Michigan State hockey has seen a meteoric rise over the past couple of years and that's all thanks to Adam Nightingale and the fact that he is taking this job seriously and has national title aspirations.
Since taking over at Michigan State, Nightingale is 69-35-9 which may not seem all that impressive, but when you consider he went 18-18-2 in his first season with the program, it's that much more eye-opening. He's 51-17-7 over the past two seasons with back-to-back Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles. The Spartans are 31-11-6 in the Big Ten in that span.
And it feels like the Spartans are only getting better each offseason.
In fact, Michigan State may have been bounced way earlier than expected in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, but it will return arguably the best goaltender in college ice hockey (Trey Augustine) as well as the Hobey Baker Award winner, Isaac Howard.
On top of that, the Spartans have added plenty of pro-caliber talent to the roster this offseason and both Howard and Nightingale are coming off a gold medal at the IIHF World Championships.
The momentum is on Michigan State's side.
Don't believe me? Just check out these "never too early" top 25 projections that were posted on Twitter and have been gaining some traction this week.
Western Michigan, the reigning national champs, are No. 3, Michigan is No. 8 despite missing the 2025 tournament, and Penn State is No. 5. The main storyline here, however, is that Michigan State is No. 1 right where it should be after a huge 2024-25 season -- though it did end poorly.
Nightingale's expectations keep rising and that's just how he wants it.