In what may come as a bit of a surprise to fans of the men’s hockey team, coach Guy Gadwosky announced senior defenseman Patrick Koudys team captain for the 2014-15 today.

The move is interesting, considering rising senior Tommy Olczyk served as team captain for the Nittany Lions the past two years. Still, Koudys had an excellent year last year for the Nittany Lions and played huge minutes on both the power play and penalty kill. He’s also the scariest looking player on the team, which is not as important but still worth noting.

“We have a tremendous leadership group for the 2014-15 season and the addition of Patrick Koudys as captain will make it even stronger,” said coach Guy Gadowsky. “The group is a consummate representation of the hard work and dedication seen throughout Penn State University, Penn State Athletics and the hockey program.”

No word was included in the release as to why Olczyk will not be captain again.

Koudys played his first two years of collegiate hockey for Rennsselaer Polytechnic Institute before coming to the Nittany Lions last year. The Smithville, Ontario native played in all 36 games for Penn State last year, scoring two goals and notching six assists. Koudys is well known for his tough playing style, shown in part by his fourth-best 79 blocked shots among Big Ten defensemen.

In addition, junior foward David Glen and senior defenseman Nate Jensen will reprise their roles as assistant captains for the upcoming season. Glen was named a Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award recipient this past season, while this will be Jensen’s third straight year as an assistant captain.