June 26th and June 27th the NHL will hold its draft. A few days after the NBA saw no Spartans drafted, the NHL draft could be quite the opposite. The Spartans icemen ended another promising season in disappointment and have more roster turnover than they’ve seen in a few years. The good news, is there are some top tier talented guys headed to East Lansing and many will see their name called on Friday night. Here’s a quick look at who to keep an eye on in the draft.
First and foremost potential top four pick, Chase Reid. Reid is a defensemen who is considered to be the best in a deep draft of defensemen. Reid is scouted as having vision, skating, and puck moving ability to be elite. His skill set could see him on a similar trajectory as Martone and only playing one season in East Lansing before going to the big stage. As a Blackhawks fan I thought there was a chance that he’d be drafted there to play opposite another former Spartan, Levshunov. However, the Hawks traded that number 4 pick to Buffalo and it looks like Reid will potentially head there. If he doesn’t go four he won’t get by the Rangers at five.
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Speaking of Martone, MSU has his heir apparent lined up in Ethan Belchetz. He’s a beast in the paint and nearly impossible to control, which is very much like Martone. He’s 18 years old and 6’5, 230 and he’s got some bite too. He needs to improve on his skating some, but he is another that could be in the NHL after a year. Mock Drafts have him headed to New Jersey at 12 but I could see Nashville or St Louis grabbing him at 10 or 11.
Right Winger, Nikita Keplov is the next Spartan likely to go in the first. He turns 18 on Saturday and has been compared to Patrick Kane with his ability to score. He had 97 points in his first OHL season with 37 goals and, like Kane, won the scoring title as a rookie. He’s small at just 6′, 180 but is a very good skater and scouts are in love with his hockey IQ. He could go as early as Washington at 18 or still be around for the Canucks at 24 but I’m going to guess Pittsburgh at 22.
Jack Hextall and Brooks Rogowski are two more Spartans who could squeeze in at the tail end of the first. Rogowski isn’t slated to hit E.L. until 2027, but he’s been moving up mock draft charts and is being looked at by St Louis and Montreal. He’s 18 years old, 6’7 and 235. He’s a center who actually skates well for his size. He’s one of the biggest in the draft class. He’s a good puck protector on the boards but needs to develop a bit more. Specifically in the passing game and his vision for developing plays. He has a ton of upside though and will fit right in with Nightingale’s plans.
Jack Hextall is another 18 year old center. He has shown consistency is improving his game. He’s known for finding open lanes and is becoming a more viable scoring threat. He averaged nearly a point a game last season in the USHL. Hextall is seen in mock drafts heading to Stanley Cup Champs, Carolina Hurricanes. He fits into their prospect needs and would potentially be coached by a former Spartan in Brind’Amour.
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I think one thing is clear with MSU Hockey and that is players and NHL teams believe in Nightingale and his staff and their ability to develop kids into NHL ready talent. TOC readers, where do you see these future Spartans headed? Will Reid sneak up to two or three? I don’t know about you, but with all the upheaval and disappointments coming out of East Lansing, it feels good to see some positive upside headed to town.
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