Three recent commits add to August recruiting run for MSU hockey

Michigan State hockey's been hot on the recruiting trail in August, and the success continued with three new commitments in the past 10 days.

The most prominent recent addition is forward Christian Humphreys, the No. 9-ranked recruit in the 2006 age group according to hockey scouting website Neutral Zone. Humphreys, 16, who committed to the Spartans on Aug. 16, hails from Pittsburgh and played for the reigning national champion Bishop Kearney Selects U16 team, where he had 104 points (36 goals, 70 assists) in 54 games last season.

On the same day, MSU also got a verbal pledge from forward Isaac Gordon, a native of Landmark, Manitoba, Canada. Gordon, 18, scored 43 goals and had 72 points in 41 games with the Eastman Selects U18 team last season, and is slated to play for the Humboldt Broncos in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

Humphreys is expected to play two years for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program before likely joining the Spartans for the 2024-2025 season. Gordon, if all goes well in juniors, is expected to join the MSU roster for the 2023-2024 season.

MSU landed a third commitment on Tuesday in Austin Oravetz, a right-shot defenseman from the Pittsburgh area. Oravetz spent his first season in the USHL with Dubuque, where he had 21 points in 62 games, but will play his second USHL season with the Green Bay Gamblers. Oravetz, like Gordon, could potentially join the Spartans next season if the 18-year-old's second season in juniors is promising.

New Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale can't comment on players until they've signed national letters of intent, but he did say he was pleased with how recruiting is going when he met with reporters this week.

"We're excited, and all these players still have to develop, but everyone we've brought on campus has been excited about it and even talking on the phone, people understand what this place can be," Nightingale said. "There's an excitement throughout the athletic department about what everyone's got going. It's a really cool time to be a part of it."

MSU landed three other players earlier in August − Austin Baker and Lucas Van Vliet from the U.S, National Team Development program − and Ukrainian center Misha Danylov, who will play for Green Bay in the USHL this season.

Familiar face returns

MSU made another addition to its coaching staff in recent days and it's a familiar name. Former Spartan All-American and captain Brad Fast will return to the program as the Director of Player Development. Fast, who was previously the Director of Hockey Operations for MSU from 2015-2019, had 114 career points as a defenseman for the Spartans from 1999-2003.

"His main role will be development of players and having an individual plan for each guy," Nightingale said. "He'll always watch the games and practice from an individual standpoint. We are trying to run like an NHL team so we want a guy who is tracking exactly where everyone is at, what they need to work on and what they do well.

"I think for the players, to have someone constantly looking at it that way, there's a ton of value in that. I think there is a difference between skill development and player development, and we all believe in player development and that'll be Brad's task."

Big Ten schedule released

MSU also found out its Big Ten schedule, which opens on the road at Notre Dame on Oct. 28-29. The first conference home series is the following weekend against Wisconsin on Nov. 4-5. The Spartans have two home games against Michigan this season − Dec. 9 and Feb. 10.

The remaining Big Ten schedule goes as follows: Nov. 10-11 – Ohio State, Nov. 18-19 – at Penn State, Dec. 2-3 – Minnesota, Dec. 10 – at Michigan, Jan. 6-7 – at Ohio State, Jan. 13-14 – Penn State, Jan. 27-28 – at Minnesota, Feb. 3-4 – Notre Dame, Feb. 11 at Michigan (game played at Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit), Feb 17-18 – at Wisconsin.

MSU opens its season with an exhibition game against the USNTDP U18 team on Oct. 1 at Munn Arena.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU hockey: 3 recent commits add to August recruiting run