MiCHO Week 8 Results

The Michigan Tech Huskies are the only remaining unbeaten D-1
team in the country. (photo courtesy Bemidji State Athletics) 

The Michigan Tech Huskies are #1 for the first time in their storied history after a two-game sweep at Bemidji State.

Friday- MTU 2, BSU 1
Saturday- MTU 4, BSU 2

Ferris State got a pair of easy wins in Big Rapids as they racked up 14 goals in a demolition of Alaska-Anchorage.

Friday- UAA 2, FSU 10
Saturday- UAA 0, FSU 4

Lake Superior went south and earned a split at Alabama-Huntsville.

Fri- LSSU 1, UAH 0
Sat- LSSU 2, UAH 5

It's back to the win column for the Michigan Wolverines after a home sweep of American International in Ann Arbor.

Fri- AI 2, U of M 5
Sat- AI 3, U of M 6

Michigan State played a single game in East Lansing and were narrowly clipped by the BC Eagles.

Fri- BC 3, MSU 2

And finally, Western Michigan made it interesting against St. Cloud State in Kalamazoo with a close loss and shootout win.

Fri- SCS 4, WMU 3
Sat- SCS 1, WMU 1 (Broncos win shootout, 1-0, in 6 rounds) 

MiCHO Week 5 Results

Western Michigan junior Nolan LaPorte tallied three points to lead the Broncos to a 4-2 win over Alaska at Lawson Ice Arena in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,063 Saturday night (GS Photo).

Michigan Tech swept WCHA rival Ferris State in Big Rapids.

Friday - MTU 1, Ferris State 0
Saturday - MTU 2, Ferris State 1


Michigan went on the road and beat Massachusetts-Lowell, before losing to Boston University.

Friday - Michigan 8, UMass Lowell 4
Saturday - Boston University 3, Michigan 2


Northern Michigan took both contests on the road against still-winless Lake Superior State.

Friday - Northern Michigan 4, LSSU 2
Saturday - Northern Michigan 3, LSSU 0


Michigan State also went East, losing to both Boston University and UMass Lowell.

Friday - Boston University 1, Michigan State 0
Saturday - UMass Lowell 2, Michigan State 1


Western Michigan played at home and split with Alaska.

Friday - Alaska 1, Western Michigan 0
Saturday - Western Michigan 4, Alaska 2

MiCHO Week 4 Results

The Michigan State Spartans began the new season with a 5-3 win over UMass in East Lansing.
(photo courtesy of Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletic Communications)

#10 Michigan rallied at Yost for a two-game split with visiting New Hampshire.

Friday recap -  UNH 5, U of M 1
Saturday recap - UNH 1, U of M 2

The Northern Michigan Wildcats opened their season with a bang as they swept the #18 Wisconsin Badgers at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

Friday recap - NMU 2, U of W 0
Saturday recap - NMU 4, U of W 1

Michigan State began the campaign with a split at Munn against Massachusetts.

Friday recap - UMass 3, MSU 5
Saturday recap - UMass 4, MSU 3

There was no joy at the Lawson Arena as the WMU Broncos were swept aside by Nebraska-Omaha.

Friday recap - UNO 5, WMU 2
Saturday recap - UNO 3, WMU 0

#4 Ferris State went on the road and split with St. Lawrence in Canton, NY.

Friday recap - FSU 3, St. Lawrence 2
Saturday recap - FSU 0, St. Lawrence 2

Lake Superior is still searching for their first win of the year as they hammered by Notre Dame in South Bend.

Friday recap - LSSU 3, ND 5
Saturday recap - LSSU 1, ND 5

MiCHO Week 2 Results

Broncos win Border Battle in K'Zoo (photo courtesy of GS Photo / WMU Athletics) 

#9 Ferris State slips past #8 Michigan in Big Rapids. 

• Saturday recaps - FSU UofM USCHO 

Michigan Tech sweeps Lake Superior in the Sault. 

• Saturday recaps - MTU LSSU USCHO
• Sunday recaps - MTU LSSU USCHO

Western Michigan and Toronto finish 2-2, Broncos win in shootout at the Lawson Arena.

• Saturday recap - WMU

Michigan puts up a touchdown in exhibition win over the US Under-18 squad at Yost.

• Monday recap - UofM

Michigan State skates to a 2-2 tuneup tie at Munn against Windsor.

• Tuesday recap- MSU

MSU Hockey Pro Camp heats up Munn

The Michigan State Spartans welcome back 20 hockey alum, including 11 who skated in the NHL last season, to the annual MSU Hockey Pro Camp that runs August 18-22.

U of M, MSU, and WMU to play in Hockey City Classic

Photo courtesy Coyote Hockey City Classic

The Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, and Western Michigan Broncos will all be heading to Soldier Field in Chicago for the Hockey City Classic on Feb. 7, 2015. 

Former Spartan Greg Wolfe heads to Fort Wayne

Former Spartans' captain Greg Wolfe (2010-14) signs with the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets.

Spartans nab USHL recruit

MSU gets a commitment from a potential USHL star in Mason Appleton.

Ferrantino to captain the Green and White

Michael Ferrantino named Michigan State captain for 2014-15 season.

Bulldogs conclude 2013 with 15-game unbeaten streak

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Testing their talents against schools in the newly-formed Big Ten conference (and former fellow CCHA rivals) Michigan and Michigan State, No. 4 ranked Ferris State escaped unscathed this past weekend, tying the school record for most consecutive games without a loss at 15.

The Bulldogs ventured to Ann Arbor on Wednesday night, where they skated to a 2-2 tie. Freshman forward Kyle Schempp registered his seventh goal in unassisted fashion at 13:06 in the first, before the Wolverines' Andrew Copp netted the equalizer 1:20 later. Earning helpers on that play were Phil DiGiuseepe and Tyler Motte (brother of Ferris State goaltender C.J. Motte).

No. 3 ranked Michigan grabbed their only lead of the net in the opening minute of the second, as Alex Guptill snuck the puck past Motte 38 seconds into the restart.

The 2-1 lead stood until less than six minutes left in regulation, when defenseman Brandon Anselmini fired a shot from the point to force the extra session.

With neither team able to produce the game-winning goal in overtime, the contest officially goes into the NCAA record-books as a tie. However, under Big Ten rules, the home team has to power to declare a shootout, even in a non-conference game.

Garret Thompson of Ferris State and Michigan's Copp both found the back of the net in the second round of the shootout, but it wouldn't be decided until five rounds later, when Alex Kile's shot was determined by officials to have crossed the goal line to give the Wolverines the win.

Zach Nagelvoort had a slight advantage in the saves department over Motte, 29-28.

In Saturday's contest in East Lansing - dubbed the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game - the Bulldogs closed out the 2013 calendar year with a 2-0 triumph over Michigan State.

Freshman Chad McDonald produced the game-winning goal just shy of the midway point of the first period off a feed from linemate Kenny Babinski. The score is McDonald's fourth of the campaign and first since November 22 in a 5-3 win over Alaska.

A five-minute major levied against Michigan State's Matt DeBlouw for boarding in the early moments of the ensuing frame helped spur a scoring opportunity for the Bulldogs on the power-play. Junior forward Justin Buzzeo produced his eighth goal this season, with freshmen Gerald Mayhew and Ryan Lowney each registering assists on that play.

Motte recorded his second shutout of 2013-2014 with a 16 save effort to improve to 14-0-3 as a starter.

Taking the loss in net for the Spartans was Jake Hildebrand, who stopped 20 of 22 shots faced.

Ferris State (14-2-3 overall) is idle until January 3, when they face RPI in the opening round of the Mariucci Classic. Pending the result of that game, the Bulldogs will face either Colgate or host Minnesota the following night.

Up next for both Michigan (10-2-2) and Michigan State (5-9-1) is the Great Lakes Invitational on December 27-28 at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Wolverines draw Western Michigan in the opening round, while the Spartans clash with Michigan Tech. All four games can be seen on either Fox Sports Detroit or Fox Sports Detroit Plus at 3:30 and 7:00 pm both nights.

Spartans announce three more commitments for '13-14

Michigan State Press Release

Michigan State has announced that three more players will be joining the Spartan hockey program for the fall of 2013.

Forwards Thomas Ebbing (Troy/Chicago Steel), Villiam Haag (Gothenberg, Sweden) and defenseman Chris Knudson (North Barrington, Ill./Wichita Falls Wildcats) will join previously-signed forwards Joe Cox (Chelsea), JT Stenglein (Greece, N.Y.) and Mackenzie MacEachern (Troy) as the newcomers for the 2013-14 season.

"We are very excited about this class," said MSU coach Tom Anastos. "They possess a nice blend of scoring ability, size, speed, toughness and tenacity that will help us continue our evolution into a championship-caliber team."

Five of the six played at least part of the 2012-13 season in the United States Hockey League, while Knudson is a veteran of the North American Hockey League.

A total of 14 returning veterans played in either the USHL or NAHL before joining the Spartan program.

Michigan State graduates four seniors from the 2012-13 team - three forwards (Anthony Hayes, Chris Forfar and Kevin Walrod) and defenseman Matt Grassi.

Knudson photo courtesy NAHL

CCHA honors former players with All-Decade Team

CCHA Press Release

Continuing to ‘Celebrate The Legacy’ in its’ 42nd and final season, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has released the All-Decade Team for 2000-13 to honor the league’s top performers from the past 13 years.

 

The illustrious group of 12 players, selected by a committee of coaches, administrators and media, joins the league’s All-Decade teams from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s that were selected in 2001.

All 12 players selected to the CCHA 2000-13 All-Decade Team were All-Americans (six multiple All-Americans) and graduated to professional careers. Eleven played in the National Hockey League (NHL), Michigan State goaltender Ryan Miller (pictured) blossomed into an NHL All-Star and U.S. Olympian, while Ferris State forward Chris Kunitz has captured the Stanley Cup with both Anaheim and Pittsburgh.

 

The CCHA 2000-13 All-Decade Team was chosen from a pool of Hobey Baker Award winners and All-Americans that played at least three years of college hockey. The selections were made by a committee of coaches, administrators and media that have been involved with the league for the better part of the last three decades.

 

Below is the team in alphabetical order by position with their overall career totals. Miller won the 2002 Hobey Baker Award and was a two-time CCHA Player of the Year and two-time Goaltender of the Year. Other Hobey Baker Award winners on the All-Decade Team include Michigan forward Kevin Porter (2008) and Miami forward Andy Miele (2011).

 

CCHA 2000-13 All-Decade First Team

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	GP	G	A	Pts.
T.J. Hensick	F	Michigan	164	75	147	222
Chris Kunitz	F	Ferris State	152	99	76	175
Kevin Porter	F	Michigan	168	85	98	183
Andy Greene	D	Miami	159	27	87	114
John-Michael Liles	D	Michigan State	162	44	94	138

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	W-L-T	GAA	SV%
Ryan Miller	G	Michigan State	73-18-12	1.54	.941

CCHA 2000-13 All-Decade Second Team

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	GP	G	A	Pts.
Ryan Jones	F	Miami	161	90	57	147
Andy Miele	F	Miami	141	60	100	160
Scott Parse	F	Nebraska Omaha	159	79	118	197
Brad Fast	D	Michigan State	164	30	84	114
Greg Zanon	D	Nebraska Omaha	154	30	77	107

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	W-L-T	GAA	SV%
Cody Reichard	G	Miami	53-24-9	2.10	.912

Bulldogs outshine MSU with Thompson hat trick

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

In their first game back to ring in the new year, Ferris State extended their winning streak to two games following a 3-0 decision at home against Michigan State on Saturday.

The victory avenges a 3-1 loss to the Spartans from three weeks prior and moves them into a fourth-place tie with Ohio State in the CCHA standings.

Junior forward Garrett Thompson began his night-long terror midway through the second period by beating Michigan State goaltender Jake Hildebrand while on the man-advantage. Assists were credited to junior defenseman Scott Czarnowczan and senior forward Travis Ouellette.

It wasn't long after until Thompson found the net again, this time from the right corner off a breakaway pass by sophomore defenseman Jason Binkley with 15:17 elapsed.

Freshman forward Matt Roberston fed Thompson a pass with 34 seconds remaining in the third to complete the hat trick, which came via an empty-netter.

Sophomore netminder C.J. Motte stopped 23 shots to record his third shutout of the campaign and improve to 8-8-3 as a starter.

At the other end of the ice, Hildebrand (3-7-2) had 28 saves to his credit.

The Bulldogs (9-8-3 overall, 7-6-1 CCHA) look to break away from Ohio State in the standings this weekend when the two play in Big Rapids, while the Spartans (5-12-3 overall, 4-9-1 CCHA) welcome conference leader Notre Dame to Munn Ice Arena.

Bulldogs retreat in 3-1 loss to Michigan State

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

All that Ferris State wants for Christmas is a victory.

Winless thus far in the month of December, the Bulldogs saw their losing streak extend to four games over the weekend after dropping a 3-1 decision on the road against Michigan State.

The Spartans, who themselves put an end to their six-game schneid, struck first in the second period with a goal by Matt Berry from Matt DeBlouw and Brent Darnell at the 6:52 mark.

Nearly nine minutes would pass before Ferris State was able to return the favor, which came on a slapshot by defenseman Jason Binkley from just inside the blue line. Earning helpers on that play were forwards Cory Kane and T.J. Schlueter.

Chris Forfar broke the tie for Michigan State just 1:32 into the final frame, which would turn out to be the game-winning goal.

A little past the midway point, R.J. Boyd tallied his second assist of the contest by setting-up Tanner Sorensen's marker from the left faceoff circle.

With his 23 saves, the Spartans' Jake Hillebrand improved his ledger to 3-5-1, while C.J. Motte of the Bulldogs (19 saves) dropped to 7-7-3.

Michigan State (5-10-2 overall, 4-8-1 CCHA) is idle until December 29th, when they travel to the Joe Louis Arena to kickoff the Great Lakes Invitational against Western Michigan.

Ferris State (7-7-3 overall, 6-6-1 CCHA) also returns to action in two weeks, where they will face Cornell in the opening round of the Florida College Classic on the 28th.

MSU's Carney retires after severe neck injury

Michigan State Press Release

Michigan State defenseman Branden Carney has come to a decision to end his hockey playing career on the advice of medical professionals.

Carney’s doctors have determined that it is not in his best interest to participate in a contact/collision sport as he continues to recover from a severe neck injury.

Carney fractured his C1 and C2 vertebrae during practice at Munn Ice Arena on Nov. 3, 2011. He was participating in drills during the Spartans’ practice session when he went head-first into the dasher boards. He was transported to Sparrow Hospital for treatment and Carney was immediately (and has continued for the last 13 months) under the care of neurosurgeon Dr. Charles Bill.

“Obviously, getting that final word that I cannot play again was difficult,” said Carney. “I’ve had some time to think about it since my appointment and it’s been a blessing that I have been able to be able to play the game that I love for as long as I did.

“I have to thank the medical staff at MSU – particularly Dr. Robert Norris and athletic trainer Dave Carrier – as well as the emergency response staff who were among the first on the scene. Dr. Bill has been overseeing my care from the minute I arrived at Sparrow Hospital and everyone there was wonderful to me and my family in a time filled with anxiety. I know that I received the absolute best care possible throughout this situation.

“I have received unbelievable support from everyone in the hockey program and throughout the university. My teammates have been amazing – from coming to the hospital the day of the accident to each and every one of them reaching out to me on Thursday after I learned the news. The staff has been there for me every single step of the way, genuinely concerned about my well-being. A big thank you has to go out to coaches Anastos, Miller, Newton and Gilmore, as well as everyone in the program, for the support they have provided me over the last 13 months.”

“Our program has been committed to support Branden and his family as he has gone through the recovery process,” said MSU head coach Tom Anastos. “This news is obviously a disappointment to all of us. However, in the big picture, Branden will, as I understand it, lead a full life in which he can participate in normal, everyday activities, as well as participate in non-contact recreational sports. Many people who have sustained a similar injury have not been as fortunate to experience such a recovery, so in spite of the disappointing news that Branden’s playing career is over, we’re thrilled that Branden has made such a remarkable recovery.

"Branden is a part of this program and the Michigan State hockey family and this medical decision will not change that. Branden is a Spartan and we will discuss over the coming weeks what his role will be with our program day-to-day going forward.”

Spartans announce two more commits for 2013-14

Michigan State Press Release 

Michigan State announced today that forward Joe Cox (Chelsea/Muskegon Lumberjacks), and J.T. Stenglein (Greece, N.Y./Youngstown Phantoms) will join the Spartan hockey program in the fall of 2013.

Cox and Stenglein (pictured) join Mackenzie MacEachern (Troy/Chicago Steel) as the committed players for the fall of 2013.

“We are very excited about this class,” said MSU head coach Tom Anastos. “They possess a nice blend of scoring ability, size, speed, toughness and tenacity that will help us continue our evolution into a championship-caliber team."

MacEachern signed his National Letter of Intent last spring and was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the NHL Entry Draft in June.

All three are currently playing in the United States Hockey League, a developmental league in which 14 of MSU’s current 27 players competed prior to enrolling at MSU.

Photo courtesy Rob Bindler

Lakers, Spartans split on Homecoming Weekend

By Michael David/LSSU Beat Writer

A busy weekend in Sault Ste. Marie began with the first ever Lake Superior State homecoming parade and pep-rally Friday night. 

The Lakers would then go on beat the Michigan State Spartans 3-2. MSU would win the rubber-match on Saturday by holding off the Lakers 4-2.

Friday night both teams played solid defense to keep the game scoreless after one period of play. In the second, the Lakers would get on the board with a power-play goal by Ben Power. Zack Sternberg and Dan Radke would get the assists. Lake State then extended their lead when Nick McParland scored a nice goal assisted by defenseman Kevin Czuczman. The Spartans would cut the lead in half with a power-play goal of their own by Tanner Sorenson. Lee Reimer and Brent Darnell were credited with the assists.

The Lakers lost also lost their goalie, Kevin Kapalka, on the scoring play, who left the game with an apparent shoulder injury. He was replaced by junior net minder Kevin Murdock.

The Lakers would add one more before the second period came to an end. Exactly one second before. The Lakers solid fore-checking wouldn't allow the Spartans to clear the puck, which ultimately ended up on the stick of Chris Ciotti, who was able to back-hand it into the net. Sternberg and Buddy Robinson assisted on the last-second goal.

Michigan State would close the gap in the third period, when Anthony Hayes scored to make it 3-2. His goals was assisted by R.J. Boyd and Chris Forfar. The Spartans were unable to find the equalizer, and Lake State held on for the win. Kapalka made 17 saves for his effort, and Murdock stopped 5 and picked up the victory.

MSU was 1-5 on the power-play, while LSSU was 2-4.  

Will Yanakeff made 26 saves in net for the Spartans.

Saturday night Michigan State steady stream of blue in the penalty box to secure the 4-2 win. They got on the board early in the first, scoring with the extra man with a goal by John Draeger, and assited by Sorenson and Travis Walsh.

MSU extended their lead in the second, with another power-play goal by Sorenson. Reimer and Matt Berry earned the assists. LSSU finally got on the board to cut the lead to 2-1 when Ciotti scored another late-period goal, assisted by Robinson.

The Spartans kept their power-play attack hot, when Berry scored early third period goal assited by Greg Wolfe and Matt DeBlouw. MSU's fourth goal, the only one scored without the extra man, was scored by Hayes. Draeger and Justin Hoomainn got the assists. The Lakers scored late in the third to cut the lead in half, but were unable to pop in a couple of more. Steven Perfetto scored the Laker goal assisted by Sternberg and Power.

Murdock stayed in net for the Lakers, making 33 saves in the loss. Jake Hildebrand made 28 saves in the Spartan net.

LSSU was 0-4 on the power play, and MSU was 3-6.

The Lakers (3-3-0, 1-1-0 CCHA) travel up to Alaska to take on the Nanooks next weekend. The Spartans (2-3-1, 1-1-0 CCHA) have a home-and-home series with Bowling Green.

Michigan State beats, ties AHA's Niagara

Compiled by MiCHO Staff 

The Michigan State Spartans welcomed Atlantic Hockey member Niagara to Munn Arena this past weekend and defeated the Purple Eagles Friday night before settling for a tie in the second game on Saturday night.

In the series finale, the Spartans trailed 2-0 entering the final period, tied the game 3-3 on Brent Darnell's goal off a faceoff with 49.4 seconds left. Darnell also set up Matt DeBlouw's goal that tied the game at 2-2 and scored the only goal in the shootout.

MSU captain Greg Wolfe scored the other goal for the Spartans, who got 31 saves from goalie Will Yanakeff.

Friday night, Michigan State scored three goals in the third period to take a 3-2 win.

Jake Chelios, Lee Reimer and Matt Berry tallied for MSU and Yanakeff stopped 22 shots for the victory.

The Spartans (1-2-1 overall) open CCHA play this weekend with a two-game set on the road at Lake Superior State. 

Spartans unveil new home, away jerseys

Michigan State Press Release 

The Michigan State hockey program will have four new jersey designs for the 2012-13 season, which includes new standard home and away jerseys as well as a set of vintage Michigan State sweaters that will debut in the Great Lakes Invitational.

“In developing this new design, we gathered a lot of feedback from our players about the jersey’s fit, feel, performance and look,” said MSU head coach Tom Anastos. “We feel that the design that Nike has developed has a cutting-edge look and embraces the values of the Spartan brand.”

The Spartans will wear home whites similar to the uniforms worn by the team over the last two years since the rebranding in the athletics department. The green Spartan head logo is in the center of the chest, with the same logo on the shoulders; the player number is both on the upper arm and on the back, where it is green and outlined in bronze. The sleeves have vertical green stripes from the shoulders to the wrist, as well as three green vertical stripes – a thick stripe in the middle and thinner on either side – down the flank.

The road jerseys are a photo-opposite – white stripes on the green sweater, with a white Spartan head logo on the chest, and the player number on the back in white outlined in bronze.

The home and away socks mirror the stripes on the flank of the jerseys – a thick stripe between two thinner stripes in the opposite color.

For the 2012 Great Lakes Invitational, MSU will unveil a “vintage” sweater which brings back the familiar script Michigan State jerseys worn by the Spartan hockey program for nearly 30 years.

The white vintage sweaters have the script “Michigan State” in green, with a green stripe from the shoulder to the wrist; there is also a horizontal green stripe across the bottom. The player number is on the back in green with bronze outline.

The green jerseys will be green with the white script Michigan State logo, with a white player number outlined in bronze and the white stripe from shoulder to wrist and horizontal stripe across the hips. The vintage-style jerseys will be used primarily for special events – the Spartan helmet logo jerseys will be the primary uniform for MSU.

The Spartans will wear them for the first time at the 2012 Great Lakes Invitational, which will be played outdoors at Comerica Park as a part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival and feature MSU, Michigan, Michigan Tech and invitee Western Michigan.

Comerica will also host several other events in advance of NHL’s Winter Classic on New Year’s Day between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, which include an AHL game between the top affiliates of each team game and two games which will feature alumni of both storied organizations.

“The script ‘Michigan State’ logo was introduced in my freshman season [1980-81] and over the course of time, became one of the iconic jerseys in college hockey,” said Anastos . “We will be bringing this design back on a limited basis, and will wear them for special events and for select games. Our players are really excited about it and we know that it resonates with so many of our alumni and fans.”

Incoming Michigan State quartet drafted in Pittsburgh

Michigan State Press Release 

Four incoming Michigan State players were drafted on the second day of the National Hockey League Entry Draft on Saturday and the four selections in this year’s draft were the most selections for the Spartans in a season since 2006.

“We are very pleased for the guys who were drafted today,” said MSU coach Tom Anastos, who himself was drafted in the sixth round by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1981 draft.

“All four of them have excellent futures ahead of them and we are excited about them beginning the next phase of their development at Michigan State.”

The future Spartan players started to hear their names early in the third round.

Birmingham Brother Rice graduate Mackenzie Maceachern (Troy) and defenseman John Draeger (Edina, Minn) went in back-to-back picks, Maceachern at No. 67 overall to the St. Louis Blues. Draeger heard his name called by his home-state Minnesota Wild at No. 68. Maceachern is the ninth-ever MSU draft pick by the Blues and the first since Trevor Nill in 2006. Draeger is just the second-ever Minnesota Wild draft pick for the Spartans and both were defensemen (AJ Thelen was a first-round pick of the Wild in 2004).

Rhett Holland (Calgary, Alberta) went to Phoenix with their fourth-round selection. Four former Spartan players were drafted by the old Winnipeg Jets prior to the team relocating to Phoenix in 1996.

MSU’s fourth selection of the day was Matt DeBlouw (Chesterfield), Calgary’s seventh-round pick at No. 186 overall. He is the fifth Spartan selected and first since 1991 when Kelly Harper was picked by Calgary in the seventh round as well.

MSU had four players selected in the NHL draft for the first time since 2006 when Mike Ratchuk (Philadelphia), Jeff Petry (Edmonton), Ryan Turek (St. Louis) and Nick Sucharski (Columbus) heard their names called on draft day.

Michigan State had 15 former players appear in at least one NHL game during the 2011-12 season.

Draeger, Holland and DeBlouw are set to join the Spartans for the 2012-13 season, while Maceachern will play this coming season in the USHL for the Chicago Steel, which selected him fourth overall in the USHL draft earlier this spring. Maceachern was Michigan’s "Mr. Hockey" after leading Brother Rice to a state title. Draeger helped lead Shattuck St. Mary’s to back-to-back national Tier I championships in 2011 and 2012.

Maceachern photo by MiHockeyNow.com