Just when it looked like Michigan State hockey may have its roster set for the upcoming 2026-27 season, Adam Nightingale decided he wasn’t done.
The Spartan head coach was in the mix for Daxon Rudolph, a projected top-10 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, but he committed to Denver on Wednesday afternoon.
No need to fret, Spartan fans, he’s still not done.
Although they missed out on Rudolph, Nightingale and Michigan State are squarely in the mix for the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, Landon DuPont. He’s one of the best defensemen prospects in the nation and he’s not eligible until next year’s draft but he’s expected to play NCAA hockey this year.
And he’s reportedly down to two programs: Michigan and Michigan State.
Hearing Landon DuPont is narrowing down his decision for next year.
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) June 3, 2026
Sounds like Minnesota is out. Expectation is Denver will get Daxon Rudolph. Leaving Michigan and MSU to battle it out.
He'll visit the Michigan campuses next week.
The top four teams for him were Minnesota, Denver, Michigan, and Michigan State, but with Minnesota reportedly out and Denver landing Rudolph, that makes this an in-state battle.
Both Michigan and Michigan State can sell being elite programs and producing NHL talent, so it all depends on which coaching staff he likes better and where he could see himself fitting in. The Spartans have some juice lately with six players projected to be selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft so that’s a huge draw, but Michigan also spits out NHL players every year.
DuPont could join arguably the most talented roster that Nightingale has ever assembled, and he’s had some truly incredible players like Isaac Howard, Trey Augustine, Artyom Levshunov, and Porter Martone just recently. DuPont could become the latest top-10 projected draft pick to join an already-loaded roster.
He can’t go wrong with either program, but my bias obviously says Michigan State would win a national title with him on the roster.
Adam Nightingale won’t be denied a Frozen Four again
Three years, three disappointing finishes. Michigan State hockey has won three straight Big Ten titles but the Spartans have yet to make a Frozen Four under Nightingale despite having all the talent in the world. It’s actually incredible that this team hasn’t made a Frozen Four with the amount of talent that’s come through East Lansing over the past 3-4 years.
But you can tell that Nightingale is sick of coming up short.
Not only has he landed several first-round NHL draft prospects this year, but he’s going down to the wire for the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 draft class.
If he’s able to beat Michigan for DuPont, there will be no excuse for missing the Frozen Four next year.
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