Lansing Sun

Michigan State University (MSU) has been named the favorite in the Big Ten coaches' pre-season poll, according to an announcement by the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans, who were both regular-season and tournament champions in 2024, bring back 16 letterwinners from last year's team. Among them are three players who have been selected for the pre-season First Team All-Big Ten: goaltender Trey Augustine from South Lyon, Michigan, and forwards Karsen Dorwart from Sherwood, Oregon, and Isaac Howard from Hudson, Wisconsin. Joey Larson, a 2024 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection, also returns to the team.

The Spartans will be under the guidance of second-year head coach Adam Nightingale, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Last season marked MSU's first-ever Big Ten regular season championship and their first regular-season conference title since 2001. They clinched the Big Ten Tournament championship with a narrow 5-4 overtime win against Michigan at Munn Ice Arena. The team earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Regional Final for the first time since 2008.

Trey Augustine was one of two unanimous selections to the preseason All-Big Ten team. In the previous season, he was recognized as a Second Team All-Big Ten and All-Freshman Team honoree and was named the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Over 35 games, Augustine recorded a .918 save percentage and ranked fourth in B1G/15th nationally with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.96. He led nationally in saves with 1113 and had three shutouts among other notable statistics. Augustine also played a key role for Team USA at international tournaments.

Karsen Dorwart will continue his role as an alternate captain for MSU this season. Last year as a sophomore, he received honorable mention as an All-Big Ten pick while achieving new personal bests in several categories including goals and assists.

Isaac Howard joined MSU as a sophomore before last season and earned honorable mention all-B1G recognition after leading his team with a point-per-game average over most games played by Spartan athletes.

The Spartans will start their upcoming season on October 4-5 on the road against Lake Superior State before hosting Boston College at Munn Ice Arena on October 11-12.