Michigan State hockey gets huge commitment from USHL star

After a successful year in the USHL, Vladislav Lukashevich heads to the NCAA to join the Michigan State hockey team.

Michigan State hockey recently received a new commitment when it was announced that defenseman Vladislav Lukashevich would be transferring from the USHL to the NCAA. Lukashevich played last season with the Tri-City Storm, where he had a breakout year.

He was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers and will be tasked with filling the void left by Artyom Levshunov and Nash Nienhuis.

Who is Vladislav Lukashevich?

Lukashevich, as previously mentioned, is a fourth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in 2021. Since being drafted, he has spent time in both the MHL (Russian Hockey’s second division) and last season in the USHL (American Junior League). Lukashevich really made a name for himself last year when he moved to North America. His season with Tri-City last year was drastically better than his performance in Russia. He finished the season with 11 goals and 32 assists for a total of 43 points. It will be interesting to see how those numbers translate to the NCAA.

https://twitter.com/USHL/status/1713332912316137519

As a player, Lukashevich is considered a strong puck-moving defender. In his draft year, his puck moving was considered his best attribute. In addition, at 6-foot-2, he can also get on the body. These are all attributes that Adam Nightingale needs to maintain the defensive performance of last season.

Now, at 21, Lukashevich seems like a bit of a long shot for the NHL, but it’s never a bad thing to have drafted players on your team. If the pro teams see something in these players, there’s definitely an upside. I expect we’ll likely see Lukashevich on the second or third defensive pairing behind David Gucciardi and Patrick Geary. All three play left tackle, which should hopefully make for some solid defense on that side.

It will be exciting to see how this attacking defenseman makes a name for himself in East Lansing next year.