Nikita Klepov signs with Anaheim Ducks, won't be on Spartans' roster

Michigan State’s hockey program is accustomed to losing talent to the NHL ranks, but maybe not as early as its latest signee.

Nikita Klepov, a member of the 2026 freshman class, signed his entry level contract with the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. That means he is ineligible to play in college, a decision made just one day after Michigan State announced the high-scoring winger was part of its 26-member 2026-27 roster.

Anaheim drafted Klepov 15th overall at the NHL Draft in Buffalo on June 26. A month later, the American-Russian dual citizen signed a three-year contract carrying a $1,075,000 cap hit. His agent is Dan Milstein, the same agent as a number of Russian and Belarussian players including Tampa Bay star Nikita Kucherov and former Spartans defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who plays for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Klepov was expected to be a major scoring threat for Michigan State, coming off an OHL-leading 97-point season that made him the league’s Rookie of the Year and a member of the Canadian Hockey League’s all-rookie team.

Without Klepov in the mix, Michigan State still brings in a talented freshman class. It will also still break the NCAA record for first round picks on an NHL roster.

Mason West (Chicago), Ethan Belchetz (Utah) and Jack Hextall (Calgary) join the forward corps as freshmen, alongside transfer addition Cullen Potter, another Calgary draftee. Ryker Lee (Nashville) and Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus) enter their sophomore years. On defense, Chase Reid (Seattle) and Tommy Bleyl (Nashville) will play in front of goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen (San Jose). Those nine are all first-round picks, which breaks Michigan’s 2021-22 record of seven such picks on the same roster.

What Michigan State and head coach Adam Nightingale plan to do with Klepov’s now-open roster spot is unknown, though Nightingale and associate head coach Jared DiMichiel are a little bit busy this week amid the World Junior Summer Showcase, where the coaches are evaluating a 48-man roster of early candidates for the 2027 U.S. World Junior Championship team.

Of those 48 players, seven will play for Michigan State next season including West, Lee, Reid, Bleyl, Hextall, Brooks Rogowski and Potter. Eric Nilson, a second-round pick of Anaheim, is on Sweden’s showcase roster while Belchetz is on Canada’s showcase roster. The Summer Showcase begins Sunday at WFCU Center in Windsor, Ontario.

Klepov would not have been a World Junior player — the International Ice Hockey Federation banned Russia and Belarus from its events following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Having a player of his caliber at its disposal there would have been a major plus at the Great Lakes Invitational in Grand Rapids, which runs at the same time as the World Junior Championship’s round robin play.

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Nikita Klepov signs with Anaheim Ducks, won’t be on Spartans’ roster