Michigan State's Isaac Howard traded to Oilers, signs NHL contract, won't return to Spartans

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State’s expectation of having the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner as the face of the Spartan hockey team for the 2025-26 season has abruptly ended.

Michigan State hockey forward Isaac Howard signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers and will forgo his final season of eligibility at Michigan State, the Oilers announced on Tuesday evening.

Howard was the No. 32 overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay had his rights, but traded him to Edmonton in exchange for forward Sam O’Reilly on Tuesday. In the spring, Tampa Bay did not make a hard charge at signing Howard, resulting in his plans to return for his senior year. But the trade between the Oilers and Lightning changed everything, including Michigan State’s standing as the potential preseason No. 1 team in the country.

Howard led the Spartans to back-to-back Big Ten regular season and Big Ten Tournament championships the past two seasons while leading the team in points both seasons. He is the third player in program history to win the Hobey Baker, joining Kip Miller (1990) and Ryan Miller (2001).

Michigan State had an overall record of 51-17-7 and a Big Ten record of 31-11-6 in his time in East Lansing. Howard tallied 8 goals and 28 assists in his first season in East Lansing as a sophomore after transferring from Minnesota-Duluth following his freshman season. 

As a junior, he took his game to another level with 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points. In addition to the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, he earned First Team ACHA All-America, Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Scoring Champion, First Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

With the departure of Howard, Michigan State will be tasked to replace three of their top four goal scorers from last season, as forwards Karsen Dorwart (13 goals) and Joey Larson (10 goals) both signed professional contracts in the spring. The Spartans’ top points scorers who are scheduled to return are center Charlie Stramel (9 G, 18 A, 27 pts), defenseman Matt Basgall (6 G, 20 A, 26 pts) and forward Daniel Russell (13 G, 12 A, 25 pts).

Replacing Howard won’t be an easy task for Head Coach Adam Nightingale. However, the Spartans are expecting to add forward Cayden Lindstrom (No. 4 overall draft pick, 2024), forward Ryker Lee (No. 26 overall, 2025) and Eric Nilson (No. 45 overall, 2025) to the roster this season. They also return forwards Gavin O’Connell, Tiernan Shoudy and Shane Vansaghi, each of whom had big roles last season.Vansaghi was selected No. 48 overall by Philadelphia in last week’s NHL Draft.

Incoming freshman Ryker Lee may be the goal scorer that can ease the pain of losing Howard. Lee tallied 31 goals and 37 assists in 58 games last season winning the Rookie of the Year award for the Madison Capitals in the USHL and finished fourth in the league in scoring.

Lindstrom may help the scoring as well. He has uncommon skill and potential, but has been riddled by injuries in recents seasons. He tallied 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points as a 16-year old in the WHL for the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2022-23. In 2023-24 he was on pace for a 55-goal, 100-point season with Medicine Hat, before an injury took him out for the rest of that season and the following season. He finished with 27 goals, 19 assists in just 32 games that season. This past season was lost due to injury until the WHL finals, in which he played just four games and scored two goals and had two assists.

Nilson had 17 goals and 33 assists as a center for Djurgardens of the J20 Nationell junior hockey league in Sweden. He also added 10 goals and 16 assists in 29 games in international play for Sweden’s U-18 team.

Michigan State could also be in the market to add prospects from the OHL or WHL in the coming weeks after the departure of Howard.