By now, it’s fair to call Adam Nightingale one of the best coaches in the nation. It was pretty clear after his first Big Ten title a few years ago that he was on his way to being one of the best, but after three straight with Michigan State hockey, it’s obvious that the Spartans have an elite coach.
However, he still has plenty of critics because he hasn’t won the big one yet. He’s won three straight conference titles, but he’s never made a Frozen Four.
That has to change or people are going to stop taking Michigan State seriously.
Luckily, Michigan State has a head coach who is doing everything in his power to make sure the Spartans have the most talented team in the country every year. Nightingale deserves some criticism for his NCAA Tournament collapses over the past two years, but no one can knock him for stacking talent every offseason.
This offseason has been especially impressive for Nightingale, adding one of the best transfers in the NCAA while stockpiling young talent. He also landed a projected top-10 NHL draft pick this week in Ethan Belchetz.
However, he’s not the only projected top-10 pick set to join the roster for next season.
The rich (Michigan State) just got richer
ESPN’s Rachel Kryshak shared her latest NHL mock draft following the league’s lottery selection last week and three Spartans are projected to go in the top 10.
Following former almost Spartan Gavin McKenna at No. 1 overall to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Michigan State signee Chase Reid was projected as the second pick by the San Jose Sharks. He would be joining new Michigan State goalie Joshua Ravensbergen who was first-round pick by the Sharks last year.
The second Spartan off the list would be incoming freshman Nikita Klepov and Kryshak has him going No. 8 overall to the Winnipeg Jets — she also said he has “star potential”. He’s going to be a major piece to Michigan State’s national title puzzle in 2026-27.
Finally, the last Spartan to appear in the top 10 of Kryshak’s mock was the newest commit, Ethan Belchetz. He’s projected to go No. 10 to the Nashville Predators. He was apparently a top-five prospect at the beginning of the year and scouts really like his size and physicality.
Not one, not two, but three Spartans could hear their names called in the first hour of the 2026 NHL Draft and that’s a testament to how great of a recruiter Nightingale is.
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