Michigan State rewards hockey coach Adam Nightingale with new five-year contract

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State University rewarded second-year hockey coach Adam Nightingale with a new five-year contract, fresh off the Spartans’ Big Ten Conference regular season championship, athletic director Alan Haller announced on Thursday.

Nightingale’s new five-year, rollover contract will include non-performance related compensation of $700,000 in year one, which roughly doubles his original annual base salary.

“In less than two years, Adam Nightingale has sparked a resurgence throughout the Spartan hockey program,” Haller said in a press release. “Obviously, everyone will point to our first ever Big Ten regular-season championship, but that’s only one part of the success story. Off the ice, hockey student-athletes are performing at a historic level in the classroom, while also playing an active role in our community. Sellout crowds have returned to Munn Ice Arena, re-establishing it as one of the best home ice advantages in the sport. Equally important, our passionate alumni base is united in support of the program.”

Michigan State won the Big Ten regular season hockey title for the first time in the 11-year history of the league. It was the Spartans’ first regular season conference title in hockey since the 2000-01 season.

Michigan State is 22-9-3 (16-6-2 B1G) and in position to vie for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State hasn’t played in the NCAA Tournament since 2012 and has been in the NCAA Tournament only once since 2008, but that is changing this year. 

“Spartan hockey has a proud history of excellence, and we are currently witnessing the latest chapter of success,” Haller said. “A couple months ago, Adam and I started having conversations surrounding him and his staff and how best to continue the resurgence of the program. With the new contract, we’re taking steps to ensure stability and the opportunity for success for many years to come.”

In his first season in 2022-23, the Spartans experienced immediate improvement. MSU won 18 games, bettering the previous year’s total by six games. At the conclusion of that season, Nightingale led his squad to a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal upset on the road at Notre Dame, marking MSU’s first-ever wins in the postseason event. The turnaround led to him being a finalist for Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.

In the classroom, the Spartans posted a 3.3873 cumulative GPA and a 3.4277 semester GPA, establishing program records in both categories.

“Being the head coach of the Spartan hockey program continues to be a great honor – one I do not take lightly,” said Nightingale. “Our staff and players are thankful for the support we receive from the University, community and alumni. The opportunity to represent them is a humbling experience. Although we celebrated a Big Ten championship last weekend, we still have several short-term and long-term goals we will strive to achieve. We appreciate Alan Haller and (Deputy AD) Jennifer Smith’s belief in us, and look forward to continuing our climb back to the top of college hockey.”

Nightingale’s deal includes a base salary of $600,000 and supplemental compensation of $100,000 in the first year. 

Beginning in year two, the supplemental compensation will increase by $25,000 from the previous year. Nightingale is also entitled to a $100,000 retention bonus every two years beginning Sept. 30, 2024 (provided he has served continuously as the head hockey coach for 24 consecutive months immediately preceding Sept. 30 of the calendar year in which the bonus will be paid). The contract also includes an increased salary pool for assistants and hockey staff.

Nightingale, 44, who played hockey at Michigan State from 2003-05, is the eighth head coach in Michigan State hockey history. Prior to his arrival in East Lansing, he was head coach for two seasons at the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP). He also brings four years of NHL coaching experience, with one year in Buffalo and three in Detroit, including the 2019-20 season as a Red Wings assistant. 

At the youth level, Nightingale served as head coach of the powerful Shattuck-St. Mary’s 14U (Bantam) Team in Faribault, Minnesota, for two seasons (2014-16), as well as two years (2008-10) as the head coach of the Shattuck midget AA squad. Between his stints at Shattuck, Nightingale was the director of hockey operations at Michigan State. 

As the No. 1 seed in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament, the Spartans receive a bye in the quarterfinals and will host the semifinals on March 16 at Munn Ice Arena.