Maybe it’s my bias, bullheadedness or contrarian nature but while some frame the recently completed Penn State men’s hockey season on a range from transformational to terrible, it felt like neither of those to me.
First, the transformation is old news, no matter how much those closest to the program work to frame the season that way. Any real transformation happened with the 2024-2025 season, when Penn State advanced to its first Frozen Four.
That run, from a hapless start in conference play to college hockey’s culminating weekend seemed like a caterpillar-to-butterfly moment come to life on ice. Plus, Penn State’s success meant it had reached the pinnacle of college hockey. It had arrived. (Well, arrived again. After coming to life more than a decade earlier and making Big Ten Conference hockey a reality, the program’s impact from its inception has been clear.)
What followed in the offseason was the acquisition of talent — including Gavin McKenna, the presumptive No. 1 NHL Draft pick this summer, Jackson Smith, a first-round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2025, and Mac Gadowsky, a Hobey Baker finalist at Army before transferring home to Hockey Valley.
In addition, the freshmen class included seven players who came from the Canadian junior leagues, the recently opened route for top players to try college hockey in hopes of reaching the NHL.
It was an impressive infusion, bolstering a roster that already included many top-tier players.
As a result, expectations were high for the recently completed season with the logic that if the team reached the Frozen Four in its previous state it would almost have to get that far, or farther, with a bit more talent.
It’s just not that simple, especially so in hockey.
Along with media and outside pronouncements, some at Penn State leaned into the expectations, though. Director of Athletics Pat Kraft was clearly counting on men’s hockey when he talked last fall about four potential national championships for his department in 2025-2026.
So, it’s not surprising that Penn State’s exit in the regional semifinals against Minnesota-Duluth prompted some angst, disappointment and frustration.
It was not a surprising loss, though, and not something terrible. Yet.
The disappointment and frustration are fair, but 10th-ranked Penn State beating No. 6 Duluth would’ve been an upset, at least according to the rankings. And this year’s NCAA Tournament run was always going to be more challenging with the regional site outside the borders of Pennsylvania — a contrast to playing in Allentown on the way to the Frozen Four last season.
The financial investment in McKenna, Smith and the others was always going to be a little risky. After all, their presence was not going to drive an attendance bump for the program at Pegula Ice Arena, but it did bring unprecedented levels of attention for the program. And without McKenna there never would’ve been a hockey game at Beaver Stadium.
Still, the risk of the investment in terms of on-ice reward always meant Penn State would’ve needed to play for the national championship in terms of measurable success.
Again, it’s just not that simple.
The season was more about dealing with attention, expectations and injuries than anything else for Penn State. And, oh, the injuries.
Maybe a healthy Penn State team would’ve advanced past Duluth. Maybe.
At the same time, the list of programs that did not get as far as Penn State includes some of the most successful and tradition-rich in the sport. Among them Boston College, Boston University and Minnesota. Plus, steady-all-season Michigan State, with its own first-round freshman and the Big Ten’s best goalie failed to reach the Frozen Four, too. And it consistently ranked in the top five in the polls all season.
Reaching the Frozen Four is a tough assignment for any team — and faltering in pursuit of that goal is not confirmation of some sky-is-falling failure.
It’s certainly not that in Penn State’s case this season. The loss to Duluth was mostly the culmination of an injury riddled season (and some sloppy play). There’s no doubt Penn State learned a lot about dealing with expectations this season, and those expectations will return next season.
It’s a good team, and a good program. Heck, it might be a great team and a great program. Proving that on ice with a national championship will always be a challenge — but that’s what makes the competition compelling.
Maybe there’s a chance, stealing a page from the Penn State football playbook under James Franklin (and that’s a scary thought), that Penn State hockey is great but not elite.
It’ll take a few more seasons for any frustrations and missed opportunities along those lines to fester into something bigger or bothersome, though.
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