With the top goaltender gone, a promising backup also exits. Minnesota looms as a potential destination for the skilled Swedish netminder.
The Spartans have been losing players left and right—and now, that list continues to grow.
That includes junior goaltender Trey Augustine, who held the starting role between the pipes for Michigan State over the past three seasons. This past season, when Augustine was given a rare rest, it was Melvin Strahl who stepped in to start for the Spartans.
Strahl, a fifth-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets (156th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft), is a 21-year-old, 6-foot-3, 170-pound goaltender from Sollefteå, Sweden.
As a freshman, Strahl appeared in four games and made three starts, allowing seven goals for Michigan State. He posted a 2.27 goals-against average (GAA) and finished with a .922 save percentage on 83 shots. Of the three games he started, the Spartans won two, with the lone loss coming in the regular-season finale against Minnesota—after Michigan State had already locked up the Big Ten regular-season championship—with Strahl between the pipes.
According to Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal news and sports writer covering Michigan State hockey, Strahl is entering the transfer portal, with Minnesota emerging as a likely landing spot based on sources close to Bott.
This move comes as a bit of a surprise. Michigan State’s top goaltender over the past three seasons, Trey Augustine, recently signed his entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He is expected to begin his professional career with the Grand Rapids Griffins before eventually making the jump to the Red Wings.
Augustine capped off his final season in East Lansing by winning the Mike Richter Award and earning back-to-back Big Ten Goaltender of the Year honors. His run highlighted what has been a truly special stretch for a Michigan State netminder under head coach Adam Nightingale.
With Augustine moving on, Strahl appeared to be next in line to take over as the Spartans’ starting goaltender. Instead, he now heads out of East Lansing after just one season.
There may be more happening behind the scenes than we know. It’s possible that Nightingale made it clear there would be no guaranteed starting role for Strahl and that the coaching staff planned to evaluate all options at the position.
That includes incoming freshman Joshua Ravensbergen, the 30th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks. Ravensbergen arrives in East Lansing with extremely high expectations, both at the collegiate level and as a professional prospect. There’s a strong possibility that Nightingale emphasized an open competition between the two goaltenders, with no promises made—potentially influencing Strahl’s decision to enter the portal.
Ravensbergen is currently ranked as the sixth-best goaltender prospect, according to Daily Faceoff analyst Steven Ellis (with Augustine previously ranked third), further underscoring the level of talent entering the program.
Regardless of the exact reasoning, Strahl has decided he may have a better opportunity elsewhere, adding his name to the growing list of departures from East Lansing—whether due to graduation, professional signings, or now, the transfer portal.
Michigan State will now say its farewells to Strahl and turn its attention to the future, where elite prospect Joshua Ravensbergen could take over as the next starting goaltender for the Spartans.
If Strahl does indeed land with Minnesota, the Spartans would face his new team four times during the regular season, with a potential matchup in the Big Ten Tournament depending on how things shake out.
Michigan State fans will certainly wish Strahl the best in his future endeavors—just not when he’s lining up against his former team.