Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Michael Caples
Patrick Geary Named Michigan State Hockey Captain
9/1/2026 3:10:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale announced team captains for the 2026-27 on Tuesday. Senior Patrick Geary will be the 81st Spartan to wear the "C", after serving as an assistant captain last season. Senior Tommi Mannisto and junior Shane Vansaghi will serve as this season's assistant captains.
Geary enters his senior campaign with 104 career appearances in the Green & White. A sixth-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2024 NHL Draft, Geary posted a career-best +15 rating and nine assists in his junior season. Geary has scored a number of big goals in his career as a Spartan, most notably against Wisconsin in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and in overtime against Michigan to clinch the 2024 Big Ten Tournament championship.
Mannisto and Vansaghi will each wear the "A" for Michigan State for the first time this season.
Mannisto's coming off a career-best season in 2025-26, in which he posted a 12-9-21 scoring line with a +14 rating. His 12 goals were a career high, as were his 21 points, while nine assists matched his previous best. Mannisto had a career-best performance against Northern Michigan last season in which he posted four points on two goals and two assists. A CSC Academic All-District selection, Mannisto had four multi-point performances overall a year ago.
A second-round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2025 NHL Draft, Vansaghi returns for his junior season as one of just six total returning upperclassmen on the Michigan State roster (Geary, Mannisto, Vansaghi, Gavin O'Connell, Griffin Jurecki, Owen West). Vansaghi has 72 games under his belt, missing just two career games for MSU while playing for Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships. He's no stranger to stepping up when Michigan State has needed him most, earning himself a spot on the SportsCenter Top 10 plays last season when he swept a puck off the goal line in overtime against No. 1-ranked Boston University in 4-3 OT win for MSU.
Geary enters his senior campaign with 104 career appearances in the Green & White. A sixth-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2024 NHL Draft, Geary posted a career-best +15 rating and nine assists in his junior season. Geary has scored a number of big goals in his career as a Spartan, most notably against Wisconsin in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and in overtime against Michigan to clinch the 2024 Big Ten Tournament championship.
Mannisto and Vansaghi will each wear the "A" for Michigan State for the first time this season.
Mannisto's coming off a career-best season in 2025-26, in which he posted a 12-9-21 scoring line with a +14 rating. His 12 goals were a career high, as were his 21 points, while nine assists matched his previous best. Mannisto had a career-best performance against Northern Michigan last season in which he posted four points on two goals and two assists. A CSC Academic All-District selection, Mannisto had four multi-point performances overall a year ago.
A second-round selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2025 NHL Draft, Vansaghi returns for his junior season as one of just six total returning upperclassmen on the Michigan State roster (Geary, Mannisto, Vansaghi, Gavin O'Connell, Griffin Jurecki, Owen West). Vansaghi has 72 games under his belt, missing just two career games for MSU while playing for Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships. He's no stranger to stepping up when Michigan State has needed him most, earning himself a spot on the SportsCenter Top 10 plays last season when he swept a puck off the goal line in overtime against No. 1-ranked Boston University in 4-3 OT win for MSU.
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