“I’m humbled by the trust the Board of Trustees and President Kevin Guskiewicz have displayed in selecting me to guide Spartan athletics in this new era of college sports. An awesome opportunity lies ahead of Michigan State, and our alignment at every level will be a key element in our success. I can’t wait to get to East Lansing next week and get to work.”

Batt’s selection was announced on June 2. He comes to East Lansing from Georgia Tech, where he led the department since 2022. Prior to that, he worked at the University of Alabama from 2017-22, serving as executive deputy director of athletics, chief operating officer and chief revenue officer. A former student-athlete on the men’s soccer team at North Carolina, his professional career also includes stops at East Carolina University, the University of Maryland, James Madison University, William & Mary and his alma mater.

Batt’s introductory press conference was held June 4 inside the Greg and Dawn Williams Football Lobby at the Tom Izzo Football Building.

That’s Wild

We have a Minnesota Wild prospect making use of the new NCAA-CHL agreement. In the new agreement, a player doesn’t have to pick either the CHL or the NCAA for their development but as long as they are not signed to an NHL contract, a CHL player can transfer to play college hockey. This causes a natural progression from junior hockey to playing against slightly older, more grown competition.

Some top prospects like projected first-overall pick of the 2026 class, Gavin McKenna, and some top picks this year, like Porter Martone, are rumored to be making the jump to the NCAA for next season. But most recently, it is Wild prospect Ryder Ritchie that is bringing his talents down south and has committed to Boston University, according to Elite Prospects’ Cam Robinson.

The 18-year-old right winger was drafted in the second round (45th overall) by the Wild in the 2024 NHL Draft and after a trade last summer that took him from the miserable Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL, to the Medicine Hat Tigers, Ritchie saw his offense take a slight jump. He finished his season with the Tigers scoring 29 goals and 61 points in 53 games. Considering Medicine Hat was an absolute machine led by the aforementioned McKenna, Ritchie was able to seize the opportunity. He finished third on the team in scoring.

And now he faces the challenge of college hockey, which should accelerate his development and it wouldn’t surprise us if he’s there for at least a couple seasons.

• The Minnesota Wild need to be smart and cash in on the teams drooling over Sam Bennett. They have their own, slightly lesser version of Sam Bennett they could offer teams. [Hockey Wilderness]
• Marc-Andre Fleury finished seventh for the Lady Byng. [Yahoo Sports]

Off the trail…

• The New York Rangers have sent Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks, officially. Full trade grades: [ESPN]
• A game for the ages. Stuart Skinner was pulled by the Edmonton Oilers after going down 3-0 in Game 4 Thursday night. The Oilers proceeded to come back and win the game 5-4 in overtime, even after Sam Reinhart equalized the game for his Panthers with just seconds left in relegation. A roller coaster.

Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we’ll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.

MARSHFIELD, Mass. – The New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) recently announced the All-Academic team recipients in the men’s and women’s divisions for the 2024-25 season. To be eligible for All-Academic recognition, a student must carry a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA and have completed one full year at their current institution by the beginning of the hockey season. Student-athletes who were freshmen or first-year transfers during the 2024-25 season were not eligible.
 
On the women’s side, all ten NEHC institutions were represented, with a total of 158 student-athletes earning the honor. Elmira had a league-high 20 student-athletes honored, while Salve Regina University followed closely behind with 19 honorees. Albertus Magnus College had 18 student-athletes represented.
 
On the men’s side, all 11 NEHC institutions were represented with 207 student-athletes in total, earning the honor. New England College, Norwich University, and Salve Regina University led the way with twenty-two honorees each. Elmira had 17 student-athletes represented.
 
For the Soaring Eagles, the following women’s ice hockey student-athletes were recognized with NEHC All-Academic honors: Alayna Toole ’26 (Jr., Criminal Justice), Katie Manning ’25 (Sr., Psychology), Erika Goleniak ’25 (Sr., Business Administration), McKenzie Schmidt ’25 (Sr., Nursing), Piper Andrews ’26 (Jr., Business Administration), Emily Lenzen ’24 (Gr., Business Administration), Mandy McCarrick ’26 (Jr., Accounting), Sabrina Shvartsman ’25 (Sr., Psychology), Sophie Compeau ’25 (Sr., Psychology), MK Boyle ’26 (Jr., Finance), Lydia Walsh ’27 (So., Biochemistry), Bri Conger ’27 (So., Biology), Gabby Dougherty ’26 (Jr., Business Administration), Emily Finach ’26 (Jr., Criminal Justice), Sophie Gregory ’26 (Jr., Adolescence Education: Social Studies), Leonie-Louise Kuehberger ’25 (Sr., Environmental Science), Anna Lugge ’27 (So., General Studies), Mo McBride ’27 (So. Biology), Emma Morel ’26 (Jr. Biology), and Shira Wein ’27 (So., Business Administration).
 
On the men’s side, the following student-athletes were recognized with NEHC All-Academic honors: Joel Pavey ’25 (Sr., Criminal Justice), Kyle Curtin ’26 (Jr., Business Administration), Brody Haynes ’26 (Jr., Business Administration), Tyler Schwindt ’26 (Jr., Business Administration), Ryan Reifler ’24 (Gr., Finance), Carter Wisely ’25 (Sr., Business Administration), Matt York ’26 (Jr., Business Administration), Chance Gorman ’24 (Gr., Business Administration), Bailey Krawczyk ’24 (Gr., Finance), Nathan Young ’25 (Sr., Biology & Business Admin), Shane Haviland ’24 (Gr., Business Administration), Cole Tucker ’25 (Sr., Business Administration), Birch Gorman ’27 (So., Finance), Cameron Manley ’26 (Jr., Psychology), Kenny Maxwell ’27 (So., Business Administration), Stephan McDonald ’27 (So., Finance), and Shane Miller ’25 (Sr, Finance).
 
 
The complete list of NEHC All-Academic winners can be found through the link above.

June 13, 2025

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Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State has signed coach Adam Nightingale to a multi-year contract extension. The Spartans have won back-to-back regular-season and conference tournament championships.

“I’m appreciative of the support the Board of Trustees and President Kevin Guskiewicz have demonstrated with today’s announcement of a new contract for Adam Nightingale, helping to ensure he leads the Spartan hockey program for many years to come,” MSU athletic director J Batt said. “Under Coach Nightingale’s guidance, Michigan State has returned to its position as one of the elite programs in college hockey, creating incredible excitement both within the hockey community and throughout all of our loyal supporters. Coming off back-to-back Big Ten Championships, there’s a buzz that even greater things are on the horizon. Personally, I can’t wait to experience the excitement of the sold-out crowds at Munn Ice Arena this winter, in what could be a truly special season.”

Nightingale is 69-35-9 in three season so far. MSU’s conference titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25 marked the third time in program history that the Spartans won conference championships in consecutive seasons. Last season Michigan State finished 26-7-4, making their second consecutive and 29th overall NCAA Tournament appearance. Michigan State received a No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season and was the No. 2 seeded team in the tournament overall, before losing in the first round to Cornell.

“My family and I are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent Michigan State University,” said Nightingale. “To coach at an institution like this and be part of the East Lansing community is a privilege and an awesome responsibility. The support our program receives, from President Kevin Guskiewicz, the Board of Trustees, Director of Athletics J Batt and the entire Spartan family, will never be taken for granted, and we make sure our players and staff understand that on a daily basis. We look forward to continuing to make our university, alumni and community proud.”

For the first time since the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, MSU has posted consecutive total home attendance numbers over 100,000. There were 17 sellouts at Munn Arena last season.

The 2024 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Nightingale recently served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Championships, where the United States brought home gold for the first time in 92 years.

Prior to his return to East Lansing, Nightingale was head coach of the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) for two seasons (2020-22) and was an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings (2019-20). Nightingale got his start in the NHL as a video coach for the Buffalo Sabres (2016-17) and Red Wings (2017-19). Before joining the professional ranks, Nightingale served as head coach of the Shattuck-St. Mary’s 14U Team in Faribault, Minnesota, for two seasons (2014-16), leading the team to a national championship in 2016.

Nightingale’s collegiate playing career concluded with his two seasons at Michigan State (2003-05) where in 67 games he totaled 37 points and was an assistant captain.

Instagram @casey_obrien / Via instagram.com

Her more personal achievements include being a three-time finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, which is given to the top female college ice hockey player each year. She finally won the award at the end of this past season (and gave a great speech afterwards.)

What could possibly be left for her to achieve? Becoming a professional. For O’Brien, joining the PWHL is part of a dream that extends back to her childhood.

“When I was five or six, I had chalkboards in my room with years written on them, and they were Olympic years,” said O’Brien. “I knew from a young age I wanted to be an Olympian and play hockey.”

She was born in New York City, into a family of five that included older brothers Jack and Max. As many younger siblings do, O’Brien looked up to her older brothers and emulated their enjoyment of sports. She credits her older siblings for getting her into hockey and developing her competitive streak.

O’Brien’s parents, Erika and Jamie, were athletes. Erika played squash at Yale while Jamie ran track at Bates. They quickly realized their children’s athletic potential and decided to move the family to Milton, MA when O’Brien was 9.

The most transformative decision that O’Brien made early in her career was enrolling at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, the elite prep program in Minnesota.

“With all the big names that went there, like [Brianna] Decker, I was like, I need to go here. This place is my dream,” said O’Brien.

Though she initially applied to join the prep school in eighth grade, she ended up waiting until her sophomore year to attend. “I think it was good that I waited those two years because even when I went as a sophomore, I did get really homesick,” said O’Brien. “I adjusted, but it definitely took a bit. I think it was well worth it because I knew my dream was to get as good as I could at hockey, and Shattuck was the place to do it.”

Regular messages from home and trips to see games were the main ways in which her family supported her in those years. To this day, O’Brien remains close with her family. Her parents attended nearly every Wisconsin game last season. The ones they couldn’t be in person, they watched online.

Ultimately, O’Brien made her name at Wisconsin, winning national championships and developing into a very dangerous player on the ice. “Knowing how talented every single player on the team was, I was just trying to be a sponge and learn as much as I could,” O’Brien explained. “Without Wisconsin, without the teammates that I had … I don’t think I would be anywhere near the player I am today … that’s where I really rounded out my game and learned that being a 200-foot center is more valuable than just offense.”