The Michigan State University hockey team will likely hear the name of one of its best players early in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, which takes place June 28 in Las Vegas.
Defenseman Artyom Levshunov is projected to be the No. 2 pick by the Chicago Blackhawks, per FloHockey's Chris Peters.
If Refshunoff's name is called by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, he will become the 130th player in Spartans history and the 43rd since 2000 to be drafted.
He will be the first Spartans player selected in the first round since Isaac Howard, who was selected 31st overall by the Tampa Lightning in 2022. Michigan State had two players selected in the second round last year, Trey Augustin from the Detroit Red Wings and Maxim Strbac from the Buffalo Sabres.
Let's take a look at the NHL draft history of the Michigan State University hockey team.
Will Artyom Levshunov be the highest draft pick ever to come out of Michigan State hockey?
No. If he goes second as expected, he'll become just the second Michigan State player to be selected second overall in the draft, joining Joe Murphy, who was selected first by the Red Wings in 1986.
The year before, Craig Simpson went second to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Who is the greatest MSU hockey alumnus to play in the NHL?
Rod Brind'am earned 11,184 points, nearly double the number of runner-up, Michigan State graduate Brian Smolinski.
Brind'Amour was the ninth overall pick in 1988. He played for the Blues, Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes, helping the team win the Stanley Cup in 2006. He is currently the head coach of the Hurricanes and has led the team to six playoff appearances since taking over in 2018.
However, Duncan Keith was named to the NHL's “100 Greatest Players in NHL History” list in 2017. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2015, is a multiple-time recipient of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's best defenseman, and has won three Stanley Cups.
MSU Hockey NHL Draft Numbers
Here are some notable numbers from the Michigan State University hockey team.
MSU hockey player gets drafted by NHL team
- New York Rangers 11
- St. Louis Blues 10
- Detroit Red Wings 8
- Buffalo Sabres 7
- Philadelphia Flyers 7
- Chicago Blackhawks 6
- Edmonton Oilers 6
- Winnipeg Jets 5
- Calgary Flames 7
- Boston Bruins 5
- Pittsburgh Penguins 4
- Quebec Nordiques 4
- Minnesota North Stars 4
- Washington Capitals 3
- Florida Panthers 3
- New York Islanders 3
- Atlanta Thrashers 3
- Ottawa Senators 3
- Carolina Hurricanes 3
- Vancouver Canucks 3
- New Jersey Devils 2
- Minnesota Wild 2
- Anaheim Ducks 2
- Montreal Canadiens 2
- Nashville Predators 2
- Toronto Maple Leafs 2
- Hartford Whalers 2
- Colorado Avalanche 1
- Columbus Blue Jackets 1
- San Jose Sharks 1
- Phoenix Coyotes 1
- Los Angeles Kings 1
- Tampa Bay Lightning 1
Most Michigan State University hockey players ever selected in one round of the NHL Draft
- 1990: 8
- 1985: 7
- 1994: 6
- 1989: 6
- 1991: 6
- 1988: 5
- 2002: 5
- 1984: 5
- 1982: 5
- 1986: 4
- 1999: 4
- 1983: 4
- 2012: 4
- 2004: 3
- 1987: 3
- 2006: 3
- 2005: 3
- 1976: 3
- 1981: 3
Michigan State University hockey players selected in NHL round
- First: 10
- 2nd: 18
- 3rd place: 10
- 4th place: 10
- 5th place: 12
- 6th place: 16
- 7th place: 14
- 8th: 7
- 9th place: 7
- 10th: 9
- 11th place: 3
- 12th: 1
- Notes: 5
The last time the Chicago Blackhawks acquired a Michigan State hockey player was in 2002, when they recruited Duncan Keith.
The Blackhawks have acquired six MSU hockey players, but none in the past 22 years. The last player acquired from East Lansing was Duncan Keith, who was selected 54th overall in the second round. He played 17 seasons and is considered one of the best players in NHL history.
Keith played for the Blackhawks from 2005-2021 and finished his career with the Edmonton Oilers in 2022.
He also helped Canada win two Olympic gold medals.
How many Michigan State University hockey players have won a Stanley Cup?
The list is as follows:
- 1988 Craig Simpson, Edmonton
- 1990 Craig Simpson, Edmonton
- 1990 Joe Murphy, Edmonton
- 1995 Danton Cole, New Jersey
- 2006 Rod Brind'Am, Carolina
- 2006 Andrew Hutchinson, Carolina
- 2007 Drew Miller, Anaheim
- 2008 Justin Abdelkader, Detroit
- 2010 Duncan Keith, Chicago
- 2013 Duncan Keith, Chicago
- 2015 Duncan Keith, Chicago
- 2019 Mackenzie McEachern, St. Louis
Here's a bit more you need to know about the NHL Draft.
What time does the NHL Draft start?
The first round will take place on Friday, June 28th at 7pm. The remainder of the draft will resume on June 29th at 11:30am.
How to watch the 2024 NHL Draft
The NHL Draft will be broadcast and streamed on ESPN and ESPN+.
Live pick analysis and video analysis can be found on FloHockey.
NHL Draft Standings
The standings for the first round are as follows:
- San Jose Sharks
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Anaheim Ducks
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Montreal Canadiens
- Utah Hockey Club
- Ottawa Senators
- Seattle Kraken
- Calgary Flames
- New Jersey Devils
- San Jose Sharks
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Minnesota Wild
- Buffalo Sabres
- Detroit Red Wings
- St. Louis Blues
- Washington Capitals
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Las Vegas Golden Knights
- New York Islanders
- Montreal Canadiens
- Nashville Predators
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Colorado Avalanche
- Boston Bruins
- Los Angeles King
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Calgary Flames
- Dallas Stars
- New York Rangers
- Anaheim Ducks
- Philadelphia Flyers
NHL Draft Lottery 2024
of The San Jose Sharks won big They landed just ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks, who were the No. 1 pick and came within a whisker of getting the No. 1 pick for the second straight year.
Top NHL Draft Prospects
Here are FloHockey analyst Chris Peters' top picks:
First published on June 3, 2024
Read the full Top 100 scouting report here
- Macklin Celebrini, C, Boston University
- Artyom Levshunov, D, Michigan State University
- Ivan Demidov, RW, SKA St. Petersburg
- Anton Shiraev, D, Torpedo
- Berkley Catton, C, Spokane Chiefs
- Ze'ev Buium, D, University of Denver
- Caden Lindstrom, C, Medicine Hat Tigers
- Zayn Parekh, D, Saginaw Spirit
- Sam Dickinson, D, London Knights
- Carter Jakemchuk, D, Calgary Hitmen
- Beckett Senneke, RW, Oshawa Generals
- Tiji Iginla, center back, Kelowna Rockets
- Konsta Helenius, C, Jukrit
- Cole Yzerman, LW, US Under-18 Team
- Michael Brandzeg-Nygard, R.W., Mora
- Adam Ilicek, D, HC Plzen
- Michael Hage, C, Chicago Steel
- Jett Ruchanko, C, Guelph Storm
- Igor Chernyshov, LW, Dynamo Moscow
- Trevor Connelly, LW, Tri-City Storm
- Nikita Artamonov, LW, Torpedo
- Sacha Boisvert, C, Muskegon Lumberjacks
- EJ Emery, D, USA Under-18
- Charlie Eric, D, Brandon Wheat Kings
- Stian Solberg, D. Valerenga
- Egor Surin, C/W, Loko Yaroslavl
- Cole Beaudoin, C, Barrie Colts
- Terik Parascak, RW, Prince George Cougars
- Emil Hemming, RW, TPS
- Matvey Gridin, RW, Muskegon Lumberjacks
- Liam Greentree, RW, Windsor Spitfires
- Dean Letourneau, C, St. Andrews College
- Adam Clever, D, Lincoln Stars
- Leo Salin-Wallenius, D, Vaxjo U20
- Cole Hutson, D, U.S. Under-18
- Henry Muse, D, Ottawa 67s
- Ryder Ritchie, RW, Prince Albert Raiders
- Julius Miettinen, C/W, Everett Silvertips
- John Mustard, C, Waterloo Blackhawks
- Teddy Stiga, C/W, U.S. Under-18
- Lukas Pettersson, C, MODO
- Jesse Pulkkinen, D, JYP
- Linus Eriksson, C, Jewgardens
- Dominik Badinka, D, Malmö
- Adam Dziekow, center back, Edmonton Oil Kings
- Tanner Howe, LW, Regina Patz
- Andrew Basha, LW, Medicine Hat Tigers
- Leon Muggli, D, Zug
- Sam O'Reilly, C/W, London Knights
- Marek Vanacker, LW, Brantford Bulldogs
- Luca Marelli, D, Oshawa Generals
- Alon Kibiharju, D, HIFK
- Carson Wetsch, RW, Calgary Hitmen
- Harrison Bruenicke, D, Kamloops Blazers
- Brody Ziemer, RW, US Under-18
- Maxime Massé, RW, Chicoutimi-Saguenay
- Ben Dunford, D, Oshawa Generals
- Alfons Frei, D, Vaxjo U20
- Will Skahan, D, U.S. Under-18
- Lucas Fisher, D, Sarnia Sting
- Tomas Garvas, D., Liberec
- Mikhail Egorov, G, Omaha Lancers
- Owen Allard, C, Sue Greyhound
- Athos Koivu, C, TPS
- Viti Vaisanen, D. Kookoo
- Jacob Battaglia, RW, Kingston Frontenacs
- Luke Massa, C, Mississauga Steelheads
- Ilya Protas, LW, Des Moines Buccaneers
- Kamil Bednarik, C, U.S. Under-18 Team
- Jack Berglund, C, Farjestad U20
- Christian Humphries, C, U.S. Under-18 Team
- Simon Zether, C. Roegl
- Max Plant, RW, US Under-18
- Eriks Matejko, LW, Saint John Sea Dogs
- Colton Roberts, D, Vancouver Giants
- Emir Vini, G. Yokipoyat
- Ondrej Kos, LW, Ilves U20
- Pavel Moiseevich, G, SKA St. Petersburg
- Alexander Zetterberg, C, Örebro U20
- Maximillian Curran, C, Tri-City Americans
- Spencer Gill, D, Rimouski Oceanic
- Gabriel Eliasson, D, HV71 U20
- Justin Poirier, RW, Baie Como Drucker
- Logan Sawyer, C, Brooks Bandits
- Hagen Burrows, R.W., Sioux City Musketeers
- Marcus Guidlof, G, Lexus U20
- Petr Sikora, C, Trinec U20
- Ondrej Boettcher, C, Prince George Cougars
- Sebastian Soini, D, Ilves U20
- Carter George, G, Owen Sound Attack
- Ethan Procyshyn, C, North Bay Battalion
- Thomas Lavoie, D, Cape Breton Eagles
- Timur Kol, D, Omsk
- Ollie Josephson, C, Red Deer Rebels
- Jonathan Morello, C, St. Michael's Bathers
- Will Zellers, LW, Shattuck St. Mary's
- Heikki Ruohonen, C, Kiekko Espoo U20
- Colin Ralph, D, Shattuck St. Mary's
- Jonah Vaisanen, D, Dubuque Fighting Saints
- Mack Swanson, C, Fargo Force
NHL Draft Predictions
Here's Chris Peters' NHL mock draft:
NHL Draft Scouting Report Video
NHL Draft episodes talk about hockey sense
More NHL Draft coverage from FloHockey
Macklin Celebrini's work on FloHockey
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