USNTDP Comes To Munn For Hockey Exhibition Game

No. 8/7 Michigan State (13-4-3) vs. US National Team Development Program U18
Dates/Times	Friday, Jan. 5, 7pm
Location	Mason Rink at Munn Ice Arena \| Bag Policy
Tickets	Spartan Ticket Office
Television	none
Radio	none
Webstream	B1G+ (Friday)
Game Notes/Rosters	Download Digital Game Program
Live Statistics	Click Here
Social Media	Facebook Twitter Instagram

IMPORTANT: Two campus construciton projects have road closures on campus that may impact your route to Munn Ice Arena.
Chestnut Road between Red Cedar Road and Beal Street is closed - There is a temporary closure of Chestnut Rd. at the Spartan Statue intersection due to the project to replace the Farm Lane bridge.
Learn more about the campus construction projects and the detours here: Chestnut Road Closure Farm Lane Bridge

Related: Alcohol Sales WIll Begin at Breslin Center and Munn Arena in 2024

What you need to know about Spartan Hockey and the USNTDP Exhibition:

• Michigan State welcomes the US National Team Development Program U-18 team to Munn Ice Arena for an exhibition contest. MSU is coming off a win and a tie at the Great Lakes Invitational, losing the title to Michigan Tech in a shootout after a 3-3 tie, and a 4-1 semifinal win over Ferris State. MSU has compiled a 13-4-3 record through the 2023 portion of its schedule.

• The Spartans open 2024 as the first-place team in the Big Ten standings with a 9-1-2 mark in Conference play. This is the Spartans' strongest start in B1G play since the start of the conference a decade ago. MSU has won more B1G conference games than it has in all but three seasons: MSU won 11 league games in 2014-15 and 2019-20, and won 10 a season ago.

• The Spartans have not lost in regulation since October (in a non-conference series at Boston College) with its only Big Ten loss coming on the road at Minnesota in overtime. The Spartans return to conference action next weekend at Penn State before returning home for home games against Michigan (Jan. 19) and Minnesota (Jan. 26-27) in the month of January.

• MSU has scored 83 goals, the second-most of any team in the country behind Denver (94). Its 4.15 goals per game is first in the Big Ten and third nationally; the Spartans also lead the league and rank second nationally in assists (151) and points (234). Through 20 games, MSU is trending to blow past its total of 107 goals it scored in 38 games a year ago. MSU has scored fewer than three goals just twice this season: once at Boston College (5-1 L) and in its most recent home win over Notre Dame (2-1).

• Joey Larson and Jeremy Davidson each had a pair of goals in the GLI, with Larson and David Gucciardi (0-2-2) each named to the All-Tournament Team. Freshman netminder Luca Di Pasquo made his first career back-to-back starts, and stopped 48 of 52 shots against over the two games.

• Larson is atop the Spartan scoring chart with 22 points, leading the squad in goals (11). Red Savage and Isaac Howard are tied for second in points (20), and Karsen Dorwart and Gavin O'Connell are tied for second in goals (8). Defenseman Artyom Levshunov leads the team in plus-minus (+17) and is second on the squad in assists (14).

• Trey Augustine owns a 2.97 GAA and .916 save percentage, leads the Big Ten in saves per game (31.41) and is fifth among Division I goalies in saves overall (534, 2nd B1G). He owns an 11-3-2 record, while Luca Di Pasquo picked up a win and a tie at the GLI. He boasts a 2.41 GAA and .910 save percentage in four games this season.

• Through the first half of the schedule, five Spartan players have tied or surpassed their previous career bests in goals, assists, or points. Savage (7-13-20) and Howard (15a, 20 points) have established career bests in multiple categories, while Viktor Hurtig, Nash Nienhuis, and Tanner Kelly have all matched or surpassed their previous career highs in goals.

• MSU has seven freshmen who have played in at least 15 games, which includes two forwards, four defensemen and one goalie.

• MSU has had four players representing three countries at the IIHF World Junior Championships. The Spartans are tied with Minnesota and Michigan for the second-most players participating in the WJC (Boston College has seven) and has the most nations represented of any collegiate program. Slovakia and Maxim Štrbák were eliminated by Finland and Tommi Männistö in the quarterfinals, and Finland will now play USA with Trey Augustine and Isaac Howard in the semifinals on Thursday. Štrbák was named one of Slovakia's top three players in the tournament with a 1-6-7 scoring line, and was third on his team in scoring. Männistö is tied for his team lead in goals (3), while Howard (5-2-7) is second on the US team in goals and third in points, and enters the semifinals eighth among all players in the tournament in scoring. Augustine has won both of his starts and ranks second among all WJC goaltenders with a 1.50 GAA and .952 save percentage.

About the USNTDP
The National Team Development Program is the pinnacle of USA Hockey's amateur player development program. The NTDP scouts and selects the top 22 players in two age groups (Under-17 and Under-18) to train and develop in a highly competitive environment. The two teams (Under-17 and Under-18) face a rigorous domestic schedule including competition against older, more-developed players.

The objective of the NTDP is to develop the most promising players from anywhere in the United States. NTDP players come from all across the country. In the 20-plus years of existence, the NTDP has had players hail from 35 states, with the majority coming from Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Massachusettes, and Illinois.

The young men who join the NTDP work, play and develop in a two-year apprenticeship. The U18 Team has trained and played together for a full season coming into its second campaign. Their success is a byproduct of hard work on and off the ice. But they still face the challenge of older competition in junior hockey, and elevate their competition level by facing more experienced NCAA Division I and III teams.

The NTDP schedule is made up of USHL games, NCAA Division I and III games, international tournaments, as well as a handful of miscellaneous games against squads from the NAHL, for example.

Michigan State's USNTDP alumni (below) features current Spartan players Trey Augustine, Isaac Howard, Jon Mor, and Red Savage. Head Coach Adam Nightingale and Sports Performance coach Will Morlock were both on staff with the NTDP prior to coming to Michigan State as well. Three of the current members of the USNTDP have committed to play their college hockey at MSU.

USNTDP Alumni

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Trey Augustine

Jeremy Davidson

Luca Di Pasquo

Karsen Dorwart

David Gucciardi

Isaac Howard

Viktor Hurtig

Tanner Kelly

Joey Larson

Artyom Levshunov

Jon Mor

Nash Nienhuis

Gavin O'Connell

Red Savage