Michigan State hockey took home multiple Big Ten awards on Tuesday after an incredible conference title season.
The Big Ten award winners and all-conference teams were announced on Tuesday. As expected, Michigan State hockey was a major part in the honors having multiple players take home accolades along with Adam Nightingale. In what has been a dream season thus far for the Spartans, these awards exemplify exactly how well they have played so far this season.
Obviously bigger goals are still ahead of them, but getting good news before this weekend’s Big Ten title game is a welcomed sight.
Let’s take a look at all the awards and honors received on Tuesday.
All-Big Ten first team
Michigan State hockey defenseman Artyom Levshunov was the sole Spartan representative on the All-Big Ten first team. He is coming off a phenomenal rookie campaign with the Spartans and is expected to be top pick in the NHL draft this summer. There’s not much more to say about the freshman that we already haven’t written, but this is another feather in his cap. It also will certainly not be the only time he is mentioned in this article.
Rounding out the first team were forwards Rutger McGroarty and Gavin Brindley from Michigan, forward Jimmy Snuggerud from Minnesota, defenseman Seamus Casey from Michigan, and goaltender Kyle McClellan from Wisconsin.
All-Big Ten second team
MSU goaltender Trey Augustine was named as the goaltender representative on the All-Big Ten second team. The South Lyon-native and Detroit Red Wings prospect is coming off a stellar freshman campaign for the Spartans. He has been a revelation in net and been one of the main reasons for the on-ice success of MSU.
The other members of the second team are forwards Dylan Duke (Michigan), Rhett Pitlick (Minnesota), and Landon Slaggert (Notre Dame). Defensemen Sam Rinzel and Ryan Chesley from Minnesota join defenseman Scooter Brickley with second-team honors.
All-freshman team
Also worth noting is that both Levshunov and Augustine made the Big Ten All-Freshman team as well. They joined forwards Garrett Schifsky (Michigan), Oliver Moore (Minnesota), and Aiden Fink (Penn State). Also named to the freshman squad was Minnesota defenseman Sam Rinzel. Forward Aiden Fink and Trey Augustine were both unanimous selections for the freshman squad.
Sportsmanship team
Rounding out the All-Big Ten teams would be the Sportsmanship Award. For the Big Ten All-Sportsmanship team, forward Nicolas Muller represented Michigan State hockey. Joining Muller were forward Hunter Strand (Notre Dame), forward Owen Lindmark (Wisconsin), defenseman Jacob Truscott (Michigan), defenseman Carl Fish (Minnesota), defenseman Simon Mack (Penn State), and defenseman Damien Carfagna (Ohio State).
All-Big Ten honorable mention
Three MSU sophomores were included in the honorable mention section for the All-Big Ten squads. Joey Larson, Karsen Dorwart, and Isaac Howard all were included in this list. These three have had outstanding individual seasons in their own rights. They truly represent Spartan athletics on and off the ice. We wouldn’t be where we are without them and it’s great to see them all getting recognition.
Big Ten Coach of the Year
The player/coach of the year awards were also announced on Tuesday. It should be no surprise that Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale was confirmed as the Big Ten Coach of the Year. Nightingale is the first Michigan State hockey coach to win the award. He has led the Spartans to an impressive 23-9-3 record and a regular season conference championship. Nighty was a finalist a year ago for the award as well.
Big Ten Freshman of the Year
As previously mentioned in this article, I told you that Levshunov would have his name come up again. Well, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year on Tuesday, beating out Penn State’s Aiden Fink and Minnesota’s Sam Rinzel.
Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
Levshunov also finished with one last award taking home the conference’s best defensive player. He has accumulated nine goals, 23 assists, and a plus-25 rating this season in 35 games played. As I touched on earlier, he will have the chance to be taken very high up in the draft this summer. He is currently projected in several mocks to go in the top 10 as he is rated as one of the best right-handed shooting defensemen in the draft.
What’s next for MSU hockey?
The Spartans’ next game is Saturday, March 23. They will be home taking on Michigan for the Big Ten Championship. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. ET and the game will be aired on Big Ten Network. The winner of that game will be granted an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, though both teams are still expected to make the field even with a loss. MSU would almost guarantee a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament with a win along with winning its first-ever Big Ten Tournament title.
Michigan State hockey is 3-1 against the Wolverines this season. However, the lone loss came at Munn back in January.
Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament is on March 24. The first round and regional finals would take place the weekend of March 28-31 should the Spartans advance that far. The Frozen Four and national title game will take place April 11 and April 13, respectively, at Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis.
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