Michigan State Hockey's NHL Pipeline Continues to Dominate with 11 Spartans Ranked Among Top NHL Prospects

Michigan State hockey continues to prove it has become one of the premier NHL factories in college hockey, and the amount of talent coming through East Lansing is only getting more impressive.

The well-oiled machine that Adam Nightingale has built continues to show that if you want to become an NHL-caliber prospect and hear your name called on draft day, Michigan State has become one of the best places in the country to develop.

That point was first reinforced when former Spartan Porter Martone took the NHL by storm over the final couple weeks of the regular season, helping Philadelphia secure a playoff spot. It was then strengthened when Michigan State tied an NHL Draft record by having five players selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. Now, it's being cemented even further.

Scott Wheeler, National NHL Draft and prospects reporter for The Athletic, recently released his Top 100 Drafted Skater Prospects and Top 20 Drafted Goaltender Prospects rankings.

Combined, the two lists feature 11 Spartans among the 120 total prospects, the most of any college program represented.

Michigan State has four former players already playing for their NHL clubs after helping the Spartans capture three consecutive Big Ten championships.

Leading the way is the aforementioned Martone, who enters his rookie season after appearing in nine NHL games to close last season. He scored four goals and added six assists, totaling 10 points in just nine games.

Martone became a skating billboard for Michigan State during the closing stretch of the season, and it paid dividends for both himself and the Spartans.

He is ranked as the No. 3 drafted skater prospect, trailing only 2026 top picks Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg.

The other two skaters already playing for their NHL clubs are the two lowest-ranked Spartans inside Wheeler's Top 100.

Charlie Stramel comes in at No. 94 as he prepares for a season with the Minnesota Wild, who selected him 21st overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. Stramel transferred to Michigan State last season and teamed up with Martone to create one of the best duos in college hockey.

Isaac Howard rounds out the Top 100 at No. 99. Howard was originally drafted 31st overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers, where he signed a three-year contract.

The final former Spartan on the list is goaltender Trey Augustine, who helped Michigan State win three straight Big Ten titles. Augustine is ranked as the No. 3 goaltender prospect among all drafted goalies.

Augustine was called up by the Detroit Red Wings organization to play the final game of the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins and could be in line to make his NHL debut this season after Detroit traded top goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa during the draft to move back into the first round after dealing away last year's first-round pick.

Ironically, the only goaltender ranked ahead of Augustine is Michigan State's new netminder.

Joshua Ravensbergen checks in as the No. 2 drafted goalie prospect and now steps into one of the biggest roles in college hockey. The first-round pick will carry extremely high expectations as he looks to continue Michigan State's championship run between the pipes.

As for the other six skaters who made the rankings, four were selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, including No. 5 Chase Reid, No. 30 Ethan Belchetz, No. 52 Nikita Klepov and No. 88 Tommy Bleyl.

Those four, along with fellow first-round pick Jack Hextall and several other talented newcomers, will look to make an immediate impact for Nightingale and the Spartans while showing exactly why they're already ranked among the NHL's top prospects.

Another newcomer to East Lansing, though far from a freshman, is transfer Cullen Potter, who comes in at No. 86. Potter was selected 32nd overall in the 2025 NHL Draft and arrives at Michigan State after spending two seasons at Arizona State.

The final Spartan featured in the Top 100 rankings is also the lone player returning to Michigan State after playing for the Spartans last season.

Team USA standout Ryker Lee checks in at No. 44, making him the fourth-highest ranked Spartan skater on Wheeler's list.

Lee is a magician with the puck on his stick and will look to emerge as Michigan State's top offensive weapon this season with the creativity and skill he brings every time he touches the ice.

This roster is loaded with NHL-caliber talent, and the hockey world continues to be reminded of that time and time again.

The NHL factory that is Michigan State continues to produce elite prospects at an incredible rate. But with expectations now soaring higher than ever, the next step isn't just continuing to look good on paper—it's turning all of that talent into another championship season on the ice.