It’s too early to tell whether 2027’s projected No. 1 overall NHL draft pick Landon DuPont will take his talents to Michigan or Michigan State, his two reported finalists. It is clear, however, when he’ll take the ice, because the Big Ten announced its conference schedule its earliest in years.
Michigan and Michigan State both announced their Big Ten schedules Thursday, a whole two months earlier than the Big Ten’s teams did a year ago. And the schedules, including non-conference build-ups, are strong.
In addition to other series, Michigan and Michigan State will face each other at Yost Ice Arena and at Munn Ice Arena between Nov. 19 and Nov. 22, then at Munn and a location to be determined between Feb. 4 and Feb. 7. The latter game, on a Sunday, has a location officially to-be-determined, but that final meeting between the rivals is traditionally the Duel in the D at Little Caesars Arena, which Michigan State won 5-2 this past season.
MSU will make $50K to play North Dakota in Hall of Fame Game
Though hockey’s top teams tend to be the ones shelling out money for guarantee games, Michigan State is actually going to make a bit of money for its Hall of Fame Game appearance against North Dakota on Halloween.
Michigan State and defending NCHC champion North Dakota (29-10-1) will play in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game on Oct. 31 in Austin, Texas. According to a contract obtained by The Detroit News, North Dakota is paying the Spartans $50,000 for the appearance. That deal was signed August 22, 2023, by MSU’s deputy athletic director Jen Smith.
Michigan State will pay Boston College $10,000 to come to East Lansing for an exhibition game, making a net total of $40,000 in guarantee money.
Boston College (20-15-1 in 2025-26) will visit Munn Ice Arena for an exhibition game on either Oct. 2 or 3, as written in a game contract. The date depends on the Spartans’ football schedule, which sees the Spartans head to Wisconsin on the gridiron that same weekend.
Michigan State’s 2026-27 schedule includes 10 non-conference games against seven different opponents. A home series versus Boston University (17-17-2) will open the regular season at Munn on Nov. 6 and 7.
Northern Michigan (3-29-2) comes to East Lansing on Oct. 9 and 10 to open the regular season. Michigan State plays RIT (17-17-2) on the road Oct. 17. RIT announced the game at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y., earlier Thursday afternoon. That game is followed by a full series out east as Michigan State takes on New Hampshire (14-20-1) on Oct. 23 and 24.
Michigan State’s schedule also includes the annual Great Lakes Invitational at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena, which the Spartans and Michigan Tech are committed to playing through at least 2030. In 2026, Michigan State will play against two of Michigan Tech (23-13-3), Western Michigan (27-11-1) and Lindenwood (15-15-0).
Michigan State is coming off its third straight Big Ten championship after going 26-9-2 to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans lost to Wisconsin in the Worcester Regional final, 4-3 in overtime, on March 28, to end another season short of the program’s first Frozen Four since its 2007 national championship. The Badgers made it all the way to the national championship game before losing to Denver.
In the offseason, Michigan State lost its Mike Richter Award-winning goaltender Trey Augustine, its captain in defenseman Matt Basgall, and all three of its top line of Danny Russell, Charlie Stramel and Porter Martone (who combined for 55 of its 136 goals).
However, this coming roster should feature plenty of talent for Adam Nightingale’s fifth season at the helm. Returning forwards Ryker Lee, Anthony Romani and Cayden Lindstrom will look to build on their freshman seasons. Incoming goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen is a first-round pick of the San Jose Sharks and will take the reins from Augustine, who signed with the Detroit Red Wings as one of the organization’s top goaltender prospects. Michigan State’s blue line gets a jolt of high-end skill in top freshman blueliner Chase Reid, who is expected to go top five at the NHL Draft in Buffalo this June.
Other notable additions for Michigan State include a trio of talented forwards in Chicago Blackhawks first-round pick Mason West, Calgary Flames first-rounder and Arizona State transfer Cullen Potter, plus recent Windsor Spitfires ex-pat Ethan Belchetz, who is projected to go early in the first round of June’s draft.
Michigan will look for Frozen Four revenge in Denver series
Michigan’s fourth Frozen Four in five seasons ended in more heartbreak in Las Vegas this past April, where Denver won 4-3 in double overtime despite being doubled in shots 52-26. Denver (29-11-3) went on to beat Wisconsin for the national championship.
Michigan will have a chance at revenge when it visits Denver’s Magness Arena on Oct. 16 and 17 for a non-conference series.
The Wolverines will also play a home-and-home series with Bowling Green (18-11-7) at Yost on Oct. 2 and at Slater Family Ice Arena on Oct. 3. Alaska Anchorage (5-27-1) comes to Yost on Oct. 9 and 10.
Western Michigan comes to Yost on Oct. 23 for a Friday night game. It’s the prologue to an outdoor game in Kalamazoo on Jan. 30.
Ferris State (8-27-2) wraps up Michigan’s non-conference slate on Nov. 27 and 28 at Yost.
Michigan opens up Big Ten play against Ohio State in Columbus on Oct. 29 and Nov. 1, a Friday-Sunday split because of football season.
Michigan will also play an exhibition against the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth on Jan. 2.
Whereas Michigan State has added a lot of talent, Michigan retained it. A number of talents from last year’s squad are running it back, including Montreal Canadiens draftee Michael Hage, star goaltender Jack Ivankovic and Pittsburgh first-rounder Will Horcoff, son of Red Wings assistant GM Shawn Horcoff.
Michigan is also adding at least two big pieces in the freshman class in projected 2026 first-round pick J.P. Hurlbert and Nashville first-rounder Cameron Reid. DuPont would be another, depending on how visits with UM and MSU this week go.
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Here’s who Michigan and Michigan State hockey play in 2026-27
Reporting by Connor Earegood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Connor Earegood, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
