“I’m as excited about this season as I was for the first season I came, and in many ways more so,” Anastos said. “I like the chemistry of the team; I really liked the offseason that our guys had. Our team as a hole comes back in better physical shape than any team since I’ve been here.”

As part of instilling his own culture, Anastos has been strained to rely on incoming freshmen to play a meaningful role. While that is expected when there is turnover in any program, it meant that MSU lacked some valuable experience when they found themselves in tight games.

This season, Anastos’ program is reaching the point where the players that were asked to contribute as underclassmen are turning into upperclassmen. With a strong offseason, Anastos anticipates that group will take a huge step in their game.

“Last year we had a lot of impact and a lot of minutes were played...from freshmen and sophomores,” Anastos said. “So now those guys are sophomores and juniors and if they can continue to evolve like they did last year and take another big step.

“To me, almost the theme of the season is to step up. We need to step up and as I mentioned, we can see the corner. The question is can we step up enough to turn the corner.”

However daunting that question may seem to an outsider, everyone inside MSU’s locker room is confident in the system and each other. With junior goaltender Jake Hildebrand in net, the Spartans will have plenty of opportunities to make their mark in the Big Ten.

“We’ve been talking about taking strides and making progress,” Hildebrand said. “I think we’ve made progress and we need to take the next step. I’m not sure exactly what the next step is, but we know we’re going to surprise some people this season.”

Whatever surprises lie ahead, the Spartans will focus on getting better each and every day as they fight through a deep non-conference schedule and a demanding Big Ten.

“There’s an incredible competitive spirit with an expectation to pursue very aggressive goals, and not be easily satisfied with where we are,” Anastos said. “A step that I think we need to continue to take is demanding of one another...A high standard of not only commitment, but performance.

“We’re going to create very ambitious, some might even say audacious goals, but that’s what our expectations are.”