Blue White Illustrated

September 2025

Penn State Sports Magazine

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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M come a long way. And I think next year, when I go there, obviously, that's the goal, to win a championship." A native of Whitehorse, Yukon, Mc- Kenna set a CHL record last season by tal- lying points in 54 consecutive games. He finished the season with 129 points on 41 goals and a WHL-best 88 assists. At age 17, he became the third-youngest player to be named CHL Player of the Year. Only six-time NHL All-Star John Tavares and three-time Stanley Cup champion Sidney Crosby earned that award at a younger age. Shortly after the news broke that Mc- Kenna had chosen Penn State, the Draft- Kings Sportsbook listed the Nittany Li- ons as favorites to win the 2026 national championship at +400. ESPN Bets also has PSU as the favorite to claim the title. McKenna will be considered one of college hockey's best players before he even takes his first skate around Pegula Ice Arena as a Nittany Lion. Analyst Co- rey Pronman of The Athletic raved about his NHL potential, noting that his talent level is "not far off" from that of centers Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, the top picks in the 2023 and '24 drafts, respectively. "McKenna was one of the very best players in the CHL this season," Pron- man wrote. "He's an electric forward with truly elite skill and offensive sense. He's one of the most creative and skilled play- ers I've seen in recent years. That McK- enna is also a high-end skater who can make his difficult plays at quick tempos gives a lot of confidence about how his game could fare in the NHL. "If teams were going to pick him apart, it would be that he's an average-sized winger who doesn't have a super high motor, but his talent and scoring are so good that it's nitpicking." McKenna became the second former Western Hockey League player to join Penn State's 2025-26 roster, with Tri-City defenseman Jackson Smith committing to the Nittany Lions on June 15. Just two weeks later, Smith was selected in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Co- lumbus Blue Jackets. The two newcomers will join rising sophomore center Charlie Cerrato, who was chosen in the second round at No. 49 overall by the Carolina Hurricanes. Cerrato and Smith are already the highest draft picks in Penn State history. Expect that to change next June. ■ Penn State may have made the biggest acquisition of college hock- ey's offseason when it signed top NHL prospect Gavin McKenna in early July. However, it'll take more than a future No. 1 draft choice to take the Nittany Lions where they want to go in 2026, and several of McKenna's future teammates have been recovering from injuries. In July, coach Guy Gadowsky provided updates on the status of three players — sophomore defenseman Cade Christenson, sopho- more forward Andrew Kuzma and senior defenseman Carter Schade. Christenson, who led the Nittany Lions with 79 blocked shots and tied for the team lead with a +23 plus-minus rating, is unlikely to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season, Gadowsky said. The Ed- monton, Alberta, native was able to attend the Pittsburgh Penguins' developmental camp in early July, but his participation was limited. "Cade was injured prior to camp [while] training back home," Gad- owsky said. "He did attend camp for the experience but wasn't able to skate. "I don't know how much about the injuries I can say. I apologize for being vague, but I don't anticipate seeing him play at the start of the season." Christenson saw action in 39 games as a freshman and finished with 9 points on 2 goals and 7 assists. Kuzma and Schade are expected to be back in action before the season begins Oct. 3. Kuzma took a medical redshirt in 2024-25, while Schade suffered a season-ending injury in March. Before getting hurt, Schade played in 35 games, totaling 9 assists. Newcomers To Compete For Goalie Position Senior goalie Noah Grannan is not expected to return to Penn State in 2025-26. The Nittany Lions, who are looking to replace Calgary Flames signee Arsenii Sergeev, have two new goalies arriving in Kevin Reidler and Josh Fleming. Reidler, a native of Gavie, Sweden, saw action in eight games last year for Nebraska-Omaha of the National Collegiate Hockey Confer- ence. He went 4-1-0 with a 2.75 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. Fleming comes to Penn State after three seasons with the Acadie- Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. This past season, he went 29-20-3 with a 3.08 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. In addition, the Nittany Lions bring back John Seifarth, who saw ac- tion in six games while backing up Sergeev last year, going 3-2 with a .918 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. Gadowsky said he and his staff "feel very confident" in the team's goaltending situation. "Look at what John Seifarth has done for us," Gadowsky said. "We're so pumped we have him coming back and have two excellent goaltenders [coming in] that we're very excited about. I think, as a whole, this is as deep and strong as we've ever been." Pedrie Returns To PSU As Assistant Coach When Lindenwood picked Penn State assistant Keith Fisher in June to be its next head coach, the Nittany Lions found themselves with a vacancy to fill. Three weeks later, they welcomed back Vince Pedrie, a former PSU defenseman who has been involved in youth coaching for the past four years. Pedrie played for Penn State from 2015-17, then spent the better part of four seasons in the American Hockey League. After concluding his playing career, he served as head coach and director of player de- velopment for the Windy City Storm 16U team in his native Chicago. "Vince is a guy who played here, was a great player for us, and after two years signed an NHL contract," Gadowsky said. "He fits us really well. He's a 'D' man. We haven't had a high-level defenseman before [on staff]. He's going to be great for [freshman and 2025 first-round NHL Draft pick] Jackson Smith and the rest of the guys. He's been through the grind. He loves Penn State and fits in extremely well." — Greg Pickel Key Defenseman Expected To Miss Season's Start

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