Michigan State hockey just had a rough couple of weeks.
That's a phrase that you don't often hear lately as Adam Nightingale has turned East Lansing into an NHL prospect factory. He hasn't missed on many recruits, but losing out on Gavin McKenna to Penn State hurt and then Isaac Howard left just hours later as the Edmonton Oilers traded for him and he signed a contract, leaving the Spartans.
Down the No. 1 overall prospect in the country (although he was never a lock) and the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner, Michigan State would need some elite late additions to get back on track.
Fortunately, Cayden Lindstrom (the No. 4 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft) is headed to East Lansing and is expected to be an instant star, but Nightingale and the Spartans were about one player away from being the potential national title favorites after losing out on McKenna.
They may have just gotten that on Monday in the form of this year's sixth overall NHL Draft pick, Porter Martone.
Michigan State will have nine players taken in the top two rounds on its roster this season: Lindstrom (No. 4 overall), Martone (6), Stramel (21), Lee (26), Augustine (41), Strbak (45), Nilson (45), Ralph (48), Vansaghi (48).
— Brad Elliott Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) July 21, 2025
The wing is expected to fill a big void left behind by Howard after he was signed by the Oilers and he has the ability to put the puck in the net, scoring 37 goals with 61 assists (98 points) in 57 games with the Ontario Hockey League's Brampton Steelheads.
Some expected him to continue playing on the junior circuit instead of going the college route, but he surprised everyone on Monday by committing to Michigan State.
As the tweet above states, the Spartans will have nine players on its 2025-26 roster that were drafted in the first two rounds of the NHL Draft. That's an elite roster and one that shouldn't be falling to Cornell in round one of next year's NCAA Tournament.
Frozen Four run inbound.