Michigan State hockey transfer tracker: Cullen Potter to join via portal

East Lansing — After three straight seasons winning the Big Ten and entering the postseason as a No. 1 seed, Michigan State hockey heads into an offseason of change.

Of 27 players on the roster in 2025-26, eight signed professional contracts, four entered the transfer portal and an additional senior aged out. Those losses include the entire first line of Danny Russell, Charlie Stramel and Porter Martone, who accounted for 133 points, 35.7% of the total offensive production. Gone also is goaltender Trey Augustine, who went pro after setting the foundation for Michigan State’s three-year climb into contender status.

Michigan State’s needs in the transfer portal are mostly in the forward corps and in net. The blue line is mostly taken care of with this incoming freshman class that could include as many as six defensemen depending on how offseason decision-making shakes out. Projected top-five draft pick Chase Reid headlines that group as someone who should come in and make an instant impact.

The standard college hockey transfer portal is open April 13 to 28. Follow along below for updates on Michigan State hockey’s portal additions and subtractions.

Who are Michigan State hockey’s top returners?

Among returning forwards, Ryker Lee led all skaters with 15 goals and 30 points through 35 games averaging 15:04 of ice time per game. The Nashville first-round pick flaunted the crafty playmaking that drove one prep hockey coach to nickname him “The Wizard.” He’ll be looked on to make an even larger impact in his sophomore season.

Behind Lee, classmate Anthony Romani (a sixth-round pick of Vancouver) returns with 28 points to his name on 14:41 of ice time. Tommi Mannisto enters his senior season off a career-high 21-point campaign, though his hard-nosed game still lacks a lot of finish for the opportunities he creates.

On the blue line, Patrick Geary is the top returner at 18:13 after Michigan State lost its top three defensemen by ice time. Matt Basgall graduated and Maxim Strbak and Colin Ralph signed NHL contracts. Owen West, Sean Barnhill and Matt Lahey return from the bottom pairing, as well as depth defenseman Cole Ward who averaged just 3:31 over eight appearances.

Michigan State has no goaltenders among its 14 projected returners, though incoming freshman Joshua Ravensbergen is a more than capable starting netminder. He’ll likely be this team’s starter in the fall, with a strong pedigree as a first-round draft pick, All-WHL honoree and World Junior bronze medalist.

Former Arizona State forward Cullen Potter (12) is transferring to Michigan State.

Cullen Potter picks Michigan State out of transfer portal

He took a couple extra steps, but former Michigan State hockey commit Cullen Potter finally found his way to the Spartans this week.

Potter, a first-round pick of the Calgary Flames who spent the past two seasons at Arizona State, committed to Michigan State through the transfer portal Monday. The fleet-footed forward measures in at 5-foot-10 and is a left-handed shot and can play center or wing.

Potter, 19, had committed to join Michigan State in last season’s freshman class, but when he wanted to make the college jump a year early, the Spartans didn’t have roster space. So he went to an Arizona State team that did, and for whom he was the highest drafted talent to ever skate for the program, in 2024-25. He finished that season in Los Angeles, where Calgary grabbed him 32nd overall to cap night one of the draft.

In 59 career games at Arizona State, Potter scored 48 points, including 26 points in 24 games this past season before sustaining a left shoulder injury in January — on his birthday, no less — that put him out the rest of the season.

Potter comes from hockey royalty, as his mother is four-time Olympian and gold medalist Jenny Potter, who was a Team USA mainstay by the time she left high school.

Michigan State needs additions up front, with its entire top line of Danny Russell, Charlie Stramel and Porter Martone moving on to the pro ranks. Potter is a big piece in filling those offensive needs.

Adam Nightingale’s squad has some quality additions coming into the forward corps, and some big retentions in place. Mason West, a 6-foot-6 draftee of the Chicago Blackhawks, is coming in this season. First-round picks Cayden Lindstrom and Ryker Lee are expected to remain for their sophomore seasons. Potter adds another speedster with lots of skill. For an attacking offense like the Spartans, he should fit well.

Look for Potter to play primarily on the wing, where he can really use his speed and also alleviate some logjam at center. West and Lindstrom should be in the mix, Eric Nilson will build off his freshman season, and expected incoming freshmen Jack Hextall and Max Heise should factor in as well.

Melvin Strahl out, will go to Minnesota

Another year, another Spartan backup goalie headed to Dinkytown.

Melvin Strahl, a fifth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, backed up Trey Augustine this past season. The Swedish goaltender posted a 2-0-1 record with a .922 save percentage and 2.27 goals against average.

Last season, Michigan State backup Luca Di Pasquo transferred to Minnesota after backing up Augustine, who decided to come back after a disappointing first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament. With the net manned, Di Pasquo crossed sides to a Big Ten foe and finished the season 8-15-2 with a .910 save percentage and 3.18 goals against average.

As much as Strahl’s decision was made Monday, the real decision happened Jan. 26, when Michigan State went out and got Joshua Ravensbergen to commit out of the WHL’s Prince George Cougars. He’ll take over the net left by Augustine, who signed with the Red Wings this offseason.

At 30th overall in 2025, San Jose made Ravensbergen the first goaltender taken in the first round of the NHL Draft since 2021, when Sebastian Cossa (Detroit) and Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota) were both selected. He was picked one behind incoming MSU center Mason West and two before incoming transfer Potter.

Ravensbergen finished the regular season 32-13-0 with a 2.51 goals against average and .919 save percentage with four shutouts. He is 6-1-1 in the middle of a WHL playoff run, averaging 2.44 and .930. He should be in net for Team Canada in the World Juniors, too.

Michigan State still needs two goaltenders, with the departure of grad transfer Dolan Gilbert and Augustine’s graduation. On the first day of the portal, 38 goaltenders entered the portal. Only Strahl ended the day with a new home.

Red Wings draftee Austin Baker picks NCHC, fellow reserve hits portal

Austin Baker, the Red Wings seventh-round pick who joined Michigan State as a freshman this season, is headed to Miami, first reported by Sydney Wolf of APX Hockey. The White Lake Township native finished 14 games with one assist and 15 penalty minutes while averaging 7:50 of ice time.

Another depth forward, Nathan Mackie, entered the transfer portal after two seasons with Michigan State. He appeared in 11 games this season without registering a point, though his heavy forechecking made somewhat of an impact in his 9:10 ice time per game.

Baker joins a Miami squad that took a major step in Year 2 of head coach Anthony Noreen’s tenure. The RedHawks who went 3-28-3 in 2024-25 including a 26-game losing streak to cap the season improved to 18-16-2 and finished the season ranked 33rd in the NPI. That record included a loss to Michigan Tech and a win over Ferris State in the Great Lakes Invitational, where goaltender Mathis Langevin made his first and only collegiate start as a midseason addition before entering the transfer portal.

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State hockey transfer tracker: Cullen Potter to join via portal