan) and projected top-10 NHL pick Artyom Levshunov. And on Thursday, he landed the No. 1 American-born recruit in the 2024 class in Cullen Potter from Wisconsin. Yes, No. 1 in the nation.

The second-year head coach has stockpiled talent for years to come and this year’s roster looks poised to compete in the Big Ten.

Next year will be even better.

This offseason has been fantastic as all hockey experts are calling Nightingale an elite recruiter and praising what he’s done with Michigan State so far.

If you’re not paying attention yet, it might just be time.