Michigan State Adds Transfer D, St. Louis Blues Prospect
Michigan State hockey has more news to be excited about after being bounced from the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Just days after it was revealed goalkeeper Tre Augustine would be returning for another year, the Spartans landed a big-time transfer to help on the blue line.
According to Brad Elliot Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald, Michigan State has earned the commitment of former St. Cloud State defenseman Colin Ralph.
Ralph was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft. He recently wrapped up his freshman campaign.
The Blues prospect recorded 8 points, (seven assists and a goal) in 35 games with St. Cloud State. He was also a member of the U.S. National Team at World Juniors this year and was teammates with Augustine, who helped lead the squad to gold as its primary netminder.
Ralph’s addition is quite significant for a team losing defensemen David Gucciardi and Nicklas Andrews. It should have fans feeling very hopeful after a bitter end to an incredible season.
Below is a brief summary of Ralph’s game, per the Elite Prospects 2024 NHL Draft Guide.
“Ralph is an incredible defensive quantity. He’s just an absolute force defending the rush. A plus-plus defensive skater who is always gapped, he fluidly pivots and kills opponents on angle-offs. He’s aggressive, jumps into pass lanes (rejecting breakouts), and matches footwork expertly.”
Michigan State won the Big Ten regular season title and conference tournament title for the second-straight year and was the No. 2 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
In a shocking twist, the Spartans were upset by Cornell in the opening round, falling quite short of their goal of winning a national title.
The Spartans have a promising incoming freshman class and could still make some significant moves in the portal. There’s a lot of reason to still be optimistic about this program.
It will take time for the wound left from the tournament loss to heal, but with moves like the one made this weekend, excitement will slowly but surely start building up again for a program that has had an incredible turnaround over Adam Nightingale.
