Penn State's men's ice hockey program will be rebuilding a bit in 2026-2027, but the Nittany Lions could still be thinking about making a run to the NCAA playoffs at the end of the season. They will have a bit more of an uphill path to the NCAA postseason than in recent years, however.
Penn State was in the national spotlight last season with the addition of Gavin McKenna to the roster, on his way to being the top overall NHL Draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And that followed a fun ride to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time in school history. But this season will see the expectations lowered just a bit for the Nittany Lions following a significant roster overhaul from last year's roster. Head coach Guy Gadowsky will have some work
to do to restore the offense with a new mix of forwards to work with, but he will not be without some talented players at his disposal.
Penn State added former Maine forward Justin Poirier to the roster this year, and he should be one of the stars of the offense in Hockey Valley. Poirier was a fifth-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2024 NHL draft and spent last season appearing in 27 games for Maine. He scored 18 goals and recorded 11 assists as a freshman, with his 18 goals being the fourth-most in the nation among college freshmen. He should be a welcome addition to the Penn State offense to help keep things moving once everything settles in. Poirier will slide into the mix alongside some returning players like senior captains Dane Dowiak and Reese Laubach, and notable forwards Shea Van Olm and Luke Misa.
Penn State also welcomes back center Andrew Kuzma, who missed the 2024-25 season with a medical redshirt season following the discovery of a heart condition that required open-heart surgery. Kuzma spent the 2026-27 season in the Ontario Hockey League to get back to the ice, and he returns to Penn State this season ready to go.
The bad news for Penn State is that the defense is an apparent weak point this season. Or, at the very least, the biggest concern. The defense was hit hard by roster changes from last season and will be the biggest question for the Nittany Lions on the ice this season. Jackson Smith will be one of the top defensive players to watch, however. Smith was named a preseason All-Big Ten second team player for the start of the season. He was a Big Ten All-Freshman player a season ago and landed on the Second Team All-Big Ten.
Full 2026-27 Penn State Men's Hockey Schedule
The good news is Penn State may have one of the best goalies in the country protecting the net with Josh Fleming. Fleming dazzled at times as a freshman for the Nittany Lions last season and was a Mike Richter Award finalist while also receiving All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition. Fleming appeared in 20 games in his first season with the Nittany Lions and posted a 10-7-2 record with a 2.61 goals-against average and .924 save percentagePenn State single-season record. Fleming will be joined by Ryder Fetterolf, who was the CHL and OHL Goaltender of the Year with the Ottawa 67's. Fetterolf was a fourth-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Overall, the expectations for the Nittany Lions are pretty low as far as the Big Ten race is concerned. With the conference being as strong as it is with Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin among the top-ranked teams in the nation at the start of the season, Penn State is believed to be in the bottom portion of the Big Ten pecking order with Ohio State and Notre Dame. But this is all relative, of course. Penn State will start the season ranked No. 17 in the USCHO Division I Men's Poll. Penn State will also see how they measure up against another preseason-ranked opponent, No. 15 UConn, in the season opener.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State hockey faces roster overhaul, defensive question in 2026-27
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