Michigan State Press ReleaseMichigan State has announced that sophomore Torey Krug will captain the Spartans in the upcoming season, with senior Dustin Gazley and junior Trevor Nill serving as alternate captains.
Krug is only the second player in Michigan State history to wear a captain’s “C” on his sweater as a sophomore. Don McSween was a captain in the 1984-85 season, sharing the captaincy with Kelly Miller and Dan McFall. Krug becomes the only solo sophomore captain in program history.
“Torey has established himself as a leader in our locker room and it’s a testament to him that his teammates voted him to be their captain,” said MSU head coach Rick Comley, who is embarking on his ninth season behind the bench at Michigan State. “We saw those leadership qualities in him as we recruited him, and we knew that he would bring that to our program. Dustin Gazley and Trevor Nill are two hard-working players who expect the best of themselves and the others around them and they are great leaders by example. It’s their conduct, effort and initiative that has established them as leaders among their teammates, and the vote was very indicative of their stature in our locker room.”
“Growing up in Livonia, I always felt that pulling on a Green and White sweater would be an honor in itself,” admitted the newest Spartan captain. “I’m extremely excited about this opportunity and the chance I have to represent our team, our hockey program and Michigan State University. I’m also proud and humbled that my teammates would vote me to be their captain.
“It is an unbelievable group of guys in our locker room - one of the closest teams I have ever been on in my life. We’re very focused on working hard. We have high expectations of ourselves, and are very focused on achieving our goals.”
Krug was a member of the CCHA All-Rookie Team a season ago and finished his debut campaign with a 3-18-21 scoring line. Two of his three goals were game-winning tallies. He was paired on the blueline with 2010 All-American and Spartan captain Jeff Petry, with the duo averaging more than 24 minutes per game over the course of the season.
Gazley is one of two seniors on the roster and the only player on the roster with more than 100 games played under his belt. A top-six forward each of the last two seasons, Gazley put up nine goals and 21 points as a junior and has 19-28-47 in three seasons. Nill has appeared in 60 games over two seasons and put up 2-7-9 in 2009-10.
“It’s a great honor to wear a letter in a program that has such a rich history,” said Nill. “I believe we have quality guys in our locker room - guys with big hearts who want to succeed and play hard. I’m really looking forward to getting this season underway.”
“This is such a great group to work with and be a part of,” added Gazley. “Its an honor to wear a letter. We have a lot of juniors and seniors who have played a lot and played big roles for us coming back this season. The experience we have in our core group of players is going to be key. I'm very proud to be a part of this program.”
Krug, Gazley and Nill will lead a team with 18 returning letterwinners, 17 of which reside in the junior and sophomore classes. The team finished in second place in the 2009-10 season and returns junior Drew Palmisano, a second-team All-CCHA pick a season ago, between the pipes in addition to six letterwinners on defense.
The trio is also very involved in MSU hockey's community service initiatives - Nill was recently named the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and serves on the board of the MSU chapter of Athletes in Action, Krug helped organize the Student-Athlete Food Drive last November and all three have been active with Spartan Buddies and Shoot for a Cure.
Krug is only the second player in Michigan State history to wear a captain’s “C” on his sweater as a sophomore. Don McSween was a captain in the 1984-85 season, sharing the captaincy with Kelly Miller and Dan McFall. Krug becomes the only solo sophomore captain in program history.
“Torey has established himself as a leader in our locker room and it’s a testament to him that his teammates voted him to be their captain,” said MSU head coach Rick Comley, who is embarking on his ninth season behind the bench at Michigan State. “We saw those leadership qualities in him as we recruited him, and we knew that he would bring that to our program. Dustin Gazley and Trevor Nill are two hard-working players who expect the best of themselves and the others around them and they are great leaders by example. It’s their conduct, effort and initiative that has established them as leaders among their teammates, and the vote was very indicative of their stature in our locker room.”
“Growing up in Livonia, I always felt that pulling on a Green and White sweater would be an honor in itself,” admitted the newest Spartan captain. “I’m extremely excited about this opportunity and the chance I have to represent our team, our hockey program and Michigan State University. I’m also proud and humbled that my teammates would vote me to be their captain.
“It is an unbelievable group of guys in our locker room - one of the closest teams I have ever been on in my life. We’re very focused on working hard. We have high expectations of ourselves, and are very focused on achieving our goals.”
Krug was a member of the CCHA All-Rookie Team a season ago and finished his debut campaign with a 3-18-21 scoring line. Two of his three goals were game-winning tallies. He was paired on the blueline with 2010 All-American and Spartan captain Jeff Petry, with the duo averaging more than 24 minutes per game over the course of the season.
Gazley is one of two seniors on the roster and the only player on the roster with more than 100 games played under his belt. A top-six forward each of the last two seasons, Gazley put up nine goals and 21 points as a junior and has 19-28-47 in three seasons. Nill has appeared in 60 games over two seasons and put up 2-7-9 in 2009-10.
“It’s a great honor to wear a letter in a program that has such a rich history,” said Nill. “I believe we have quality guys in our locker room - guys with big hearts who want to succeed and play hard. I’m really looking forward to getting this season underway.”
“This is such a great group to work with and be a part of,” added Gazley. “Its an honor to wear a letter. We have a lot of juniors and seniors who have played a lot and played big roles for us coming back this season. The experience we have in our core group of players is going to be key. I'm very proud to be a part of this program.”
Krug, Gazley and Nill will lead a team with 18 returning letterwinners, 17 of which reside in the junior and sophomore classes. The team finished in second place in the 2009-10 season and returns junior Drew Palmisano, a second-team All-CCHA pick a season ago, between the pipes in addition to six letterwinners on defense.
The trio is also very involved in MSU hockey's community service initiatives - Nill was recently named the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and serves on the board of the MSU chapter of Athletes in Action, Krug helped organize the Student-Athlete Food Drive last November and all three have been active with Spartan Buddies and Shoot for a Cure.
Photo by Matt Mackinder/MiCHO
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