Amid high expectations, deeper MSU hockey team set to open with LSSU
Michigan State's hockey program went through the first steps of a resurgence last winter in coach Adam Nightingale's first season.
Now many believe the Spartans are ready to ascend much further in Year 2.
An influx of speed throughout the lineup and a dramatic increase in depth are two of the reasons MSU is ranked No. 9 in the United States College Hockey Online preseason poll and is picked to finish third in the Big Ten behind top-five ranked programs in Minnesota and Michigan.
The Spartans, who won the program's first Big Ten Tournament series and narrowly missed out on the NCAA tournament field in March, open their season with two games against Lake Superior State this weekend at Munn Arena,
"We really like the group. We wanted to add some speed and we've done that," Nightingale said. "We've added some drive to our lineup and that's the biggest driver in development. We need to maximize competition and have that up and down our lineup. It'll be a special night for us."
Nightingale's goal in his first season was to create a culture of healthy competition and to incorporate a new system that would generate more shots on net, more puck control and seamless transitions through every zone on the ice. The results were apparent as the Spartans scored 100 goals for the first time since the 2011-2012 season.
MSU then had a busy offseason, tapping into the transfer portal to nab some notable names in the college hockey world — particularly in the forward group.
Isaac Howard, a first-round NHL draft pick who had 82 points in 60 games under Nightingale at the U.S. National Team Development Program, picked MSU after spending a season at Minnesota Duluth. Red Savage is a former NTDP player and Detroit Red Wings draft pick, who tranferred in after two seasons at Miami. Reed Lebster arrives after a solid four-year career for a good Massachusetts program. And Joey Larson, who transferred from Northern Michigan, was the top goal scorer in the portal and was named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team.
With those four additions, along with a handful of talented freshmen — such as forward Gavin O'Connell — MSU has its deepest forward group in the past decade.
"It's been a long offseason practicing against each other," alternate captain and sophomore Karsen Dorwart said. "We're a lot deeper than last year. It's the message we've heard a lot, there's no reps off and that makes it a lot more fun for us when things get more intense out there."
Defensively, the Spartans have to replace Christian and Cole Krygier, brothers who both had career seasons as fifth-year seniors. Nightingale and his staff filled the void by adding James Crossman, a senior transfer who scored nine goals at Brown last season, and two of the most highly-touted freshmen defensemen in the country in Arytom Levshunov and Maxim Strbak.
Levshunov is expected to be an instant impact player who, despite being only 17, is expected to be a top-10 pick in next summer's NHL draft and one of the best defensemen in the Big Ten.
"We wanted from the beginning of the season that competition and it's been great having that talent to come in here and make us better," senior defenseman and captain Nash Nienhuis said. "(Levshunov) is obviously an incredible talent and you can tell he has all the mechanics. It's all positive with him. You can tell right away he's a special player."
And the Spartans should be further boosted defensively with the addition of freshman goaltender Trey Augustine, a second-round draft pick of the Red Wings who starred for the USNTDP.
The majority of MSU's roster last season said Nightingale's practices were the most intense they've seen throughout their career. That same sentiment has rang true for the newcomers to the so far this season, which only adds to the competition for playing time.
"Overall, it's a transition from Europe we don't see this big of a school back there, so everything about it is huge," Strbak said. "Practices are hard, probably the hardest I've ever practiced. But I think that'll prepare us for the hard season we are going to have."
The two games with the Lakers are at 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Both games will be live streamed on BTN+ and will be broadcast on WJIM 1240-AM
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Amid high expectations, deeper MSU hockey team set to open with LSSU
