Besides leading all schools with the most first-round draftees this year and breaking a program record for picks in a single draft (9), Michigan State hockey was apparently breaking an NCAA record that was previously held by Michigan.
Adam Nightingale has the program trending almost straight up despite losing in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Spartans were minutes away from making their first Frozen Four in almost two decades when disaster struck, Wisconsin scored two quick goals, and the Badgers won in overtime almost immediately.
That loss was crushing, but Nightingale has done a really good job of putting it out of his mind to focus on what he can control in front of him.
That’s why he has one of the most loaded incoming freshman classes of all time.
Not just that, but the NCAA record that his Spartans broke during this year’s NHL draft proves that he might have one of the most loaded rosters of all time — on paper at least.
Cayden Lindstrom (No. 4, 2024)
— Nathaniel Bott (@Nathaniel_Bott) June 27, 2026
Ryker Lee (No. 26, 2025)
Mason West (No. 29, 2025)
Joshua Ravensbergen (No. 30, 2025)
Cullen Potter (No. 32, 2025)
Chase Reid (No. 7), Nikita Klepov (No. 15), Ethan Belchetz (No, 17), and Jack Hextall (No. 30) tonight. https://t.co/VfGcfSyyE5
Cayden Lindstrom and Ryker Lee are the returning first-rounders on Michigan State’s 2026-27 roster while Mason West, Cullen Porter, and Joshua Ravensbergen will be joining the Spartans after being drafted a year ago. Then you throw in Chase Reid, Nikita Klepov, Ethan Belchetz, and Jack Hextall and the Spartans do indeed have nine first-rounders on this season’s roster.
That breaks the previous record of seven held by Michigan back in 2021-22. No, it doesn’t break it, it shatters the record. Two more first-rounders could be the difference between a first weekend exit and national title contention.
This will be Adam Nightingale’s most talented team ever
Nightingale has coached some really good players over the past four seasons in East Lansing but he hasn’t quite had a roster like the one we’re going to see in 2026-27.
And that’s a good thing.
Michigan State has been consistently one of the most talented teams in the country over the past three years but his 2026-27 groups may top them all. He has nine players who NHL teams believed was good enough to be their top picks in the NHL draft. That’s just incredible to think about.
With all of that talent, it might finally be fair to say “Frozen Four or bust”. Michigan State has won three straight Big Ten titles and that hasn’t yet translated to major NCAA Tournament success.
This has to be the year.
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