I haven’t written a single bad thing about Michigan State hockey in what feels like years at this point. Outside of the obvious lack of a national title, Adam Nightingale has delivered Michigan State fans pretty much everything that they dreamed of when he was hired.
The program was in the gutter and it had been over a decade since it had a pulse. Nightingale came in, dragged the Spartans out of the gutter, and now he’s turned Michigan State into a powerhouse.
Not just a powerhouse, but an NHL factory also.
Speaking of the NHL, this past weekend was the draft and Michigan State was out there breaking records left and right. The Spartans had the most picks in program history, the most first-rounders on one roster in NCAA history, and the most first-round picks of any school in this year’s class.
Four of Michigan State’s five first-round picks were confirmed to be joining the Spartans’ roster this upcoming season while Tommy Bleyl, a 2027 commit, wasn’t expected to come until 2027-28.
Plans have apparently changed and he said on Monday that he’s going to Michigan State for the 2026-27 season. This was an unexpected, but welcomed, development for Spartan fans.
Here’s Tommy Bleyl talking about seeing his face on the side of Bridgestone Arena, the pride of being drafted by Nashville.
— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) June 29, 2026
Also, Bleyl confirmed with me he’s going to Michigan State for the 26/27 season. pic.twitter.com/Jn14mYNPuw
Bleyl was just drafted No. 31 overall by the Nashville Predators this weekend, capping off Michigan State’s historic first round.
The Spartans will now have 10 first-rounders on their 2026-27 roster.
The national title might run through the state of Michigan
I really hate to give that school down the road any credit for anything and I’d love to find a way to troll them, but I can’t deny that they’re going to have a top three team in the NCAA next year.
Some experts believe that Michigan will even be No. 1.
That doesn’t mean that I think Michigan State should be the “underdog” because this is the Spartans’ conference until someone else takes their crown. Michigan State should be the favorite with 10 first-round picks and 17 total draftees on the roster for 2026-27.
These Michigan vs. Michigan State games are about to feel like national title games this year.
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