How a Team USA reunion could decide the rivalry between Michigan hockey and Michigan State

The 2021-22 NCAA hockey season was one of success for the state of Michigan. In addition to Adrian’s first-ever Division III national title, three of the state’s seven Division I hockey programs made the NCAA tournament, with Michigan and Western Michigan both earning No. 1 seeds in the 16-team field.

WMU picked up its first-ever win in the NCAAs, but lost in the regional final; U-M, meanwhile, advanced to the Frozen Four for the 26th time in program history before losing in overtime to eventual champion Denver.

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Adrian opens its championship defense with a visit to Bowling Green on Oct. 22 and starts Division III play Oct. 28-29 against Utica at home, but Division I teams are dropping the puck on the 2022-23 season last weekend and this one. Here are 14 names to know from the state on the road to the 2023 Frozen Four, slated for Tampa, Florida, on April 6-8.

Coach Brandon Naurato, Michigan

The state’s most successful program last season — the Wolverines were packed with NHL-level talent (including seven first-round picks) — is perhaps in the biggest state of flux. The school declined to renew the contract of head coach Mel Pearson, who had taken the Wolverines to two Frozen Fours in five seasons, after a report by the law firm WilmerHale concluded that Pearson lied to investigators and helped foster a toxic culture within the program.

Taking the reins this season is Naurato, an assistant under Pearson last season. The 37-year-old Livonia native has never been a head coach, though he spent eight years with USA Hockey and three seasons as a player development consultant with the Detroit Red Wings. Luckily for Naurato and Michigan, the Wolverines’ roster is still loaded with talent, including forward Mackie Samoskevich, a 2021 first-rounder (No. 24 overall) who had 10 goals and 19 assists in 2021-22 and goalie Erik Portillo, who was named the Most Outstanding Player in Michigan’s Big Ten tournament title run in March. Still, the Wolverines will be led by …

D Luke Hughes, Michigan

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft, Hughes racked up 17 goals and 22 assists en route to being named co-Big Ten Freshman of the Yeah, a second-team All-Big Ten pick and leading all NCAA defensemen in points. Rather than join his brother Jack in New Jersey, Hughes opted to return to Ann Arbor, where he’s already a preseason All-Big Ten pick and a frontrunner for the Hobey Baker Award (college hockey’s version of the Heisman Trophy). One of his biggest challengers for the award will also be suiting up in maize and blue …

F Adam Fantilli, Michigan

The freshman is already making the top three in 2023 NHL draft previews (behind generational talent Connor Bedard) after putting up 37 goals and 37 assists in 54 games for the Chicago Steel of the USHL. A Canadian native, he served as the alternate captain (with six points in four games) for Team Canada’s gold-medal squad at the U18 Worlds in Germany, where he beat …

F Frank Nazar III, F Rutger McGroarty & D Seamus Casey, Michigan

The talented trio starred for the U.S. National Team Development Program last season before being selected 13th (by Winnipeg), 14th (by Chicago) and 46th (by New Jersey) overall in July’s NHL draft. Over two seasons with the USNTDP, they put up more than 300 points combined. Oh, and they also starred at the U18 Worlds in Germany, with a combined 24 points in six games as the U.S. took silver — which might come up in the four times this season they’re scheduled to face …

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Coach Adam Nightingale, Michigan State

The former Spartans player (2003-05) was the head coach of that silver-winning U.S. team this summer in Germany after two seasons leading the USNTDP squad. He replaces Danton Cole, who went 58-10-12 over five seasons in East Lansing. Before Nightingale played in East Lansing, he played at Lake Superior State, just like another new Spartan …

F Miroslav Mucha, Michigan State

The grad transfer from LSSU was named MSU’s captain on Sept. 30. The Slovakia native had 10 goals and 25 assists for the Lakers last season; that followed a junior season in which he had five goals and nine assists as LSSU made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1996. The Spartans added another grad transfer with NCAA tourney experience in …

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G Dylan St. Cyr, Michigan State

The Northville alumnus — whose father, Gerry St. Cyr, played five seasons of pro hockey and mother, Manon Rheaume, was the first woman to play in an NHL preseason game, a Bally Sports Detroit analyst for Red Wings games last season and is now with the L.A. Kings — is on his third team in three seasons. He spent four years at Notre Dame before transferring to Quinnipiac last season; with the Bobcats, he backed up one of the nation’s top goalies in Yaniv Perets and posted a 1.16 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in 13 games. He also appeared in the Bobcats’ final NCAA game, coming on in relief in the regional final against Michigan, with four saves and one goal allowed in nearly 18 minutes as Quinnipiac nearly knocked off the Wolverines. Meanwhile, in Kalamazoo, there’s another transfer who faced Michigan in the NCAA tournament last season …

D Zak Galambos, Western Michigan

The California native led American International to the first round of the NCAAs (where they lost to U-M, 5-3) with five goals and 24 assists. Galambos is still looking for his first points of the 2022-23 season after WMU split with Alaska Anchorage last weekend, though he did have three shots and two penalties. He’ll have another shot to get on the board when the Broncos head to Big Rapids on Saturday night to face Ferris State and …

F Connor McGrath, Ferris State

At 5 foot 9 and 144 pounds, the Saskatchewan native might have some growing to do, but he already has an electric scoring touch, with 35 goals and 49 assists in 56 games with the Humboldt Broncos in juniors last season as he won the CJHL’s awards for rookie of the year and top forward. He’s scoreless in two games so far, but can change that in the Bulldogs’ first game of the weekend, when they host Michigan Tech and …

G Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech

The senior was a workhorse in leading the Huskies to the first round of the NCAA tournament last season, starting all 37 games for Michigan Tech with a 1.91 GAA and .918 save percentage. His seven shutouts tied the program record and earned him an All-CCHA Second Team nod. The Howell alumnus stopped 23 of 25 shots in Tech’s Oct. 1 exhibition win over Lake Superior State and …

F Louis Boudon, Lake Superior State

The native of France will repeat as Lakers captain for the second year after leading the team in goals (15), assists (29), plus/minus (+14), shots (92) and game-winning goals (four) in 36 games last season en route to making Second Team All-CCHA. He also had two hat tricks, including one against Northern Michigan on Dec. 11, meaning he probably has already the Nov. 4-5 visit from NMU circled on his calendar, when he’ll face …

F Joey Larson, Northern Michigan

The talented freshman arrives in Marquette coming off a scorching season with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks in which he had 32 goals and 34 assists in 62 games. Larson is no stranger to awards, either; the state’s 2019 Mr. Hockey with Hartland, Larson was tabbed as this season’s preseason Rookie of the Year in the CCHA. He didn’t waste any time, either, with a goal and two assists in the Wildcats’ split with Bowling Green last weekend.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The names you need to know for 2022-23 college hockey season