Lansing Sun

Las Vegas, Nev. -- Rising sophomore Patrick Geary (Buffalo, NY) was the second current Michigan State hockey player drafted in 2024, selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the Upper Deck NHL Draft, which concluded on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Geary was selected in the sixth round (172nd selection overall) by his hometown team. A product of the Buffalo Junior Sabres program, Geary is a rapidly improving force on the young Spartan blueline, which featured four freshmen in the lineup every night in 2023-24. Geary skated in 32 of 38 games and each of the final 30. He recorded five goals and eight assists on the season (+1), and scored one of the biggest goals of MSU's season – the overtime game-winner to seal the Big Ten Tournament championship against Michigan.

A pair of future Spartans were seventh-round selections – Michigan products and USNTDP alums Lucas VanVliet (Livonia, Mich.) and Austin Baker (White Lake, Mich.) went six picks apart in the seventh round. VanVliet was the 197th selection overall by the Vegas Golden Knights, and Baker was selected by the Detroit Red Wings with pick 203.

MSU had four selections in the 2024 draft. Artyom Levshunov went No. 2 overall to Chicago in Friday night's first round.

Levshunov is tied for MSU's second-highest selection in program history, along with Craig Simpson (1985, Pittsburgh). Joe Murphy's pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 1986 was the first-ever college player to be selected No. 1 overall.

The selection of Levshunov by Chicago was their first pick of a Michigan State player since the Blackhawks took Duncan Keith (2nd round, 54th overall) in 2002. Keith went on to earn three Stanley Cup rings with Chicago (2010, 2013, and 2015). Chicago has selected seven Spartans in their draft history.

A native of Belarus, Levshunov became the highest NHL draft pick of Belarusian descent in hockey history.

MSU had its most selections (4) since 2002 when Jim Slater (ATL), Lee Falardeau (NYR), Duncan Keith (CHI), Brock Radunske (EDM), and Colton Fretter (ATL) made up the fourth-largest draft class for MSU. The Spartans had a program-best eight picks in 1990, seven selections in 1985, and six each year from 1994 to 1991. MSU's five-pick years were 2002, 1984, and 1982.

Geary joins classmate Maxim Štrbák (Košice, Slovakia) in the Sabres defensive pipeline. Štrbák was selected No. 45 overall in the 2023 draft. Buffalo has selected eight Spartans all-time, which is fourth-most among teams.

Austin Baker was also selected by his hometown team. A White Lake, Mich., native is one of eight selections by the Detroit Red Wings in 2024. Baker joins Red Savage from the class of '21 and Trey Augustine from '23 as part of Detroit’s prospects.

Lucas Van Vliet is notably recognized as being chosen by last year's Stanley Cup champions Vegas Golden Knights.