By Jacob Messing

When Michigan State head coach Tom Anastos announced his recruiting class last November, he wasn’t aware he’d never coach it.

Anastos stepped down after his sixth season, believing his five-year plan from 2011 wasn’t seeing progress. One of the consequences was not getting to see how his final recruiting class panned out, including current leading scorer Mitchell Lewandowski.

Watch Michigan State on FloHockey this weekend!

Instead, alum Danton Cole took over his self-declared dream job and brought in his own recruits, leading to a total of eight incoming freshmen.

A new coaching system and plethora of youth has led to some inconsistency in East Lansing, as the Spartans have ridden a veritable roller coaster in a 5-5-0 campaign this season.

But MSU appears to finally be on the right path, one that starts with Lewandowski, whose recent years of success had primed him for Michigan State.

The Clarkston, Michigan, native leads the team with six goals and 13 points through 10 games, three more points than the rest of the seven freshmen combined.

Last year, Lewandowski scored 15 goals and 34 points in 55 games during his second season with the USHL’s Chicago Steel, eclipsing the seven goals and 18 points he scored in his first year with the club.

He added three goals and 12 points in 13 playoff games to help the Steel capture the 2017 Clark Cup.

But before his time in the USHL, Lewandowski had already sparked a bond with current linemate Patrick Khodorenko. In 2013-14, the two played together on Honeybaked’s U16 team, where they formed quick chemistry.

Lewandowski led the team with 13 goals while his 29 points were second to only Khodorenko’s 30. Fast-forward to this year, in which Lewandowski once again leads his team in goals, and Khodorenko slipped to fourth in team scoring after a strong series from teammates Cody Milan and Taro Hirose, last weekend.

Lewandowski’s road to Michigan State has helped him gain confidence and lead his team to a brighter future and back to the days when MSU was an NCAA force.

“He's been really good for us. He makes plays and his hockey IQ is really good,” Cole told MSUSpartans.com earlier this season; the statement continues to ring true.

Lewandowski will look to stay hot after being named Third Star of the Week when the Spartans host Ferris State tonight at 7 PM EST, which you can watch right here on FloHockey.

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @JMessing23.