It took slightly longer than expected, but Michigan State hockey had its first player selected in the 2026 NHL Draft as Chase Reid went No. 7 overall to the Seattle Kraken.
The newly-drafted Reid will be heading to Michigan State for the 2026-27 season and he’s expected to be one of the best freshmen in the NCAA. He’s going to have a huge role on the team right away and he’s already being touted as an elite defenseman.
Fortunately, the Kraken aren’t going to need him right away as they have three defensemen signed for the upcoming season and two of them are on long-term deals. That doesn’t mean that Seattle won’t need him next year with an aging group of defensemen. He will likely spend a year or two at Michigan State before (hopefully) getting called up to the Kraken. It’d be cool to see another Porter Martone-like rise to the NHL after just one collegiate season.
This is also a huge recruiting tool for Adam Nightingale, adding another first-round NHL draft pick to his roster ahead of the 2026-27 season. It’ll be an even bigger recruiting tactic if he can turn Reid into an NHL player after just one or two seasons in East Lansing.
Who else is excited to see Reid in the green and white next year?
Michigan State hockey is dominating headlines
It feels like there has been a new Michigan State hockey headline every day and most of them have been positive. Other than Landon DuPont committing to Michigan, Nightingale has been doing everything right this offseason.
He’s likely to add a handful of first-rounders to his roster, he landed Cullen Porter from the transfer portal, and Ethan Belchetz committed in May. And he just added another NHL draft pick who will join the roster for the 2027-28 season. You really can’t have a better offseason than that if you’re a head coach who’s aiming to make his first Frozen Four.
It’s good to see Michigan State right back where it belongs and the NHL draft is proving that Nightingale is bulding a powerhouse in East Lansing.
Next stop: Frozen Four.
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