Michigan State hockey landed another top NHL prospect on Tuesday.
Ethan Belchetz, a 6-foot-5 power forward with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League and projected top-15 draft pick for the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo on June 26-27, announced his commitment to the Spartans on Instagram Tuesday morning.
“Excited and honored to announce my commitment to play NCAA Division I hockey at Michigan State University,” Belchetz posted on Instagram. “Huge thank you to my family, coaches, teammates, trainers, and everyone who has supported me throughout this journey and helped me get to this point.
“Grateful for the opportunity and excited for what’s next.”
Belchetz had 17 goals and 38 points in 56 games as a rookie with the Spitfires in 2023-2024 and was leading the team with 34 goals this year when he suffered a broken left clavicle during practice in March.
He did not play again for the club and finished with 59 points in 57 games.
The Spartans had already added 6-foot-2 defenseman Chase Reid of the OHL Soo Greyhounds. He’s projected to go as high as No. 2 overall to the San Jose Sharks.
Reid had 18 goals and 48 points in 45 games with the Greyhounds this year.
Sabres tie series with Canadiens
Zach Benson scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period of a 3-2 win for the visiting Buffalo Sabres against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference second-round series on Tuesday.
Tage Thompson had a goal and an assist and Josh Doan had two assists for the Sabres, who tied the series 2-2. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 28 saves.
Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield scored for the Canadiens, who got 19 saves from Jakub Dobes.
Game 5 is Thursday in Buffalo.
Benson, celebrating his 21st birthday, put Buffalo ahead 3-2 on the power play at 4:41 of the third period. Doan put a pass into the fringe of the crease for Benson, who shook off his defender to gather the puck and lift past Dobes’ glove.
Mattias Samuelsson gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 6:32 of the first period. Josh Norris dished a cross-ice pass to a crashing Samuelsson, who one-timed a snap shot inside the right post.
The Sabres appeared to double their lead midway through the frame when Jack Quinn put a rebound into Dobes’ glove, which was in the net. The referees ruled it a goal after reviewing the play to determine if the puck completely crossed the goal line.
But then Montreal challenged for goaltender interference, and the goal was overturned, deeming Sabres forward Konsta Helenius impaired Dobes’ ability to play his position.
Newhook tied it 1-1 at 10:08 of the opening period. Ivan Demidov got the puck along the wall and sent it to Jake Evans, who was alone in front. Evans clanked it off the crossbar, then recovered the puck behind the net before feeding it to Newhook in front.
Caufield put the Canadiens ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal with 13 seconds left in the first. He received the puck along the goal line and took it toward Luukkonen before sliding it under the goalie’s left pad.
Thompson pulled Buffalo even seven minutes into the second period. He dumped the puck into the left corner from center ice. It hit the top of the boards before bouncing towards the net, going off the side of Dobes’ right pad and into the net to make it 2-2 in stunning fashion.
Bruins’ McAvoy suspended 6 games
The NHL suspended Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy for six regular- season games without pay next season for slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson during the final moments of the Sabres’ playoff series-clinching win on May 1.
The league’s Department of Player Safety made the announcement on Tuesday, one day after an in-person meeting at NHL headquarters in New York. That hearing gave the league the option of a suspension longer than five games.
The incident with 1:31 left in the third period occurred after Benson tripped McAvoy as the two chased after a loose puck and crashed into the end boards. McAvoy got up, charged toward the Sabres forward and swung his stick like a baseball bat, hitting Benson in the midsection.
McAvoy was given a five-minute major for slashing and a game misconduct, while Benson received a two-minute minor for tripping.
The Sabres went on to win the game 4-1 and capture the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series 4-2 to end the Bruins’ season.
McAvoy, who can appeal the punishment, was suspended twice and fined once previously in his nine-year NHL career.
The 28-year-old had a career-high 61 points with 11 goals and 62 penalty minutes in 69 games this season. He had two assists in the series against Buffalo.
Overall, McAvoy has 71 goals, 361 points and 491 penalty minutes in 573 games over nine seasons all with the Bruins. He has six goals, 50 points and 103 penalty minutes in 97 career playoff games.
Jackets sign pending UFA Coyle
The Columbus Blue Jackets signed pending unrestricted free agent forward Charlie Coyle to a six-year, $36 million extension on Tuesday.
Coyle, 34, recorded 58 points (20 goals, career high-tying 38 assists) while playing in all 82 games this season, the 14th of his career and his first with the Blue Jackets.
“Charlie made a tremendous impact on and off the ice for us last season and keeping him in Columbus was a priority,” Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said. “He is the definition of a true pro, and a durable, reliable, productive right-shot center whose leadership, character and consistency are extremely valuable in this league. We are thrilled that he will continue to be a very important part of the Columbus Blue Jackets for years to come.”
Coyle has totaled 543 points (209 goals, 334 assists) and a plus-50 rating over 1,032 career games with the Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Blue Jackets.
He was selected with the 28th overall pick of the 2010 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks, who traded him, a first-round draft pick in the 2011 NHL Draft and forward Devin Setoguchi to the Wild on June 24, 2011, for defenseman Brent Burns and a second-round draft pick in 2012.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Hockey roundup: Michigan State lands top-15 NHL prospect Ethan Belchetz
Reporting by Detroit News staff and wires / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
