Despite Penn State hockey’s white-hot finish last season, the team was 52nd out of 64 NCAA teams in shots allowed per game (31.7). Simon Mack and Jimmy Dowd Jr. graduated in the spring, leaving two massive gaps to fill on the blue line.
Penn State’s defensemen scored just nine goals last year, the lowest single-season total in program history. A defenseman with an elite skillset on offense has been a missing piece since Cole Hults left after the 2019-20 season. Fortunately, Guy Gadowsky easily recruited
his son, Mac, from the transfer portal to add high-end offensive impact. For Penn State to win the Big Ten and return to the Frozen Four, the blue line will need to improve on both ends of the ice.
Predicted Defensive Pairs
First Pairing
Mac Gadowsky–Cade Christenson/Nolan Collins
Cade Christenson suffered an undisclosed injury over the summer after a solid freshman season that landed him a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman team. A vital piece of the Nittany Lions’ defense, he is expected to miss the beginning of the season. Nolan Collins should be a good fit as a shutdown man on the top pairing in Christenson’s absence. Collins was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2022 NHL Draft and committed to Penn State in January.
Mac Gadowsky led all NCAA defensemen with 16 goals last season and ranked third among NCAA defensemen in points per game (1.10). Penn State will likely use him as the point defenseman on the power play, which should help elevate a power play unit that finished 4th in the Big Ten and 16th in the NCAA last year (23.9%).
Second Pairing
Jackson Smith-Nolan Collins/Jarod Crespo
Mac Gadowsky and Jackson Smith are the most talented defensemen on the roster, but the Nittany Lions will split them up to give two defensive pairs high offensive upside. Smith is likely to share power play duties with Gadowsky, giving the Lions two excellent power play quarterbacks. With a healthy blue line, Nolan Collins would be the right defenseman. Until Cade Christenson returns, I see Jarod Crespo filling this spot.
Third Pairing
Carter Schade-Casey Aman
Schade and Aman were last year’s second pairing for the second half of the season until Carter Schade was injured before the NCAA Tournament. They will likely be reunited for the 2025-26 season as the third pairing. Offense will be hard to come by, as the pair combined for just one goal last season, but they should be solid defensively.
Bench/Rotational Players
Jarod Crespo, Nick Fascia
Jarod Crespo has played 104 games for Penn State, but he is the most likely defenseman from last year’s team to fall out of the lineup when the blue line is healthy. Nick Fascia stepped up during the NCAA Tournament in Carter Schade’s absence and will be ready if there is another injury. Penn State has eight defensemen it can rely on, which will be critical when the wear and tear of conference play takes its toll.
