Spartan Hockey Meets with Media in Preparation for 2024-25 Season

The Spartans hockey program spoke to the media on Wednesday to preview the 2024-25 season.

Head coach Adam Nightingale spoke for 30 minutes for two separate sessions with one-on-one players.

Preseason Notes Pack

QUOTABLE

Senior Captain Red Wild

Being captain is an honor. It's humbling to have the coaching staff and the other players behind you. It's something I don't take lightly and something I've been working toward for a long time.

Junior Alternative Captain Matt Basgall

It’s hard to put too much stock in the rankings or the preseason favorite when those things are based on last year’s team. We just try to keep our heads down and work because last year’s NCAA tournament didn’t go the way we wanted it to. We want to win a national championship, so we have a lot to work towards and something to prove.

Junior Alternative CaptainKarsen Dorwart

You can expect us to look different this year – we have nine new players. We have guys who are capable and ready to step into new roles. The talent we had last year was incredible and we worked well together – but it's a new year and we have talented guys on the power play and penalty kill who are ready to step up.

Junior alternative CaptainTiernan Shoudy

It's a privilege and we're very fortunate to have the fan support we have. We're excited about what we can do. We set the standard last year and now we have to do it again – and more.

Second year goalkeeper Trey Augustine

“The training has been great. It's super important to get the new guys acclimatized quickly. There are obviously a lot of expectations this year and we know there's still a lot of work to do. We're looking forward to the challenge and to see what we can do this year.”

TOP NOTES FOR THE 2024-2025 SEASON

Michigan State was selected by Big Ten coaches as the favorite to win the conference's regular season. It was the first time in program history that MSU was selected to win the Big Ten; the Spartans were followed by Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State (in that order).

The Spartans are ranked No. 4 in the US College Hockey Online national preseason poll.

Senior Red Wild has been selected as Spartan captain for 2024-25, with alternate captaincy duties moving to the juniors Matt Basgall, Karsen Dorwart, And Tiernan ShoudyBasgall and Dorwart were also substitute captains a year ago.

The 2023-24 Spartans won their first regular season title since 2000-01 and won the program's first postseason tournament title since 2006.

Spartan head coach Adam Nightingale has a 42-29-5 record over the past two years, the second-highest win total for a coach in program history in their first two years. Rick Comley won 46 games in his first two seasons, and no one else had more than 33. Nightingale's teams improved by six and seven wins in each of his first two seasons from the year before.

Second year goalkeeper Trey Augustine and junior attackers Karsen Dorwart And Isaac Howardare First Team All-Big Ten season selections.

The MSU roster consists of eight drafted players, including first-round picks Charlie Stramel (2023, Minnesota) and Isaac Howard (2022, Tampa), second round selections Trey Augustine (2023, Detroit) and Maxim Strbak (2023, Buffalo), fourth round Red Wild (2021, Detroit) and Vladislav Lukashevich (2021, Florida), sixth-round selection Patrick Geary (2024, Buffalo) and seventh-round pick David Gucciardi (Washington, 2022).

MSU gives back 67.7% of its scoring from a year ago – 278 of 411 points, 102 of 145 goals (59.9%) and 176 of 264 assists (66.6%). Of MSU's lost scoring, 59 of 133 points (45%) came from last year's top defensive pair Artem Levshunov (9-26-35) and seniors Nash Nienhuis (15-9-24).

MSU scored 147 goals in 2023-24, its highest offensive output since the 2002-03 season (154). MSU ranked second in the Big Ten and seventh nationally in scoring offense (3.87 goals per game). MSU increased its offense by more than 30 percent year over year (107 goals in 2022-23).

In the 2023-24 season, MSU ranked 10th nationally in total attendance (110,187) and sixth in average attendance (6,482). Of the national leaders in attendance, MSU had the fewest home games (17); 12 of the 15 highest attendances had at least 18 home games, and seven had 20+. National leader North Dakota (278,612) had 24 home games last season.

Michigan State surpassed its home season total attendance (110,187) by more than 100,000 for the first time since 2007-08 (126,672 in 23 home games). MSU has sold out 23 of its last 24 home games, and has sold out 21 consecutive home games against Big Ten opponents since January 2023.

At the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas, Spartan Artem Levshunov was the No. 2 overall pick by the Chicago Blackhawks. He is tied for the second-highest selection in school history, behind Joe Murphy who was Detroit's No. 1 overall pick in 1986, tied with Craig Simpson who went to Pittsburgh as runner-up in 1985.

Munn Ice Arena will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024-25. It officially opened on Nov. 1, 1974. The 1974-75 Spartans — the first to play at Munn — have been invited to the first home series of the season against No. 2 Boston College.