Torey Krug makes NHL debut with Bruins

Two weeks ago, Torey Krug was preparing for his first NCAA Tournament appearance with the MSU hockey team. Last night, he made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins, recording two shots in 18:18 of ice time.

Krug signed with the Bruins on March 25, choosing to forgo his senior season for a professional opportunity. He spent the last week and a half practicing with the Bruins and got the call that he'd be in the lineup last night. The Bruins lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3. 

Krug looked a little nervous, but played solid. From the Boston Globe:

"You can see him in the defensive zone trying to think about how to play in our system," said (head coach Claude) Julien. “And sometimes, maybe there was a fraction of a second delay, which is totally normal. But once he had to do it, he went."

His teammates were impressed, too.

"He made some good strong plays at the puck and he took his shots at the net when he had them," (forward Milan) Lucic said. “I definitely see a lot of potential in his game."

According to that Globe story, Krug now gets the NHL money from the first year of his three-year, $2.75-million deal he signed. Per CapGeek, that would be $900,000. I'm not a salary cap-ologist, so I'm not 100 percent sure about that, but it sounds like Krug will make nearly $1 million for playing in at least one game for the Bruins. Because he was signed after the trade deadline and was not on the reserve list, he is not eligible to play in the postseason.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins have two regular season games remaining and are locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Video: Torey Krug talks about his head being shaved for Boston Bruins

A few days after being signed by the Boston Bruins, former MSU defenseman Torey Krug participated in the team's "Cuts for a Cause," where players shaved their heads. The event raised more than $58,000 for the Boston Bruins Foundation and Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.

Krug had long, flowing locks for a few years at MSU, but those finally came to an end. Here is a video of Krug talking about the haircut with CBS-Boston. MSU hockey coach Tom Anastos was  in Boston for the game last night. Krug participated in warm-ups for the first time, but was a healthy scratch.

Video: Torey Krug talks with Boston media

Two days after forgoing his senior season, former Spartan defensemen Torey Krug has started practicing with the Boston Bruins. Coming into a NHL locker room with the playoffs on the horizon can be intimidating, but Krug is getting his shot to impress the coaches. He spoke with Boston media after a practice.

From the Bruins' website:

Torey Krug forgoes senior season, signs with Boston Bruins

In an unsurprising move, MSU hockey defenseman and captain Torey Krug announced Sunday he will skip his senior season after signing with the NHL's Boston Bruins.

The signing was first reported by the New England Hockey Journal.

"This obviously came quickly after our season ended, but it was a really difficult decision to make," Krug said in a release. "I love everything about Michigan State, my teammates, and our hockey program, and it was an outstanding place for me to grow and develop both as a hockey player and a person. It is very hard for me to leave, but I am incredibly thankful for the support shown to me by Coach Anastos as I went through this process. 

"I'm very proud to have worn a Michigan State jersey and serve as a captain. It's bittersweet, because we have worked hard to get MSU hockey back where we want it to be, challenging for conference and national championships."

As a junior this season, Krug finished with 12 goals and 22 assists and split the CCHA scoring title. He was later named CCHA Player of the Year and is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. He also has been named the top offensive defenseman in the league the last two seasons. 

"I couldn't be happier for Torey. He's had an incredible season, an outstanding career at Michigan State and is ready to take the next step in his hockey career," head coach Tom Anastos said in the release. "While I know that we will certainly miss his talent and leadership next season, he will be back to complete his degree, and has left a lasting impression on his teammates that will most certainly continue to have a long term impact on our program."

Given the success Krug has had in recent seasons, it was not surprising an NHL team finally came calling. Anastos said about half of the NHL teams expressed "serious interest" in Krug. The defenseman's size has always been an issue with scouts, but his success on the ice made it impossible for teams to ignore him. It also made sense for Krug to leave whenever he could, because his stock couldn't get much higher as a prospect. 

Krug is the eighth player to leave MSU early for the pros since the end of the 2008 season, joining Derek Grant, Corey Tropp, Andrew Rowe, Jeff Petry, Justin Abdelkader, Mike Ratchuk and Tim Kennedy. A major reason Rick Comley's tenure at MSU ended with so many losses was because top players were leaving school early much more frequently than in the past. Krug said he will immediately get a chance to practice with the Bruins, instead of going directly to a minor league affiliate. 

With Krug's departure, MSU loses four defensemen from its regular lineup this season. Those spots will be filled by incoming recruits, current players and two transfers. I detailed this in an earlier post.

"There are so many people to thank," Krug said in the release. "To all of my teammates, our coaches and staff, the athletic department, and the university, thank you for making my three years as a part of this program such a special time in my life. I will always be a proud Spartan, and will do my best to represent Michigan State University in a way that you will all be proud."

Icers fall to Union in NCAA Tournament, but future is bright

(Box score here, radio highlights/photos here)

One year ago to the day, Tom Anastos was introduced as Michigan State's sixth head hockey coach in the program's 70-year history.

It was an unprecedented move. The conference commissioner taking what looked like a lesser role as a head coach. Some thought it was Anastos abandoning the sinking CCHA ship with an eye for an executive role with the Big Ten and its new hockey conference. I didn't believe that, but I didn't know what to think.

One year later, MSU made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in four years, and although it ended in a 3-1 loss to No. 1 seed Union, the program clearly is back on the road to where it belongs, and the future is bright.

Krug named CCHA Player of the Year

MSU junior defenseman Torey Krug tied for the league lead in points and was named CCHA Player of the Year tonight, per MSU Hockey's Twitter account.

Krug is the seventh Spartan to win the award and just the fourth defenseman in CCHA history. Krug also was named one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.

Next up for MSU is waiting for the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans are right on the bubble and need the favorites to win their conference tournament to help MSU's Pairwise ranking.

Icers split at Notre Dame, earn first-round bye (w/ highlights)

(Friday box score here, Saturday box score here)

Heading into the weekend, the MSU hockey team had surprised many in Tom Anastos' first season, but its position in the CCHA standings was still very much in doubt.

After splitting with Notre Dame in South Bend (losing 2-0 Friday and winning 4-2 Saturday), the Spartans earned a first-round bye in the CCHA Tournament, finishing fifth in the standings. However, MSU will have to travel to Miami (Ohio) in the quarterfinals.

With the regular season officially in the books, MSU defenseman Torey Krug became the fifth Spartan to win the CCHA scoring title, and the first MSU defenseman.

On Friday, the Irish showed why they were the preseason No. 1 team, carrying the play for much of the night. Notre Dame score 2:31 into the second period, and an insurance goal in the third period sealed the Spartans' fate. It was just the second time this season that MSU had been shut out, coming at one of the worst possible times. Anastos was not happy with the Spartans as evidence by his postgame quotes.



However, because of other games in the CCHA, the Spartans were guaranteed a top-five finish in the CCHA. But they no longer controlled their fate, as Miami jumped ahead of MSU.

MSU starts All-America campaigns for Green, Krug

As they've done in other sports, MSU has started a campaign for one of its student-athletes with a website, this time it's for Draymond Green.

The website includes stats, a photo gallery and a highlight video (which you can see below) in an attempt to help Green earn All-America honors.

MSU has made similar sites in the past for football players Javon Ringer and Greg Jones, who ended up earning All-America honors.

MSU also recently made a promotional website for hockey defenseman Torey Krug, which you can see here.

Icers split weekend with rival Michigan

(Friday box score here, Saturday box score here)

With only three series left, the Spartan hockey team was running out of opportunities to pick up ground in the CCHA standings.

This weekend, the Spartans nearly came away with six points, and they nearly came away with no points. They finished the weekend with three points in a series split against Michigan, winning in East Lansing on Friday and losing in overtime in Detroit on Saturday.

On Friday, the Spartans fell behind 2-0 in the second period, but then Torey Krug took over. A one-time shot from the blue line got through a crowd and past Michigan goalie Shawn Hunwick to cut the deficit to 2-1. In the third period, Krug scored a powerplay goal on a delayed shot from the point to tie the game. On another powerplay a few minutes later, a backhanded shot by Krug in the slot deflected over to Matt Berry, who buried the puck to give MSU a 3-2 lead. The Spartans killed a penalty in the final minutes and held on for the win. Will Yanakeff made 28 saves for MSU.



Saturday's game at Joe Louis Arena was a high-energy back-and-forth affair. The Wolverines led 1-0 after the first period, but Greg Wolfe tied the game up 3:32 into the second. Brett Perlini scored a powerplay goal a few minutes later to give MSU the lead. But U-M evened things up heading into the third. The third period was full of scoring chances on both sides, but, Yanakeff and Hunwick kept coming up with big saves.

Torey Krug's awesome practice goal

MSU had a skills competition in practice today. According to head coach Tom Anastos, forward Brett Perlini had a 100 mph shot and defenseman Torey Krug scored this awesome goal.



There seems to be some debate as to whether or not this goal would be legal in a game. Hand passes in the opposing zone are illegal, but the NHL rulebook doesn't say anything about a pass like that to yourself. Either way, I'm not totally sure if Krug did hit it with his hand. It looked like he wanted to, but might have missed.

Ice hockey picks up sweep at Ohio State

(Box score here)

After the first period of Friday's game, MSU trailed No. 10 Ohio State 3-1. Given what the team had done so far in 2012, I texted my friend and told him the Spartans were starting to tailspin. MSU scored eight of the next 10 goals in the series, resulting in a sweep and me eating my words.

MSU won 6-3 on Friday and held on for a 3-2 win on Saturday, dramatically helping their NCAA Tournament chances. MSU now is 4-1-1 against top-10 teams this season.

As mentioned before, the Spartans gave up a goal one minute in and trailed 3-1 after one period on Friday, but rebounded with a three-goal third. The goals came from A.J. Sturges — his first in 175 games — Torey Krug and Matt Crandell. With about five minutes left in the third, Chris Forfar redirected a loose puck to give MSU a 5-3 lead. Matt Berry's empty netter sealed the comeback. Will Yanakeff had 41 saves in goal — his third game with at least 40 saves this season.

(Video highlights of Friday's game from MSU here)


(Saturday highlights)

Hockey picks up win, tie on weekend vs LSSU (w/ highlights)

Last week against Northern Michigan, MSU's inability to prevent late goals nearly cost them dearly.

It continued to be a problem this weekend, as they allowed a game-tying goal with less than five minutes left in both games against Lake Superior State. On Friday, MSU struck back, winning 4-2. On Saturday, they fell in a shootout.

On Friday, LSSU scored 28 seconds into the game. Midway through the first period, MSU scored two goals two minutes apart from Mike Merrifield and Brett Perlini, respectively. The Lakers tied it up with three minutes left in the game when a Matt Crandell pass from behind his net hit an LSSU player and went past Will Yanakeff for the tying goal.

But Kevin Walrod gave MSU the lead with 1:10 on a rebound and Torey Krug added an empty-netter to seal the win. LSSU carried the play for much of the night and outshot MSU 47-27.




Saturday was a similar script. LSSU took a 1-0 lead, but Dean Chelios tied the game about a minute later. In the third period, Greg Wolfe scored to give MSU the lead, but the Lakers tied the game on a fluky goal when a puck bounced off an LSSU player and past Will Yanakeff with less than five minutes left.