Showing up somewhere new is never easy. Most of the time, it’s scary. That’s why it’s a match made in heaven that Austin Baker and Lucas Van Vliet are able to rise through the ranks of hockey together.

Both are Michigan State commits who announced their commitment to the university prior to the beginning of the 2022-23 season. Van Vliet is one of the most dynamic U.S.-born players in his age group. He’s a good playmaker, an excellent skater and has the potential to prove to be a high-round draft pick in the NHL. Baker might not be on the same level as Van Vliet but he has elite quickness and a good wrist-shot.

They grew up in White Lake and Livonia, two small suburbs in southeast Michigan, both around 20 miles apart from each other.

They’d been playing together since they were 10 years old. Baker and Van Vliet both played on the Little Caesars triple-A team and now play together on the United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) Under-17 squad.