Michigan State Hockey Roster: The 2017-2018 Season

The Michigan State Hockey Roster for the 2017-2018 season includes some familiar faces, as well as some new ones. Get to know the team that will be representing the Spartans this year!

Forwards

The Michigan State Hockey Team is comprised of forwards, defensemen, and goalies. The roster changes from year to year as players graduate, leave early for the NHL, or are replaced by incoming freshmen or transfers. Here is a look at the forwards on the 2017-2018 Michigan State Hockey Team

Forwards:

Brennan Sanford – Senior – Grand Ledge Mich.
Jake Swift – Junior – Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
Taro Hirose – Sophomore – Osaka, Japan
Mason Appleton – Junior – Green Bay Wis.
Villiam Haag – Freshman – Stockholm, Sweden
Jared Moe – Freshman – Roseau, Minn.
Zach Osburn – Junior – Traverse City, Mich.

Defensemen

The following is the Michigan State Hockey Roster for the 2017-2018 season. This list includes the player’s position, year, and hometown.

ROSTER
Drew Reddick Senior Livonia, Mich.
Butch propst Senior Chesterfield, Mich.
Brock Radunske Senior Lansing, Mich.
Jim Slater Junior Lapeer, Mich. David Booth Junior Washington, Mich.

Goaltenders

Goaltenders
-Jimmy Howard
-Jonathan Bernier
-Jake Paterson

2017-2018 Season Outlook

The 2017-2018 Michigan State Hockey team will have a very different look to it than in recent years with a large number of new faces.

Gone are Key Players such as Mackenzie MacEachern, Matt DeBlouw, Joe Cox, and Zach Osburn. In their place are a host of newcomers, many of whom will be looking to make an impact right away.

Leading the way for the Spartans will be junior forward Miles Wood. A New Jersey Devils draft pick Wood is coming off a 2016-2017 season in which he tallied 13 goals and 19 assists. He’ll be joined by fellow junior forward Mason Appleton, who had 12 goals and 16 assists last season.

On defense, Michigan State will be led by junior John Draeger. Draeger is coming off a season in which he had one goal and seven assists. He’ll be joined by senior Brennan Serville on the blue line Serville had two goals and four assists last season.

In goal, the Spartans will have senior Ed Minney backstopping the team. Minney was solid last season, posting a .923 save percentage and a 2.32 GAA. He’ll be backed up by sophomore John Lethemon, who saw action in four games last season.

key players to Watch

As the 2017-2018 season approaches, there are a few Key Players on the Michigan State Hockey Roster that fans should keep an eye on.

Forwards Matt Miller and Taro Hirose are expected to be driving forces offensively for the Spartans this season. Miller, a junior, led MSU in goals (11) and points (23) last season while Hirose, a sophomore, was second on the team in points (22). Both players will look to build on their strong offensive showings from a year ago and help lead Michigan State to victory.

Senior goaltender Ed Minney will also be key for the Spartans this season. Minney appeared in 23 games last year, posting a .924 save percentage and 2.29 goals against average. His strong play in net will be crucial for Michigan State as they look to make a run at the postseason.

Keep an eye on these key players as the 2017-2018 season gets underway – they’re sure to have a big impact on the Michigan State Hockey team’s success!

Newcomers

This season, the Michigan State Spartans will have several new faces on the roster. Here are some of the newcomers you can expect to see this season:

Defenseman John Leonard is a transfer from the University of Alabama Huntsville. He is a native of Troy, Michigan and played two seasons (2015-2017) with the Chargers, totaling four goals and 18 assists in 79 games.

Forward Mitchell Lewandowski is a freshman from Nowata, Oklahoma. He played the last two seasons with the USA Hockey national team Development Program, tallying 63 goals and 61 assists in 119 games. Lewandowski was also a member of Team USA at the 2017 IIHF U18 World Championship where he tallied one goal and one assist in seven games.

Goalie John Lethemon is a freshman from Dearborn Heights, Michigan. He played the last two seasons with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL, posting a record of 23-15-7 with a 2.48 GAA and .911 SV%.

Schedule

The 2017-2018 Michigan State Hockey Schedule has been released, and the Spartans will open the season on October 6th against Penn State The Spartans will play a total of 34 games this season, 17 at home and 17 on the road. The schedule features four games against each of Michigan’s conference rivals, as well as ten non-conference games.

Rivalries

Sports rivalries are intense competitions between athletic teams that are usually long-standing and well- established. The sense of competition is often magnified because the teams are in close geographic proximity to each other and the fans are passionate about the outcome of the games. The Michigan State Spartans have many rivals in collegiate hockey, but their most intense rivals are the University of Michigan Wolverines and the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Record

As of December 10, 2017, the Michigan State Spartans men’s Ice Hockey team has played 18 games. They have a record of 13-4-1.

Head Coach

Head Coach: Danton Cole
The 2017-2018 season will be Danton Cole’s first as the Head Coach of the Michigan State hockey team Cole comes to MSU after serving as the head coach of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program from 2013 to 2017. He also has head coaching experience at the collegiate level, having served as the Head Coach of Alabama-Huntsville from 2002 to 2006.