MSU will return to Munn Ice Arena for an exhibition game, hosting the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) on Sunday, Jan. 4, at 4:00 p.m. EST. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus and is the Spartans' final competition before resuming Big Ten play.

Four MSU forwards missed the GLI as they round out competition in the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships, representing their respective countries. 

Great Lakes Invitational (Grand Rapids, MI)

Despite missing a few key players, MSU demonstrated its next-man-up mentality, with different lines and first-time appearances in the GLI. 

Freshman forward Cole Burke took his first career shift against Ferris State — and netted his first career goal. Junior defenseman Patrick Geary, sophomore defenseman Colin Ralph and freshman forward Anthony Romani posted two points against FSU, with senior forward Charlie Stramel adding three (2-1—3). 

Stramel netted two more goals in the championship game, giving him a five-point (4-1—5) weekend and Tournament MVP. 

Junior goaltender Trey Augustine participated in his first-ever GLI, having missed the past two years for World Juniors. The netminder stopped 53-of-56 shots for a .946 save percentage and 1.50 goals-against average. 

Augustine, Romani and Geary were also named to the All-Tourament team as Romani finished the tournament with four points (2-2—4).

MSU head coach Adam Nightingale told the media he was impressed with his team’s resiliency — playing with only nine forwards, coming out of the break with physicality and showing a willingness to skate with different teammates.

“That's what we want our team to be about,” Nightingale said. “Wherever you're asked to go, to help the team. You make sure you go out there, give your best.”

Stramel’s tournament outings (4-1—5) brought him to a team-leading 23 points (10-13—23) this season. Russell, who tallied three assists, is tied with Stramel for the team lead in assists (4-13—17).

Following the GLI performances, the Spartans swept the Big Ten Stars of the Week, with Stramel earning First Star, Augustine earning Second Star and Romani Third Star. This was the first time a team swept the weekly stars since 2022. 

IIHF World Juniors (St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN)

Freshman forwards Ryker Lee (USA), Porter Martone (Canada) and Eric Nilson (Sweden), along with sophomore forward Shane Vansaghi (USA), have been competing in the World Juniors since Dec. 26.

On Dec. 31, Team USA and Team Sweden squared off with both teams entering undefeated. The U.S. was coming off a 6-5 comeback victory over Slovakia, in which Lee scored the tying goal to make it 3-3 in the second period. Lee later told the media it was the biggest goal of his career.

However, despite a breakaway from Lee in the first period, the U.S. trailed Sweden 3-0, Nilson assisting on the Swedes’ first goal of the night. While Reid got the U.S. on the board and Lee assisted on another goal, Team USA ultimately fell 6-3. 

In Friday's quarterfinal, the U.S. took an early lead on a goal by BU forward Cole Hutson, who returned to the ice after missing time with an injury. Finland rallied to take a 3-2 lead before Lee scored from the slot with 1:33 remaining in regulation, tying the game and forcing a sudden-death overtime.

After several shifts in overtime, Finland’s Arttu Valila beat goaltender Nicholas Kempf, handing the U.S. a 4-3 loss and ending its bid for a third-straight gold medal. Finland earned silver last year after falling to the U.S. in overtime.

Lee competed in all five of Team USA’s games, finishing the tournament with three points and two game-changing goals (2-1—3). Vansaghi skated in three games and Reid tallied four points (2-2—4) in five games. 

While Lee and Vansaghi’s tournament run has come to an end, Nilson and Team Sweden advanced to the semifinals after defeating Latvia 6-3 yesterday night. So far, Nilson has marked three points in the tournament (1-2—3). Sweden will play Finland at 4:30 p.m. EST. 

Martone and Team Canada also advanced to Thursday’s semifinals with a dominant 7-1 victory over Latvia. The Peterborough native scored Canada’s sixth goal and added an assist.

Canada will face Czechia at 7:30 p.m. EST for the second time in the tournament. The teams met on opening day, when Canada earned a 7-5 win in a back-and-forth contest. Martone scored the final goal of that game, an empty-netter and has now tallied seven points in the tournament (4-3—7).

Scouting USNTDP (East Lansing, MI)

While the USNTDP isn’t a college team, it’s still home to hockey elites. The Under-18 team holds a 9-16 record with a roster full of NHL Draft prospects. Since the program’s establishment, it has had 432 NHL draft picks through the 2025 draft, including 103 in the first round.

The USNTDP has had several MSU players prior to their time in the Green and White. Freshman winger Austin Baker, Vansaghi, Augustine, Stramel and former forward Isaac Howard each played for the USNTDP. 

Additionally, Nightingale served as head coach of the USNTDP from 2020-22, leading the team to an IIHF U-18 World Championship Silver Medal in 2022. 

The USNTDP is led by forward Victor Plante, the younger brother of Max Plante, who also represented Team USA at the World Juniors this year. Victor has 28 points (15-13—28) in 29 games this season and is committed to Minnesota Duluth, where he will join his brothers Max and Zam Plante.

The team’s most recent game was a 3-2 win over Utica University on Tuesday, with defenseman Abe Barnett — the brother of Michigan forward Asher Barnett — scoring the game-winning goal. The USNTDP will face No. 1 Michigan at 7 p.m. EST tonight before traveling to East Lansing for Saturday’s matchup.

While the game will not affect the Spartans’ record, Augustine told the media that it is important for the team to take things one day at a time, maximizing practices, games and exhibitions in order to reach its April goals. 

The exhibition game will also allow three Spartan commits to meet their future teammates. USNTDP defensemen Nick Bogas and Tyler Martyniuk, as well as forward Brody George, are committed to play for MSU next fall.