It’s been 18 years since Michigan State has supplied a first-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft.
But if Adam Nightingale has anything to say about it, that drought will come to an end soon. The Spartans kick off their regular season on Friday night against Bowling Green at Munn Ice Arena, and while the new Michigan State hockey coach is back at his alma mater to win and restore glory to an esteemed program, the road to victory is paved with many different lanes.
So far, Nightingale, 42, has started to create his own lane. He’s not concerned with creating a ‘winning program’ as much as he is becoming a hub for player development — to become a place where the best hockey players in the world look at what’s going on in East Lansing and say, ‘That’s where my best chance is of reaching the NHL and staying there.