by Adam Wodon/Managing Editor (@chn-adam-wodon)
Penn State’s spotlight brightened after it made the Frozen Four last season for the first time. It’s going to be even hotter now after Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NHL Draft, decided to take his talents to State College for the coming season.
Knowing players like this are “one-and-done” has not deterred the likes of Michigan, Boston University and Boston College from taking them. It was just one year ago that BU’s Macklin Celebrini went No. 1 overall. BU lost in the Frozen Four semifinals that year. This past season, the Terriers defeated Penn State in the national semis, before losing to Western Michigan in the title game.
Penn State has taken additional advantage of the new rules allowing former Major Junior players to participate in the NCAA, bringing in numerous key players beyond just McKenna. Jackson Smith, a first-round defenseman, is also on board, as are a few others of note. That will push some players down the lineup, and others who have been committed for a while, may never wind up at Penn State.
“You’re talking about team and player management, but that’s something this staff has talked a lot about,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said Tuesday. “We’re excited and eager to tackle those challenges. Those are great challenges to have.
“There’s a lot of changes going on in college athletics, especially in NCAA hockey. We want to embrace those changes and do what you can for the best of our program. As long as you have your values on straight, everybody understands that. We’re absolutely going to take advantage of the new rules and changes to recruit the very best student-athlete that fits Penn State. But that doesn’t mean we’ll switch our philosophy.”
“It boils down to, do everything for the team. For those guys who have those attitudes, you don’t just do that one year and check the box that you’re done. Culture is really important. Some people think it’s a buzzword but it’s really important. We learned a lot of lessons in the past and specifically last year that makes us feel confident to embrace the challenges. The leadership group will have a lot of work to do. They’re largely responsible for the success last year, and I suspect will be responsible for the success this…
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