Michigan State hockey got a lot better on Tuesday with the addition of forward Ethan Belchetz who’s projected as a top-10 pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft.
The pickup by Adam Nightingale and the Spartans now gives them three projected top-10 picks and they may have more going later in that first round. Michigan State is going to be absolutely loaded with talent and they’re close to making some history.
North Dakota, too, is loaded with several first-round draft picks and prospects., and it will be facing Michigan State down in Austin, Texas, on Halloween.
This game could present the most first-round draft picks to ever play in an NCAA hockey game, according to Brad Elliott Schloassman of the Grant Fork Herald. He covers North Dakota and he’s well aware of the amount of talent that will be facing off on Oct. 31 in Austin.
Michigan State vs. North Dakota. The most first-round draft picks ever to play in a college hockey game. On Halloween. In Austin, Texas. https://t.co/5eZKqn47L2
— Brad Elliott Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) May 12, 2026
Most first-rounders ever to face off in a college hockey game? That’s a great recruiting tool for Michigan State to use, especially when the Spartans win that game in Austin.
With the addition of Belchetz, Michigan State now has several first-round picks and projected first-rounders in Cayden Lindstrom, Ryker Lee, Mason West, Cullen Potter, Joshua Ravensbergen, Chase Reid, Nikita Klepov, Jack Hextall, and Tommy Bleyl. The Spartans are going to be absolutely loaded next season if no one departs unexpectedly.
North Dakota has several first-rounders as well in EJ Emery (first-rounder in 2024), Cole Reschny (first-rounder in 2025), and Keaton Verhoeff (projected top-five pick in 2026) for the upcoming season. That gives the Fighting Hawks at least three first-rounders for next season to oppose the potentially nine first-rounders for the Spartans.
A total of a dozen-plus first round picks in a single game is going to draw the eyes of every single hockey fan in America on Halloween. This will be one of the most anticipated non-conference regular-season hockey games in NCAA history.
The pressure is on Adam Nightingale
Although I don’t believe that the Spartans’ shortcomings in the past few NCAA Tournaments haven’t been totally on Nightingale, Michigan State’s head coach needs to get to the Frozen Four this season in order to avoid some uncomfortable conversations.
Nightingale constantly lands the top talent every offseason and the Spartans have still yet to make a Frozen Four despite winning three consecutive Big Ten titles.
Now that he has almost double-digit first-round prospects, the pressure is going to be all on him to get over that hump and make sure that elite talent doesn’t go to waste. If he doesn’t make a Frozen Four this season, that would be a massive letdown.
Fortunately, I do believe that 2027 is the year that Michigan State gets back to the Frozen Four.
The talent is there.
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