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EAST LANSING, Mich. Michigan State has signed coach Adam Nightingale to a multi-year contract extension. The Spartans have won back-to-back regular-season and conference tournament championships.
“I’m appreciative of the support the Board of Trustees and President Kevin Guskiewicz have demonstrated with today’s announcement of a new contract for Adam Nightingale, helping to ensure he leads the Spartan hockey program for many years to come,” MSU athletic director J Batt said. “Under Coach Nightingale’s guidance, Michigan State has returned to its position as one of the elite programs in college hockey, creating incredible excitement both within the hockey community and throughout all of our loyal supporters. Coming off back-to-back Big Ten Championships, there’s a buzz that even greater things are on the horizon. Personally, I can’t wait to experience the excitement of the sold-out crowds at Munn Ice Arena this winter, in what could be a truly special season.”
Nightingale is 69-35-9 in three season so far. MSU’s conference titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25 marked the third time in program history that the Spartans won conference championships in consecutive seasons. Last season Michigan State finished 26-7-4, making their second consecutive and 29th overall NCAA Tournament appearance. Michigan State received a No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season and was the No. 2 seeded team in the tournament overall, before losing in the first round to Cornell.
“My family and I are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent Michigan State University,” said Nightingale. “To coach at an institution like this and be part of the East Lansing community is a privilege and an awesome responsibility. The support our program receives, from President Kevin Guskiewicz, the Board of Trustees, Director of Athletics J Batt and the entire Spartan family, will never be taken for granted, and we make sure our players and staff understand that on a daily basis. We look forward to continuing to make our university, alumni and community proud.”
For the first time since the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, MSU has posted consecutive total home attendance numbers over 100,000. There were 17 sellouts at Munn Arena last season.
The 2024 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Nightingale recently served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Championships, where the United States brought home gold for the first time in 92 years.
Prior to his return to East Lansing, Nightingale was head coach of the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) for two seasons (2020-22) and was an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings (2019-20). Nightingale got his start in the NHL as a video coach for the Buffalo Sabres (2016-17) and Red Wings (2017-19). Before joining the professional ranks, Nightingale served as head coach of the Shattuck-St. Mary’s 14U Team in Faribault, Minnesota, for two seasons (2014-16), leading the team to a national championship in 2016.
Nightingale’s collegiate playing career concluded with his two seasons at Michigan State (2003-05) where in 67 games he totaled 37 points and was an assistant captain.