Big Ten arms race continues as Porter Martone commits to Michigan State

The Michigan State Spartans had to do something.

In the space of about 24 hours, they lost one of the biggest recruiting battles in college hockey history, as Gavin McKenna chose division rival Penn State, then saw their best player, Hobey Baker winner Isaac Howard, sign with the Edmonton Oilers after initially saying he would return for his senior season.

A little less than two weeks later, coach Adam Nightingale made a big recovery, securing the services of Philadelphia Flyers first rounder Porter Martone, drafted No. 6 overall less than a month ago. While Penn State may have won the PR war back in early July, MSU now seems poised to fight back with their own major on-ice upgrade.

This announcement hardly comes as a surprise, because with Howard leaving and PSU snagging McKenna, the Spartans had the top-of-the-roaster spot in the lineup, the scholarship, and presumably the NIL money to offer Martone, in addition to simply being an attractive destination as a baseline. There were rumors stretching back weeks that Martone was considering the college route, and his name was being connected to Penn State, so for MSU to scoop him up is a major coup.

Now, Nightingale's top line can feature Martone and 2024 No. 4 overall Cayden Lindstrom (CBJ), while 2025 Flyers second-rounder Shane Vansaghi, who played his draft year for the Spartans and put up respectable numbers, can be a weapon at No. 2 on the right-wing depth chart and top power play unit, as can two more 2025 picks: Predators first rounder Ryker Lee and Ducks second rounder Eric Nilson.

All that in addition to a number of other returning difference-makers, including goaltender Trey Augustine, who has been in the running for the Mike Richter award as college hockey's best goalie each of the last two seasons, returns for one more run.

It must be said that, for the most part, this is going to mean Michigan State will be leaning heavily on teenagers who have never played college hockey before — Vansaghi excepted — to produce offense. It's tough to project what even elite players coming out of the CHL will be able to do against competition with an average age roughly three years older than their major-junior opponents. We just don't have the data. But Nightingale is a great coach with a proven track record and, in adding Martone, he fills the huge void in his lineup left by Howard, who was too good to be challenged college hockey at this point but was initially eying a return because of a contract dispute with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who held his draft rights until a few weeks ago.

If college hockey's landscape is changing faster than many teams can keep up, the Big Ten arms race typifies how dramatic the shift has become in just a few weeks. Michigan State had to add Martone to answer Penn State, the upstart program that went to the Frozen Four last season by getting hot at the exact right time. McKenna is obviously expected to be a huge difference-maker — especially on the power play — but the team around him is a bit shallower than what the Spartans are rolling out.

The question becomes whether McKenna in his draft year plus the majority of PSU's top scorers from last year (led by Aiden Fink, who posted 23-30—53 as a sophomore last season) can outperform Martone and Vansaghi in their post-draft year, Lindstrom two years removed, and an elite NCAA goaltender, among others.

And as if to underscore that they won't be left behind, either MSU's archrival, Michigan, just landed a commitment from goaltender Jack Ivankovic, a 2025 Predators second-round pick who starred for OHL Brampton and was on Canada's World Junior team last season. This is notable not only because of Ivankovic's draft pedigree, but because goaltending has been the Wolverines' Achilles heel over the last few seasons. They were a few games above .500 despite a team save percentage coming in at .895, derailed after a 10-3-1 start and eliminated from the conference playoffs by… you guessed it: Penn State. The Wolverines will also have incoming 2025 picks Will Horcoff, Cole McKinney, Drew Schock, Malcolm Spence in the fold, as well as Michael Hage, who played his draft year in Ann Arbor last season.

Beyond that, there is still the possibility that NCAA other teams — in the Big Ten and in other conferences around the country — add similarly high-profile talent in the next few weeks. A number of first-round picks have yet to sign pro contracts, which leaves open the possibility that their NHL teams nudge them toward a season (or two?) in college instead of the CHL. With each passing day, those options narrow just because of existing NIL deals and commitments to scholarship players, but plenty of college teams would be happy to make room for elite players if they can make the particulars work.

The Big Ten is now officially ground zero for the changing college hockey landscape, and while most teams are now armed to the teeth with former CHL talent, it still all has to be played out on the ice.