MSU hockey coach Adam Nightingale holds up Big 10 Championshjip trophy after MSU beat Ohio State in double overtime Saturday, March 22, 2025 at Munn Ice Arena. Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

MSU Hockey Starts Month with Three More Commits

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated Aug 3, 2025 3:12 PM ET

Michigan State hockey has been on a roll on the recruiting trail, carrying its success over into August with three more commits.

The first came on Friday, as NHL prospect Sean Barnhill, a 2007-born defenseman from Arizona, flipped his commitment from Northwestern to Michigan State, as first reported by Mike McMahon of College Hockey Insider.

Barnhill was selected by the New York Rangers in the third round of this year's NHL Draft. He comes off a solid season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, in which he scored 12 points (four goals and eight assists) in 54 games and one assist in seven playoff contests.

Michigan State has committed 6-foot-5 D Sean Barnhill (2025 NYR-3rd) for this upcoming season. Barnhill played at Dubuque and was committed to Northeastern for 2026. Spartans had an opening on the blue line after losing a D to an injury at an NHL development camp.
— Mike McMahon (@MikeMcMahonCHN) August 2, 2025

Per McMahon, Michigan State had lost a defenseman to injury, but it has yet to be confirmed who that was.

Then on Saturday, the Spartans landed their first commit of the 2009 recruiting cycle when 2009-born forward Gavin Burcar announced his commitment to Michigan State on Instagram. He will join the Spartans for the 2027-28 season.

Burcar will play for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL this coming season. He played 63 games for the 15U Chicago Mission last season and scored 52 points (22 goals and 30 assists).

Michigan State senior defenseman and first-team All-Big Ten honoree Matt Basgall and sophomore forward Mikey DeAngelo are also Chicago Mission products.

Last but not least, on Sunday, the Spartans picked up a commitment from 2008-born forward Brooks Ragowski, a Michigan native who played for Detroit Catholic Central before moving on to the OHL to join the Oshawa Generals. He scored 23 points (11 goals and 12 assists) in 66 games for Oshawa last season and will be with the club again for this coming season.

These commits follow a pair of commitments the Spartans earned this past week from Michigan natives Tyler Martyniuk and Cole Burke, a 2008-born defenseman and a 2004-born forward, respectively. Burke will be on the Spartans' roster for the upcoming season after flipping from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

East Lansing continues to prove to be a hot destination in the world of college hockey.

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