Almost a week after he was drafted in the first round by the Nashville Predators, Tommy Bleyl changed his commitment year to Michigan State from 2027 to 2026. What kind of impact can Bleyl make in his first year alongside Seattle Kraken first-round pick Chase Reid?
After an unexpected but outstanding rookie season for Moncton Wildcats defenseman Tommy Bleyl, he was selected 31st overall by the Nashville Predators in last weekend’s NHL draft. The plan for Bleyl was simple: play another year at Moncton, and then head off to college to play for Adam Nightingale and the Michigan State Spartans, but over this past weekend, Bleyl decided to skip his sophomore season in Moncton, and instead he will begin his freshman season with Michigan State this fall.
It was a large question surrounding Bleyl heading into the draft, and he even answered it, telling reporters ahead of the first round that he still intended to play in Moncton next season. Putting up 81 points in the regular season and then another 28 in the playoffs showed Nightingale and his staff that Bleyl didn’t need another season in the QMJHL, but he still wanted to go back.
After Michigan State lost out on the Landon DuPont sweepstakes, there was a clear hole on their blueline. With Seattle Kraken seventh-overall pick Chase Reid heading to East Lansing next season, it was evident that the team had their power play quarterback for next season, but Bleyl eventually made the decision to join the Spartans for the 2026-27 season.
With Bleyl joining what is looking like a National Championship-contending roster, where does he fit in with the team’s defensive corps?
The Spartans will be missing four out of the nine defensemen who saw action in at least one game, including captain Matt Basgall, Maxin Strbak, Colin Ralph, and Travis Shoudy. Those four combined for 52 points last season. It wouldn’t be entirely crazy to say that Chase Reid could eclipse that total by himself, which means that Bleyl isn’t going to feel the need to produce high-end numbers offensively.
Bleyl will likely play third-pair minutes at 5-on-5, but I’d anticipate him at least playing on the second power-play unit. Michigan State will still have a lot of talent on their blueline with players who will all likely get on the ice at some point.
Here’s a quick projection as to what the teams' D pairings may look like with Bleyl as the new addition.
Geary-Reid
Barnhill-Lahey
West-Bleyl
Third pair may seem unfair considering the point totals and draft selection of Bleyl. It has been proven that players transitioning from major junior to the NCAA have a difficult time adjusting. Bleyl will have tons of opportunity for ice time throughout the season, and it’ll be very fascinating to see how long it takes him to adapt.
