Lansing Sun

The Spartan hockey program met with the media on Wednesday to preview the 2024-25 season.

Head Coach Adam Nightingale spoke for 30 minutes before two separate sessions of one-on-one players.

Senior Captain Red Savage expressed his gratitude, stating, "Being the captain 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 have been working towards for a long time now."

Junior Alternate Captain Matt Basgall commented on team rankings, saying, "It's hard to put too much weight on being ranked or the preseason favorite when those things are based off of last year's team. We are just trying to keep our heads down and work because last year's NCAA Tournament didn't go the way we wanted. We want to win a national championship, so we have a lot to work toward and something to prove."

Junior Alternate Captain Karsen Dorwart highlighted changes in the team: "You can expect us to look different this year - we have nine new players. We have guys who are able and ready to step up 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 follow."

Junior Alternate Captain Tiernan Shoudy acknowledged fan support: "It's a privilege and are very fortunate to have the fan support we do. We excited for what we can do. We set the standard last year, and now we've got to do it again - and more."

Sophomore goalie Trey Augustine emphasized practice importance: "Practice has been great. It's super important to get the new guys acclimated quickly. There are obviously a lot of expectations this year, and we know there's a lot of work to be done. We look forward to the challenge and seeing what we can do this year."

Entering the 2024-25 season, Michigan State was selected by Big Ten coaches as the favorite to win the Conference's regular season for the first time in program history. The Spartans were followed by Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State.

The Spartans rank No. 4 in the US College Hockey Online pre-season national poll.

Senior Red Savage has been named Spartan captain for 2024-25, with juniors Matt Basgall, Karsen Dorwart, and Tiernan Shoudy serving as alternate captains.

Last season's Spartans won their first regular-season league title since 2000-01 and their first post-season tournament crown since 2006.

Head coach Adam Nightingale holds a two-year record of 42-29-5; only Rick Comley had more wins (46) in his first two seasons at MSU.

Sophomore goaltender Trey Augustine and junior forwards Karsen Dorwart and Isaac Howard were named pre-season First Team All-Big Ten selections.

The MSU roster includes eight drafted players: Charlie Stramel (Minnesota), Isaac Howard (Tampa), Trey Augustine (Detroit), Maxim Štrbák (Buffalo), Red Savage (Detroit), Vladislav Lukashevich (Florida), Patrick Geary (Buffalo), David Gucciardi (Washington).

MSU returns nearly 68% of its scoring from last year but lost significant contributions from top defensive pair Artyom Levshunov and Nash Nienhuis.

In terms of offensive output, MSU scored 147 goals in 2023-24—their highest since 2002-03—and ranked second in Big Ten scoring offense.

MSU ranked tenth nationally in total attendance last season with over 110,000 attendees despite having fewer home games than most top teams.

Spartan Artyom Levshunov was picked second overall by Chicago Blackhawks at the NHL Entry Draft—tied for second-highest selection in school history.

Munn Ice Arena will celebrate its 50th anniversary this season with special events planned during their opening series against Boston College.