MSU Hockey Gains New Commit, Maple Leafs Draft Pick
The Michigan State hockey team has been on a tear to start its season, and on Saturday, it found success off the ice as well.
Michigan State earned the commitment of USHL prospect Matthew Lahey, per Nathaniel Bott of the Lansing State Journal. Lahey is a 6-foot-5 defenseman who was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
According to Bott, Lahey visited multiple Big Ten schools before ultimately deciding to join MSU.
Lahey, 18, hails from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and is highly ranked among prospects born in the year 2006. He is currently playing for Fargo Force in the USHL, where he has played in 24 games this season, scoring one goal and five assists, and has only suffered from six minutes of penalty times. Lahey also ranks third on the team from the defensive standpoint on goals and assists.
Per EliteProspects 2024 NHL Draft Guide, "Lahey is not just a physical force, but a strategic player who intelligently leverages his size advantages. His defensive style isn’t really centered around cataclysmic hits but about disrupting the game. He excels at sealing the boards, often pinning puck carriers, trapping feet, and forcing pucks to the outside, showcasing his cerebral approach to the game."
Lahey has a young and coachable mindset from the looks of his statistical records and will only become a huge asset for this MSU hockey squad, a team that is nearing the end of its first half of the season, given the holiday and break season.
The team is looking to continue its success from last season, in which it won both the Big Ten regular season and tournament title.
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Dominic Minchella holds a communications degree from Eastern Michigan University. He is a former MLB writer and joins our team ad an NFL/College team reporter on Sports Illustrated