It may not feel like it outside, but hockey season is just days away. After a very successful 23/24 season that put the Spartans back on the map, they realize they have high expectations and are no longer the hunter but the hunted.

This season will be a special one. It’s Munn’s 50th anniversary and the Spartans enter the season ranked No. 4 and favorites to win the Big Ten. Coach Nightingale is entering his third season and wants to live up to expectations and the sold-out season. Let’s take a look at the five keys to the season we all hope ends with a national title.

NINE NEW PLAYERS

The Spartans start this season with nine new players on the roster, including six newcomers and three transfers. MSU is full of players who have already been selected to NHL teams. The big loss is obviously Levshunov, who is heading to the Blackhawks. Last year’s team played really well together and the team chemistry was very good. Adding 9 freshmen to the mix will take some getting used to, and if the Spartans can recreate the same chemistry with last year’s experience, things will definitely be exciting in East Lansing. While the Spartans return more than 60% of their scoring opportunities on offense, it will be interesting to see what defensive pairings replace last year’s performance from Levshunov and Nienhuis.

GOALKEEPING

Trey Augustine is back and has a lot on his shoulders. The future Red Wing is a preseason selection of all MAJOR first teams. Augustine has the potential to be an absolute wall and he showed some of that in the tournament last year. MSU gets the defensemen to advance the puck and create scoring opportunities for the offense, which can lead to Augustine being left behind in the net. If he can outperform the competition this year, maintain his growth and stay healthy, he will be one of the main reasons we keep the banner flying next year.

HEADS DOWN

On media day there was a constant conversation between Nightingale and the players about keeping their heads down and focusing. They are all aware of the expectations and pressure and seem determined not to let it get them down or distracted. There was also a lot of talk about how last season was good, but not good enough. The need to continue the trend and finish the job. I like the sounds of all this because it sounds like a team ready to do something special. The players are excited to get this season rolling and so are the fans. We’ll all keep our heads down and focus on the Frozen Four.

Power play and penalty shootout

Last year, MSU was very good in power play scoring and ranked fifth. To win the title, the Spartans will need to maintain and even improve on that performance this year. However, the biggest need for improvement is in the penalty shootout. The Spartans ranked 31st in Division 1 statistics in kills. This is an absolute must when improving. They need to get better at turning the puck over on the kill and being smarter about it. A shorty is always nice, but not always worth the risk.

THE LITTLE STUFF

The Spartans committed a ton of penalties last season and that of course leads to our previous discussion about the penalty kill. They need to play cleaner hockey and take advantage of the offense’s strengths to avoid playing from the back and putting unnecessary pressure on Augustine. The Spartans also need to get better at faceoff. They had a very low win rate and if they get better at winning faceoffs it will help improve the penalty kill and increase power play opportunities.

The Spartans begin the season on April 4th/5th. October against Lake Superior State, followed by second-place Boston College to end the season on 11/12. October to open at home. It will be nice to see our guys take care of business this weekend and iron out a few issues before a big test on the second weekend. I’ve been a huge MSU hockey fan and season ticket holder for the four years I’ve been there, and even when I was in LA, I can remember the bar I was at when they won their last title . I’m looking forward to bringing some hockey content to the site this season. So please comment and let me know what you would like to see. Let’s drop the puck and a new banner to Munn in Year 50! Go Green!