What to Watch as Boston College Men’s Hockey Faces Loaded Michigan State Roster in Exhibition Test

Boston College men’s hockey is finally back in action.

Tonight, the consensus No. 12-ranked Eagles are set for an exhibition showdown against the consensus No. 3-ranked Michigan State Spartans at 5 p.m. in East Lansing, Mich., which will be televised live on Big Ten Plus.

While it technically won’t matter in the record, the contest will say a lot about where BC’s new-look roster is at, as MSU features a loaded squad of its own with 17 total NHL draft selections, good for second-most in the NCAA, as well as nine first-round picks, which are the most of any team in the country.

To put that more into perspective, the Spartans possess 30 percent of first-round NHL draft picks who are playing college hockey, as there are only 30 in all.

Similar to the Eagles, who have a freshman class of 11 this season, MSU has welcomed in over 10 newcomers with nine rookies and three transfers.

Here is a look at who some of that talent is, and what fans should be on the lookout for in tonight’s scrimmage.

No. 12 Boston College at No. 3 Michigan State: Opponent Analysis, Game Preview

Coming off back-to-back-to-back Big Ten regular season championships in 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26, the Spartans were selected to finish second in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll, only behind 2026 NCAA Frozen Four participant Michigan, MSU’s rival.

The player who most opposing coaches will be making sure to defend aggressively is sophomore forward Ryker Lee, a Preseason All-Big Ten Second Team honoree who finished third on the team in scoring and third in goals with 15 goals, 15 assists, and 30 total points as a rookie.

Lee, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound right-handed shooter, was named to the preliminary 2026 U.S. Hockey Men’s National Team for the 2026 IIHF World Championships, and he scored one goal in a prelim game.

Prior to his career in East Lansing, the Shattuck St. Mary's product was selected by the Nashville Predators with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft following a season in the USHL with the Madison Capitols, where he posted 68 points (31 goals, 37 assists), including six points in the postseason en route to First Team All-USHL and USHL Rookie of the Year honors.

One very noticeable trait of this MSU roster is its size.

The Spartans carry three players who are 6-feet-6-inches tall in freshman forward Mason West, a 2025 first-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, as well as sophomore defensemen Cole Ward, Matt Lahey, and Sean Barnhill, a 2025 New York Rangers’ third-rounder.

Michigan State is also the fifth-heaviest team in the country at an average of 196.8 pounds.

Some of the other notable returners outside of Lee consist of sophomore forward Anthony Romani, a 2024 sixth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks who posted 28 points with 14 goals and 14 assists last year, and senior forward Tommi Männistö, who notched 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points.

Plenty of the Spartans’ first-round picks consist of recent ones, as they feature 2026 first-rounders in defenseman Chase Reid (Seattle, No. 7 overall), forward Ethan Belchetz (Utah, No. 17), forward Jack Hextall (Calgary, No. 30), and defenseman Tommy Bleyl (Nashville, No. 31).

The trio transfers on the roster consist of junior forward Cullen Potter from Arizona State, senior forward Jimmy Clark from Minnesota, and junior goalie Quentin Sigurdson from Northeastern, which brings up something else of importance.

This offseason, MSU brought in an entirely new trio of goaltenders following the departure of Mike Richter Award winner Trey Augustine, who signed an entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings at the conclusion of his junior season.

Sigurdson made 10 starts over the course of two seasons for the Huskies, in which he generated a 2.45 goals against average (GAA) and a .920 save percentage, so he is the most experienced of the group.

He is not the player who is most likely to take over net-minding duties for the majority of the season, however, as it will probably be freshman Joshua Ravensbergen, a 2025 first-round pick of the San Jose Sharks (No. 30) who is the reigning Western Hockey League (WHL) Goaltender of the Year after posting a record of 32-13-0, a 2.51 GAA, .919 save percentage, and four shutout in 2025-26.

MSU head coach Adam Nightingale is just five wins away from 100 in his career as a Spartan, and he enters the 2026-27 season with a 95-44-11 overall record and a .670 career winning percentage.

Friday’s exhibition game marks the 11th meeting between Boston College and Michigan State since 2000, and the Eagles hold a 7-3 record in that span.

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