Four incoming freshmen to Michigan State’s hockey program heard their names called in the first round of the 2026 NHL draft on June 26 in Buffalo, New York.
Those four selections give MSU nine first-round NHL picks on the upcoming roster, breaking the previous NCAA record of seven set by Michigan in the 2021-22 season.
Chase Reid, who was widely regarded as the top defenseman in the 2026 class, wound up slipping slightly, being selected as the fourth defensemen and seventh overall by the Seattle Kraken.
The first of three MSU-bound forwards to be selected in the first round was Nikita Klepov, who was drafted at 15th overall by the Anaheim Ducks. There are now two Anaheim draft picks in East Lansing, with Klepov joining Spartan sophomore and 2025 second-round pick Eric Nilson.
Two picks later, the Utah Mammoth moved up to select incoming winger Ethan Belchetz at No. 17 overall. Belchetz was the most recent add to MSU’s roster for this upcoming season, coming off a productive season with Windsor in the Ontario Hockey League.
Jack Hextall, who is coming to MSU from the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League, was selected at pick No. 30 by the Calgary Flames.
Defenseman Tommy Bleyl, another MSU commit, went right after Hextall at pick No. 31 to the Nashville Predators. But Bleyl will return to Moncton in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League and won’t join the Spartans until the 2027-28 season.
MSU commit Brooks Rogowski, a forward for the Oshawa Generals in the OHL, was projected as a borderline first-round talent but ultimately fell out of the first 32 picks. Rogowski likely won’t wait long to hear his name called when the draft resumes on Saturday, June 27, with the second round.
The four incoming MSU players selected Friday will join sophomore forwards Cayden Lindstrom (No. 4, 2024) and Ryker Lee (No. 26, 2025), transfer forward Cullen Potter (No. 32, 2025), and incoming freshmen Mason West (No. 29, 2025) and goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen (No. 30, 2025) as the first-round picks on the Spartans’ roster this winter.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Four incoming MSU hockey freshmen selected in first round of 2026 NHL draft
Reporting by Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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By Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
