# Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey

The Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team that represents Michigan State University (MSU). The team plays at the Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan, on the MSU campus. The Spartans have won the NCAA national championship three times (1966, 1986, and 2007). The current head coach is Adam Nightingale, who took over coaching duties on May 3, 2022, after Danton Cole was fired. Michigan State currently competes in the Big Ten Conference.
The MSU ice hockey program has seven CCHA regular season championships, 11 CCHA Tournament titles, and 1 Big Ten Conference regular season championship. MSU has also won 12 Great Lakes Invitational titles, 3 ACHA Division 2 titles and 1 ACHA Division 3 title. The Spartans have been in the NCAA tournament 23 times, with nine Frozen Four appearances. On April 7, 2007, the Michigan State Spartans won their third national championship by beating Boston College 3–1. Their traditional rival is Michigan and the teams have played an annual game in Detroit since 1990. Starting at the Joe Louis Arena, the game has since moved to Little Caesars Arena in 2018.

## History
### Early history

The Spartan ice hockey program traces its roots back to the first informal varsity team that began in 1922 playing an independent NCAA Division I schedule. On January 11, 1922, Michigan State played its first intercollegiate hockey game, a 5-1 loss to Michigan. Home games during the first season were played on the frozen Red Cedar River on MSU's campus.
Michigan State finished 0–3 in the 1922 season and picked up its first win during the second season on February 11, 1923, 6–1 over the Lansing Independents. The team did not play the 1923–24 season but returned for the 1924–25 season. The 1924–25 season marked the first time the program had a head coach, John Kobs, who also coached the Michigan State Spartans baseball team. Kobs' tenure at Michigan State lasted six season before the team was suspended for 19 seasons. During which time the team compiled a record of 8-18-1.
Harold Paulsen was hired as the varsity ice hockey coach at Michigan State on August 1, 1948 following the suspension of the hockey programs during the years of the Great Depression and World War II. Before recruiting or coaching, Paulsen oversaw the renovation of Demonstration Hall into an indoor rink with artificial ice-making capabilities. On January 12, 1950, MSU played its first game since 1930, losing to Michigan Tech 6–2. Paulsen struggled through his first two years at Michigan State with a 6–25 record. MSU athletic director Ralph Young felt the hockey program's progress was inadequate and Paulsen resigned. Following the 1951 season, Amo Bessone accepted the head coaching position at Michigan State University. Bessone would remain at MSU for the next 28 years.
In the 1958–59 season Michigan State, Minnesota, and Michigan formed their own ice hockey division due to the dissolution of the WIHL. Michigan State won it with a record of 5–2–1 in the division play.

### Amo Bessone era

When Bessone arrived at Michigan State, the ice hockey program was beginning its third full season after being reinstated. That same season, in 1951–52, the Spartans joined Colorado College, Denver, Michigan, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, and North Dakota as founding members of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (MCHL).
Amo Bessone won his first collegiate hockey game as head coach on November 29, 1951, when the Spartans defeated Ontario Agricultural College 8–2. The Spartans struggled with six losing seasons before Bessone turned things around in his seventh season as coach. In 1957–58, Michigan State enjoyed its first winning season. The following season, Bessone guided MSU to a Big Ten championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament. The tournament was MSU's first NCAA tournament appearance. The Spartans defeated Boston College 4–3 in the semifinals and advanced to the schools's first championship appearance. The Spartans lost the 1959 national championship game in overtime 3–4 to North Dakota. MSU finishes the season 17-6-1. Michigan State became a charter member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in 1959. The WCHA was a reincarnation of the loosely affiliated Midwest Collegiate Hockey League and Western Intercollegiate Hockey League that disbanded following the 1957–58 season. Bessone and MSU struggled during the first five seasons of the WCHA. Again, Bessone turned things around with a winning season in 1964–65. The following season, Bessone coached Michigan State to an improbable NCAA National Championship.
MSU began the 1965–66 season 4-10, but rebounded winning 12 of their last 15 games including defeating the defending national champion, Michigan Tech, to win the WCHA playoffs after finishing sixth in the regular season. The win earned MSU a spot in the 1966 NCAA tournament. In the national semifinals, Bessone upset highly favored Boston University 2–1 with a goal by Spartan forward, Doug Volmar. In the national championship game, Bessone and the Spartans faced Len Ceglarski's Clarkson team that owned the national-best record of 24–2. On March 19, 1966, Michigan State beat top-ranked Clarkson 6–1 victory to give Michigan State is first national championship. Len Ceglarski and Amo Bessone shared the Spencer Penrose Award as the national coach of the year in 1966. The national title and coaching award cemented Bessone's legacy as a coach. To this day, Bessone's 1966 Michigan State team remains one of the biggest underdog stories in NCAA ice hockey history. The total number of team victories (16) and team winning percentage (.551) is the lowest of any NCAA ice hockey champion. MSU made the NCAA tournament again with a strong WCHA playoff finish in 1967, but lost 2–4 in the national semifinals, a rematch of the 1966 NCAA Tournament against Boston University.
Bessone began the 1970s with six straight winning seasons. During Bessone's time coaching the Spartans the team won MSU won its first Great Lakes Invitational by defeating Michigan Tech 5–4 on December 28, 1973.
As MSU hockey was building momentum, Munn Ice Arena opened October 25, 1974, when Michigan State hosted Laurentian. That same season saw the first sellout crowd in Munn's history when the Spartans defeated North Dakota 6–2. A season later, in 1975–76, Bessone guided MSU to its best WCHA conference record of 20-12-0 before Minnesota knocked MSU out of the WCHA playoffs in 6-7 triple overtime loss. Minnesota, who had finished below Michigan State in the conference, received an NCAA tournament bid instead. Bessone announced his retirement effective at the end of the 1978–79 season after three straight losing seasons. Bessone coached his final game as head coach on March 3, 1979, when the Spartans defeated rival Michigan 5–3.

### Ron Mason era

After Amo Bessone retired from Michigan State University, the MSU Athletic Director, Joseph Kearney, hired Ron Mason as the Spartans new head coach. Mason was named Spartan head coach on April 1, 1979, and spend the next 23 seasons at Michigan State. It was a rough start in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for Mason as he compiled a record of 26-46-2 over two seasons. Michigan State joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) in 1981 and over the next few seasons Mason turned the hockey program around. The Spartans won CCHA playoff championships the first four straight seasons of the conference in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985. MSU would win a second national title in 1986 when the Spartans defeated Harvard 6–5.
In 2000 CCHA coaches and athletic directors unanimous voted to renamed the CCHA championship trophy to the Mason Cup in honor of Ron Mason, who was a key figure in establishing the conference in the early 1970s prior to his tenure at Michigan State. During the 2000–01 season Michigan State finished first in the regular season and advanced through the CCHA Tournament winning the first ever Mason Cup. That same season the Spartans made a Frozen Four appearance by beating Wisconsin 5-1 before losing to North Dakota in the Semifinal game. On October 6, 2001, the Spartans hosted an outdoor game at Spartan Stadium against rival Michigan known as The Cold War. The school would set an attendance record for an outdoor hockey game as 74,554 fans attended. The game ended in a 3–3 tie.
Mason led Michigan State to seven CCHA regular season titles and a conference-record 10 CCHA tournament titles. In addition, MSU under Mason made 19 NCAA tournament appearances during his 23 seasons with the Spartans. He coached MSU to five NCAA Frozen Fours, two National Championship appearances, and one National Championship. Mason coached two Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners, Kip Miller in 1990 and Ryan Miller in 2001.

### Rick Comley era

Rick Comley was announced as Ron Mason's successor as head ice hockey coach at Michigan State University in March 2002. Comley led the Spartans to a tournament appearance in 2004, his second season as MSU's head coach. After losing to Northern Michigan in the 2004 CCHA Tournament the Spartans received an at-large bid to the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Third ranked MSU fell to second seed Minnesota-Duluth in the opening round 0–5.
Comley's Spartans returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2006 after missing the NCAA Tournament in 2005. Comley guided MSU to a second-place CCHA finish in the regular season and a CCHA Mason Cup championship in 2006. Michigan State advanced into the 2006 Tournament with an automatic bid. The Spartans defeated New Hampshire 1-0 before losing to Maine 4–5 in the East Regional Final.
In the 2006–07 season, Michigan State was preseason ranked No. 5, which was MSU's highest preseason ranking since October 2001. The team earned an NCAA Tournament bid after finishing the regular season with a conference record of 15-10-3. Comley led MSU to defeat three higher-ranked teams en route to the national championship including No. 1-ranked Notre Dame in the Midwest Regional final. In the Frozen Four the team defeated No. 4-ranked Boston College in the national championship game on April 7, 2007, by a score of 3–1 in a game that saw Michigan State score three unanswered goals in the third period.
In December 2010 the Michigan State Spartans and Michigan Wolverines played a second outdoor game at Michigan Stadium. The game, known as The Big Chill at the Big House, took place on December 11, 2010. 104,173 fans filled Michigan Stadium and watched as Michigan beat Michigan State 5–0. The attendance broke the 75,000 of the Cold War and 78,000 of the 2010 IIHF World Championship and set a new attendance record for a hockey game. Later that same season on January 25, 2011, Rick Comley announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2010–11 season.

### Tom Anastos and Big Ten Conference era

In September 2010 Penn State University announced that the university was elevating its men's and women's American Collegiate Hockey Association club programs to varsity status. Then-CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos publicly stated that the CCHA would strongly consider adding Penn State as the conference's 12th member. On March 21, 2011, the Big Ten Conference announced plans to sponsor men's ice hockey starting in 2013–14 season. Michigan State along with CCHA rivals, University of Michigan and Ohio State University will leave the CCHA to join University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin from the WCHA and Penn State to form a six-team Big Ten Hockey Conference. Less than a week after the Big Ten's announcement Michigan State announced that former CCHA Commissioner, Tom Anastos would become the 6th head coach in the history of the program. Anastos is a former Spartan hockey player who played for MSU from 1981 to 1985. He is also the former coach at Michigan-Dearborn (NAIA) from 1987 to 1990, and compiled a 68-37-7 record. He later served as an assistant coach under Ron Mason from 1990 to 1992.
Anastos picked up his first NCAA DI coaching victory with Michigan State in the second game of the 2012 Icebreaker tournament with a 3–2 overtime win over Air Force. The Spartans finished the 2011–12 season ranked 5th in the CCHA standings and received a first round bye in the CCHA Tournament. The Spartans faced fourth-seeded Miami (OH) in the second round, in the best-of-three series Michigan State was swept 0-6 and 1–4 in two games. Despite being swept by Miami, the Spartans finished 15th in the Pairwise rankings and became the final at-large bid selected for the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The bid marked the team's first appearance in the NCAA post-season since 2008, the team was placed in the East Region held at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In the game, Union College took an early lead and held the Spartans to a single goal in a 3–1 win over Michigan State in the East Regional semifinal. The game was the first meeting between the two programs and also the first win in the NCAA Division I national tournament for the Dutchmen.
At the end of the 2016–17 season, it was announced that Tom Anastos would step down as head coach of the Spartans. MSU then announced that they had hired Danton Cole as the program's 7th head coach.

### Danton Cole era

On April 11, 2017, Danton Cole was named head coach at Michigan State University. In Cole first season, 2017–18, the Spartans finished last in the Big Ten and were swept in a three-game series in the conference tournament by Ohio State. The next season, MSU once again finished last in the Big Ten and were swept by Notre Dame in the conference tournament. In 2019–20, the Spartans started the season strong and swept Michigan for the first time in Cole's tenure. However, the performances fell off and they finished sixth in the conference before being swept by Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.
On April 12, 2022, he was fired by Michigan State. During five seasons as head coach, he led the Spartans to a 58–101–12 record.

### Adam Nightingale era

On May 3, 2022, Adam Nightingale was named head coach at Michigan State University. During the 2022–23 season, in his first season with the Spartans, he led the team to an 18–18–2 record and the semifinals of the 2023 Big Ten tournament. On March 4, 2023, in the second game of the quarterfinals, Michigan State won their first Big Ten tournament game. This was their first win in 15 all-time games in the tournament for the Spartans. Michigan State won the series, and advanced to the semifinals for the first time in program history.
During the 2023–24 season, he led the Spartans to a 25–10–3 record, and the program's first Big Ten Conference regular season championship and Big Ten Tournament championship in program history. On March 7, 2024, he signed a five-year contract extension with Michigan State.

## Season-by-season results

Source:

## Coaches

As of the end of the 2023–24 season

### All-time coaching records

Source:
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
| 1921–1922 | No Coach | 1 | 0–4–0 | .000 |
| 1924–1930 | John Kobs | 6 | 8–18–1 | .315 |
| 1949–1951 | Harold Paulsen | 2 | 6–25–0 | .194 |
| 1951–1979 | Amo Bessone | 28 | 367–427–20 | .463 |
| 1979–2002 | Ron Mason | 23 | 635–270–69 | .687 |
| 2002–2011 | Rick Comley | 9 | 186–140–39 | .563 |
| 2011–2017 | Tom Anastos | 6 | 78–121–24 | .404 |
| 2017–2022 | Danton Cole | 5 | 58–101–12 | .374 |
| 2022–Present | Adam Nightingale | 2 | 43–28–5 | .599 |
| Totals | 8 coaches | 82 seasons | 1,383–1,138–170 | .546 |

## Awards and honors
### United States Hockey Hall of Fame

Source:
* Ron Mason (2013)

### NCAA
#### All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans
* 1958-59: Joe Selinger, G
* 1961-62: John Chandik, G
* 1963-64: Carl Lackey, D
* 1964-65: Doug Roberts, F
* 1965-66: Doug Volmar, F
* 1968-69: Rick Duffett, G
* 1970-71: Don Thompson, F
* 1971-72: Jim Watt, G
* 1972-73: Bob Boyd, D
* 1973-74: Norm Barnes, D; Steve Colp, F
* 1974-75: Tom Ross, F
* 1975-76: Tom Ross, F
* 1981-82: Ron Scott, G
* 1982-83: Ron Scott, G
* 1984-85: Dan McFall, D; Kelly Miller, F; Craig Simpson, F
* 1985-86: Mike Donnelly, F
* 1986-87: Mitch Messier, F
* 1988-89: Kip Miller, F; Bobby Reynolds, F
* 1989-90: Kip Miller, F
* 1990-91: Jason Woolley, D
* 1991-92: Joby Messier, D; Dwayne Norris, F
* 1992-93: Bryan Smolinski, F
* 1997-98: Chad Alban, G; Mike York, F
* 1998-99: Joe Blackburn, G; Mike York, F
* 1999-00: Shawn Horcoff, F
* 2000-01: Ryan Miller, G
* 2001-02: Ryan Miller, G
* 2002-03: John-Michael Liles, D
* 2011-12: Torey Krug, D
* 2014-15: Jake Hildebrand, G
* 2018-19: Taro Hirose, F
AHCA Second Team All-Americans
* 1983-84: Dan McFall, D
* 1984-85: Gary Haight, D
* 1985-86: Donald McSween, D
* 1986-87: Donald McSween, D
* 1989-90: Jason Muzzatti, G
* 1991-92: Doug Zmolek, D
* 1993-94: Steve Guolla, F
* 1994-95: Anson Carter, F
* 1997-98: Tyler Harlton, D; Sean Berens, F
* 1998-99: Mike Weaver, F
* 1999-00: Mike Weaver, F
* 2001-02: Andrew Hutchinson, D; John-Michael Liles, D
* 2002-03: Brad Fast, D
* 2003-04: A. J. Thelen, D; Jim Slater, F
* 2007-08: Jeff Lerg, G
* 2009-10: Jeff Petry, D
* 2023–24: Artyom Levshunov, D

### WCHA
#### All-Conference Teams

First Team All-WCHA
* 1965–66: Doug Volmar, F
* 1966–67: Tom Mikkola, F
* 1970–71: Don Thompson, F
* 1971–72: Jim Watt, G
* 1972–73: Bob Boyd, D
* 1973–74: Norm Barnes, D; Steve Colp, F
* 1974–75: Tom Ross, F
* 1975–76: Tom Ross, F
* 1980–81: Ron Scott, G
Second Team All-WCHA
* 1957–58: Joe Selinger, G
* 1963–64: Carl Lackey, G
* 1964–65: Doug Roberts, G
* 1971–72: Bob Boyd, D; Don Thompson, F
* 1973–74: Tom Ross, F
* 1975–76: Steve Colp, F

### CCHA
#### All-Conference Teams

First Team All-CCHA
* 1981–82: Ron Scott, G; Newell Brown, F
* 1982–83: Ron Scott, G; Ken Leiter, D
* 1983–84: Dan McFall, D
* 1984–85: Bob Essensa, G; Gary Haight, D; Donald McSween, D; Craig Simpson, F; Kelly Miller, F
* 1985–86: Donald McSween, D; Mike Donnelly, F
* 1986–87: Donald McSween, D; Mitch Messier, F
* 1987–88: Tim Tilley, D
* 1988–89: Kip Miller, F
* 1989–90: Jason Muzzatti, G; Kip Miller, F
* 1990–91: Jason Woolley, D
* 1991–92: Joby Messier, D; Dwayne Norris, F
* 1992–93: Bryan Smolinski, F
* 1993–94: Anson Carter, F
* 1994–95: Anson Carter, F
* 1997–98: Chad Alban, G; Tyler Harlton, D; Sean Berens, F
* 1998–99: Mike Weaver, D; Mike York, F
* 1999–00: Mike Weaver, D; Shawn Horcoff, F
* 2000–01: Ryan Miller, G
* 2001–02: Ryan Miller, G; John-Michael Liles, D
* 2002–03: Brad Fast, D; John-Michael Liles, D; Jim Slater, F
* 2003–04: A. J. Thelen, D; Jim Slater, F
* 2007–08: Jeff Lerg, G
* 2010–11: Torey Krug, D
* 2011–12: Torey Krug, D
Second Team All-CCHA
* 1981–82: Gary Haight, D; Mark Hamway, F
* 1982–83: Gary Haight, D
* 1983–84: Norm Foster, G
* 1984–85: Dan McFall, D; Tom Anastos, F
* 1985–86: Bob Essensa, G
* 1986–87: Bill Shibicky, F
* 1987–88: Jason Muzzatti, G; Bobby Reynolds, F
* 1988–89: Chris Luongo, D; Bobby Reynolds, F
* 1989–90: Don Gibson, D; Pat Murray, F
* 1990–91: Mike Gilmore, G
* 1993–94: Mike Buzak, G; Steve Guolla, F
* 1994–95: Mike Buzak, G; Rem Murray, F
* 1995–96: Anson Carter, F
* 1996–97: Sean Berens, F
* 1997–98: Mike York, F
* 1998–99: Joe Blackburn, G
* 1999–00: Ryan Miller, G; Adam Hall, F
* 2000–01: Andrew Hutchinson, D; John-Michael Liles, D
* 2001–02: Andrew Hutchinson, D
* 2007–08: Tim Kennedy, F
* 2008–09: Jeff Lerg, G
* 2009–10: Drew Palmisano, G; Jeff Petry, D; Corey Tropp, F
CCHA All-Rookie Team
* 1988–89: Jason Woolley, D; Rod Brind'Amour, F; Peter White, F
* 1991–92: Rem Murray, F; Steve Suk, F
* 1995–96: Chris Bogas, D; Mike York, F
* 1997–98: Rustyn Dolyny, F
* 1998–99: Adam Hall, F
* 1999–00: Ryan Miller, G
* 2001–02: Jim Slater, F
* 2002–03: David Booth, F
* 2003–04: Dominic Vicari, G; A. J. Thelen, D
* 2005–06: Jeff Lerg, G
* 2007–08: Jeff Petry, D
* 2009–10: Torey Krug, D

### Big Ten
#### All-Conference Teams

First Team All-Big Ten
* 2014–15: Jake Hildebrand, G
* 2018–19: Taro Hirose, F
* 2023–24: Artyom Levshunov, D
* 2024–25: Trey Augustine, G; Matt Basgal, D; Isaac Howard, F
Second Team All-Big Ten
* 2014–15: Travis Walsh, D
* 2017–18: Taro Hirose, F
* 2018–19: Patrick Khodorenko, F
* 2023–24: Trey Augustine, G
Big Ten Freshman Team
* 2014–15: Josh Jacobs, D
* 2015–16: Zach Osburn, D
* 2017–18: Mitchell Lewandowski, F
* 2018–19: Dennis Cesana, D; Drew DeRidder, G
* 2023–24: Artyom Levshunov, D; Trey Augustine, G

## Statistical leaders

Source:

### Points

| Player | Years | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Tom Ross | 1972–1976 | 155 | 138 | 186 | 324 | 94 |
| Steve Colp | 1972–1976 | 138 | 132 | 168 | 300 | 158 |
| Kip Miller | 1986–1990 | 176 | 116 | 145 | 261 | 299 |
| Peter White | 1988–1992 | 172 | 75 | 155 | 230 | 83 |
| Daryl Rice | 1972–1976 | 138 | 96 | 129 | 225 | 204 |

### Saves

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average
Minimum 30 games
| Player | Years | GP | Min | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
| Ryan Miller | 1999–2002 | 116 | 6383 | 73 | 18 | 12 | 164 | 26 | .941 | 1.54 |
| Joe Blackburn | 1997–2001 | 57 | 3403 | 36 | 13 | 8 | 100 | 5 | .920 | 1.76 |
| Dominic Vicari | 2003–2006 | 83 | 4845 | 41 | 24 | 7 | 191 | 16 | .916 | 2.37 |
| Jeff Lerg | 2005–2009 | 146 | 8690 | 76 | 51 | 17 | 344 | 12 | .921 | 2.38 |
| Chad Alban | 1994–1998 | 128 | 7633 | 88 | 30 | 10 | 284 | 12 | .906 | 2.46 |
Statistics current through the start of the 2020–21 season.

### Assists

Career :
| Rk | Player | Assists | Seasons |
| 1 | Tom Ross | 186 | 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 |
| 2 | Steve Colp | 168 | 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 |
| 3 | Peter White | 155 | 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 |
| 4 | Rem Murray | 147 | 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 |
| 5 | Kip Miller | 145 | 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 |
Season :
| Rk | Player | Assists | Season |
| 1 | Pat Murray | 60 | 1989–90 |
| 2 | Tom Ross | 59 | 1974–75 |
| 3 | Kevin Miller | 56 | 1986–87 |
| | Norm Barnes | 56 | 1973–74 |
| 5 | Steve Colp | 54 | 1975–76 |
| | Tom Ross | 54 | 1975–76 |
| | Steve Colp | 54 | 1973–74 |
Single Game :
| Rk | Player | Assists | Season | Opponent |
| 1 | Steve Colp | 6 | 1974–75 | Michigan |
| | Daryl Rice | 6 | 1973–74 | Boston College |
| | Real Turcotte | 6 | 1960–61 | Ohio |

### Goals

Career :
| Rk | Player | Goals | Seasons |
| 1 | Tom Ross | 138 | 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 |
| 2 | Steve Colp | 132 | 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 |
| 3 | Kip Miller | 116 | 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 |
| 4 | Mike Donnelly | 110 | 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 |
| 5 | Bobby Reynolds | 107 | 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 |
Season :
| Rk | Player | Goals | Season |
| 1 | Mike Donnelly | 59 | 1985–86 |
| 2 | Tom Ross | 51 | 1975–76 |
| 3 | Kip Miller | 48 | 1989–90 |
| 4 | Dwayne Norris | 44 | 1991–92 |
| | Mitch Messier | 44 | 1986–87 |
Single Game :
| Rk | Player | Goals | Season | Opponent |
| 1 | Mike Donnelly | 5 | 1985–86 | Ohio State |
| | Tom Ross | 5 | 1973–74 | Notre Dame |
| | Don Thompson | 5 | 1969–70 | Michigan |
| | Bob Doyle | 5 | 1960–61 | Ohio |

## Olympians

This is a list of Michigan State alumni were a part of an Olympic team.
| Name | Position | Michigan State Tenure | Team | Year | Finish |
| Weldon Olson | Wing | 1951–1955 | USA | 1956, 1960 | Silver, Gold |
| Eugene Grazia | Left wing | 1954–1958 | USA | 1960 | Gold |
| Doug Volmar | Right wing | 1964–1967 | USA | 1968 | 6th |
| Brian Glennie | Defenseman | 1966–1967 | Canada | 1968 | Bronze |
| Gary Haight | Defenseman | 1980–1983, 1984–1985 | USA | 1984 | 7th |
| Kevin Miller | Center | 1984–1988 | USA | 1988 | 7th |
| Geir Hoff | Left wing | 1985–1987 | Norway | 1988, 1992, 1994 | 12th, 9th, 11th |
| Jason Woolley | Defenseman | 1988–1991 | Canada | 1992 | Silver |
| Dwayne Norris | Right wing | 1988–1992 | Canada | 1994 | Silver |
| Rod Brind'Amour | Center | 1988–1989 | Canada | 1998 | 4th |
| Mike York | Left wing | 1995–1999 | USA | 2002 | Silver |
| John-Michael Liles | Defenseman | 1999–2003 | USA | 2006 | 8th |
| Tony Tuzzolino | Center | 1993–1997 | Italy | 2006 | 11th |
| Jason Muzzatti | Goaltender | 1987–1991 | Italy | 2006 | 11th |
| Ryan Miller | Goaltender | 1999–2002 | USA | 2010, 2014 | Silver, 4th |
| Duncan Keith | Defenseman | 2001–2003 | Canada | 2010, 2014 | Gold, Gold |
| Jim Slater | Center | 2001–2005 | USA | 2018 | 7th |
| Brock Radunske | Left wing | 2001–2004 | South Korea | 2018 | 12th |
| Justin Abdelkader | Left wing | 2006–2008 | United States | 2022 | 5th |

## Players
### Current roster

As of August 20, 2024.

## Spartans in the NHL

As of July 1, 2024.
| = NHL All-Star team | = NHL All-Star | = NHL All-Star and NHL All-Star team | = Hall of Famers |
| Player | Position | Team(s) | Years | Games | Stanley Cups |
| Justin Abdelkader | Left wing | DET | 2007–2020 | 739 | 0 |
| Bryan Adams | Left wing | ATL | 1999–2001 | 11 | 0 |
| Mason Appleton | Center | WPG, SEA | 2018–Present | 329 | 0 |
| Norm Barnes | Defenseman | PHI, HFD | 1976–1982 | 156 | 0 |
| David Booth | Left wing | FLA, VAN, TOR, DET | 2006–2018 | 530 | 0 |
| Rod Brind'Amour | Center | STL, PHI, CAR | 1989–2010 | 1,484 | 1 |
| Jeff Brubaker | Left wing | HFD, MTL, CGY, TOR, EDM, NYR, DET | 1979–1989 | 178 | 0 |
| Anson Carter | Center | WSH, BOS, EDM, NYR, LAK, VAN, CBJ, CAR | 1996–2007 | 674 | 0 |
| Jake Chelios | Defenseman | DET | 2018–2019 | 5 | 0 |
| Danton Cole | Right wing | WPG, TBL, NJD, NYI, CHI | 1989–1996 | 318 | 0 |
| Jim Cummins | Right wing | DET, PHI, TBL, CHI, PHO, MTL, ANA, NYI, COL | 1991–2004 | 511 | 0 |
| Jim Cunningham | Left wing | PHI | 1977–1978 | 1 | 0 |
| Nelson Debenedet | Defenseman | DET, PIT | 1973–1975 | 46 | 0 |
| Mike Donnelly | Left wing | NYR, BUF, LAK, DAL, NYI | 1986–1997 | 465 | 0 |
| Bob Essensa | Goaltender | WPG, DET, EDM, PHO, VAN, BUF | 1988–2002 | 446 | 0 |
| Brad Fast | Defenseman | CAR | 2003–2004 | 1 | 0 |
| Norm Foster | Goaltender | BUF, EDM | 1990–1992 | 13 | 0 |
| Don Gibson | Defenseman | VAN | 1990–1991 | 14 | 0 |
| Brian Glennie | Defenseman | TOR, LAK | 1969–1979 | 572 | 0 |
| Derek Grant | Center | OTT, CGY, BUF, NSH, ANA, PIT PHI | 2012–2023 | 427 | 0 |
| Steve Guolla | Center | SJS, TBL, ATL, NJD | 1996–2003 | 205 | 0 |
| Adam Hall | Right wing | NSH, NYR, MIN, PIT, TBL, CAR, PHI | 2001–2014 | 682 | 0 |
| Mark Hamway | Forward | NYI | 1984–1987 | 53 | 0 |
| Jeff Harding | Right wing | PHI | 1988–1990 | 15 | 0 |
| Shawn Heaphy | Center | CGY | 1992–1993 | 1 | 0 |
| Taro Hirose | Forward | DET | 2019–2023 | 60 | 0 |
| Shawn Horcoff | Center | EDM, DAL, ANA | 2000–2016 | 1,008 | 0 |
| Andrew Hutchinson | Defenseman | NSH, CAR, TBL, DAL, PIT | 2003–2011 | 140 | 1 |
| Joshua Jacobs | Goaltender | NJD | 2018–2020 | 3 | 0 |
| Bob Johnson | Goaltender | STL, PIT | 1972–1975 | 24 | 0 |
| Duncan Keith | Defenseman | CHI , EDM | 2005–2022 | 1,256 | 3 |
| Tim Kennedy | Left wing | BUF, FLA, SJS, PHO | 2008–2014 | 162 | 0 |
| Dale Krentz | Forward | DET | 1986–1989 | 30 | 0 |
| Torey Krug | Defenseman | BOS, STL | 2011–Present | 778 | 0 |
| Ken Leiter | Defenseman | NYI, MNS | 1984–1990 | 143 | 0 |
| Bryan Lerg | Forward | SJS | 2014–2016 | 8 | 0 |
| John-Michael Liles | Defenseman | COL, TOR, CAR, BOS | 2003–2017 | 836 | 0 |
| Chris Luongo | Defenseman | DET, OTT, NYI | 1990–1996 | 218 | 0 |
| Player | Position | Team(s) | Years | Games | Stanley Cups |
| Mackenzie MacEachern | Left wing | STL, CAR | 2018–Present | 123 | 0 |
| Dan McFall | Defenseman | WPG | 1984–1986 | 9 | 0 |
| Brian McReynolds | Center | WPG, NYR, LAK | 1989–1994 | 30 | 0 |
| Donald McSween | Defenseman | BUF, ANA | 1987–1996 | 47 | 0 |
| Joby Messier | Defenseman | NYR | 1992–1995 | 25 | 0 |
| Mitch Messier | Right wing | MNS | 1987–1991 | 20 | 0 |
| Drew Miller | Left wing | ANA, TBL, DET | 2006–2017 | 571 | 1 |
| Kelly Miller | Left wing | NYR, WAS | 1984–1999 | 1,048 | 0 |
| Kevin Miller | Right wing | NYR, DET, WAS, STL, SJS, PIT, CHI, NYI, OTT | 1988–2004 | 620 | 0 |
| Kip Miller | Center | QUE, MNS, SJS, NYI, PIT, ANA, WAS | 1990–2004 | 449 | 0 |
| Ryan Miller | Goaltender | BUF, STL, VAN, ANA | 2002–2021 | 796 | 0 |
| Chris Mueller | Center | NSH, DAL, NYR | 2010–2015 | 53 | 0 |
| Joe Murphy | Right wing | DET, EDM, CHI, STL, SJS, BOS, WSH | 1986–2001 | 779 | 1 |
| Pat Murray | Left wing | PHI | 1990–1992 | 25 | 0 |
| Rem Murray | Left wing | EDM, NYR, NSH | 1996–2006 | 560 | 0 |
| Jason Muzzatti | Goaltender | CGY, HFD, NYR, SJS | 1993–1998 | 62 | 0 |
| Dwayne Norris | Right wing | QUE, ANA | 1993–1996 | 20 | 0 |
| Jeff Parker | Right wing | BUF, HFD | 1986–1991 | 141 | 0 |
| Jeff Petry | Defenseman | EDM, MTL, PIT, DET | 2010–Present | 937 | 0 |
| Lyle Phair | Left wing | LAK | 1985–1988 | 48 | 0 |
| Corey Potter | Defenseman | NYR, PIT, EDM, BOS, CGY, NSH | 2008–2016 | 130 | 0 |
| Bobby Reynolds | Left wing | TOR | 1989–1990 | 7 | 0 |
| Doug Roberts | Right wing | DET, OAK, BOS | 1965–1975 | 419 | 0 |
| Ron Scott | Left wing | NYR, LAK | 1983–1990 | 28 | 0 |
| Craig Simpson | Left wing | PIT, EDM, BUF | 1985–1995 | 634 | 2 |
| Jim Slater | Center | ATL, WIN | 2005–2015 | 584 | 0 |
| Bryan Smolinski | Center | BOS, PIT, NYI, LAK, OTT, CHI, VAN, MTL | 1990–2004 | 1,056 | 0 |
| Dean Sylvester | Right wing | BUF, ATL | 1999–2001 | 96 | 0 |
| Tom Tilley | Defenseman | STL | 1988–1994 | 174 | 0 |
| Corey Tropp | Right wing | BUF, CBJ, ANA | 2011–2017 | 149 | 0 |
| Tony Tuzzolino | Center | ANA, NYR, BOS | 1997–2002 | 9 | 0 |
| Doug Volmar | Right wing | DET, LAK | 1969–1973 | 62 | 0 |
| Jim Watt | Goaltender | STL | 1973–1974 | 1 | 0 |
| Mike Watt | Left wing | EDM, NYI, NSH, CAR | 1997–2003 | 157 | 0 |
| Mike Weaver | Defenseman | ATL, LAK, VAN, STL, FLA, MTL | 2001–2015 | 633 | 0 |
| Peter White | Center | EDM, TOR, PHI, CHI | 1993–2004 | 220 | 0 |
| Neil Wilkinson | Defenseman | MNS, SJS, CHI, WPG, PIT | 1989–1999 | 460 | 0 |
| Jason Woolley | Defenseman | WSH, FLA, PIT, BUF, DET | 1991–2006 | 718 | 0 |
| Mike York | Center | NYR, EDM, NYI, PHI, PHO, CBJ | 1999–2009 | 579 | 0 |
* Justin Abdelkader
* Mason Appleton
* David Booth
* Rod Brind'Amour
* Anson Carter
* Derek Grant
* Adam Hall
* Shawn Horcoff
* Andrew Hutchinson
* Duncan Keith
* Tim Kennedy
* Torey Krug
* Bryan Lerg
* John-Michael Liles
* Drew Miller
* Ryan Miller
* Chris Mueller
* Jason Muzzatti
* Jeff Petry
* Corey Potter
* Jim Slater
* Corey Tropp
* Mike Weaver
Source:

## Program records

The following are the Michigan State school records. Statistics are accurate as of the 2010–11 season.
Note: Italics indicate a player is still an active Spartan.

### Career

* Most goals in a career: 138 Tom Ross (1972–76)
* Most assists in a career: 186 Tom Ross (1972–76)
* Most points in a career: 324 Tom Ross (1972–76)
* Most penalty minutes in a career: 466 Don Gibson (1986–90)
* Most points in a career, defenseman: 164 Steve Beadle (1986–90)
* Most wins in a career: 83 Jason Muzzatti (1987–91)
* Most shutouts in a career: Ryan Miller
* Most healthy scratches in a career: 48 David Bondra (2012–16)