The Spartans (6-13-3 overall, 3-9-2-2 CCHA) sit in 11th place in the CCHA with back-to-back road series against No. 6 Miami (Ohio) and No. 10 Michigan looming ahead in the next two weeks.

Here are the top three reasons why the Spartans have been struggling this season:

Early departures

Both would-be seniors Tim Kennedy and Justin Abdelkader — MSU’s top two scorers last season — decided to leave school early and begin their respective professional careers.

Their early, and somewhat unexpected, departures cleaned out the Spartans first line from last season with linemate Bryan Lerg graduated.

The departure of Abdelkader and Kennedy was a huge hit to the offensive firepower of the team. It is comparable to the Detroit Red Wings losing Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

Early departures slowly are becoming a trademark of college hockey because of the way the drafting system is set up. Unlike basketball or football, NHL organizations draft players very early in their careers — usually before they are finished with college.

Seven Spartans already are drafted by NHL teams and are sometimes under pressure to leave MSU early. But it is a double-edged sword for those who try their hand at the professional game.

Both Abdelkader and Kennedy have played a combined total of three games in the NHL and are spending their time in the American Hockey League.

So it brings up the question: Would they have been better off honing their skills in the college game or on an NHL farm team?

Let’s also not forget one of the biggest advantages to staying in college — you get a degree.

But the real loser’s under this system are the coaches.

With no guarantee that players will be sticking around for four years, coaches are feeling the pressure to bring in a solid recruiting class every year to accommodate any early departures.

MSU head coach Rick Comley attracted a quality class to MSU this year, but the early departures left a hole in the lineup that has to be filled by youngsters.

10 freshmen

This year’s roster is stacked full of freshmen.

While there is little doubt these guys can play, it simply takes time to adjust to the speed of the college game.

And with the Spartans’ lack of scoring, the pressure is starting to fall on the freshmen to produce offensively to turn things around. Freshmen forwards Daultan Leveille and Andrew Conboy have had an immediate impact, but they are the only two skaters to make the smooth transition.

Most games, eight of the freshmen dress and are on the ice during crucial points of the game. While this may be hurting the team now, it will undoubtedly help in the long run. It also hurts that the Spartans only have six healthy defensemen on the roster — three of which are freshmen.

So these three are having to make the adjustment very quickly. And as it goes for all defensemen — when they make a single mistake it has a big impact on the game.

Again, in the short run these things are detrimental, but the experience they already have built up is going to be beneficial in the future.

Weak at center

At the start of the season, senior forward Nick Sucharski was the go-to faceoff man for the Spartans.

But a recurring shoulder injury has caused Sucharski to redshirt the rest of this season, leaving the Spartans very inexperienced down the middle.

With the new rule changes that took effect this year, there are more defensive zone faceoffs than ever before. This makes having an experienced and reliable center no longer just a huge asset, but an absolute must if a team is going to be competitive.

And the Spartans simply haven’t had consistency from anyone on draws.

Comley has been forced to resort to giving practically every forward a chance at the faceoff dot (19 players have taken at least one draw) and he is doing his best to transform wingers into centers.

But playing center is more than just winning faceoffs. Comley said numerous times that the role of center is vital to start the offensive rush and help control the flow, both in the offensive and defensive zone.

Centers simply have to score. And the Spartans will continue to struggle offensively until the new centers become accustomed to their position.