A gritty captain from Western Canada, a smooth-skating Finn, a “warrior” with four years of junior experience, and a local kid called up from the club team may not seem like a match made in heaven at first glance. However, this combination couldn’t have worked out better for Penn State men’s hockey.

James Robinson, Erik Autio, Trevor Hamilton, and Matt Erlichmann will take the ice for a home series for the final time of their NCAA careers this weekend. All four players will leave the program knowing that it is much different than the one they joined, a fact that they are largely responsible for.

“All four of them have exhibited tremendous character,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “Each one of them is known as a very hard worker. That’s something I hope we never, ever lose. They’re really good guys, great teammates obviously. Every one of them has a very unique story on how they got here and what they meant to the team. They all have a great deal of pride in Penn State University.”

James Robinson’s sophomore season at Penn State lasted just one shift before he went down with a broken clavicle. The man they call “Jimmy Pucks” was voted an alternate captain in his junior year because of the mentality he took in his recovery from that injury.

“That one’s really unique,” Gadowsky said of his captain. “I’ve never seen a sophomore play one shift all year and get nominated as a captain. I’ve never seen that. You wouldn’t expect to see that. He’s a guy that’s so team-first. That fact of him being nominated as a captain after one shift speaks absolute volumes of what the team feels about him.”

Gadowsky went on to compare Robinson — who has ten goals and ten assists in 90 career games — to some of the greatest leaders in Penn State hockey history, including Ricky DeRosa, Patrick Koudys, and David Glen. He strives to find recruits with Robinson’s team-first mentality during every cycle.

Gadowsky noted that Robinson’s mentality is what is vital to creating a winning culture with a hockey program like he has in Happy Valley. He is a firm believer that a winning culture needs to be created and recreated on a yearly basis. Jimmy Pucks brings that mentality and helps create a winning culture, Gadowsky believes.

Erik Autio was naturally very shy and quiet after arriving in Hockey Valley prior to the 2014-15 season. The Finn had to make massive adjustments in his first year living full-time in North America.

“When he came here as a freshman, he had to adjust to North America,” Gadowsky said of his alternate captain. “He had to adjust to U.S. college, the smaller [size of North American ice], English-speaking only teammates. He had to make so many adjustments, and he was the only one.”

The days of Autio being a quiet freshman seem like a distant memory now, as he quickly grew into one of Penn State’s most important leaders.

“He was here all alone [as a freshman],” Gadowsky said. “To see him grow from a very quiet freshman to such a confident leader was my favorite part of [Autio’s career].”

Trevor Hamilton’s journey to Penn State was longer and more difficult than a typical player’s journey. He spent his freshman year with Miami (OH), but left to play in the USHL after one game of his sophomore season. Hamilton joined Penn State with two years of NCAA eligibility after three seasons of USHL hockey. This journey is perhaps the main reason Guy Gadowsky refers to No. 11 as a “warrior”.

“We were curious [about him],” Gadowsky said. “He had a very tough, unique path to get here. Watching him on the ice, you knew he was a warrior-type guy.”

Hamilton grew into one of Penn State’s most important defensemen during his two seasons in Hockey Valley. His bone-rattling body checks have made him a fan favorite at Pegula Ice Arena, but his offensive production and infectiously positive personality defied any expectations the coaching staff had for him.

“I wouldn’t say we expected it,” Gadowsky said. “By no means did I ever think he’d be such a positive part of this program. He really exceeded my expectations when you look at the year he’s having offensively and defensively. The way he was just such an immediate, positive part of this program was something that I didn’t expect. We wouldn’t be close to the program we are without him.”

Matt Erlichmann has only made one appearance for Penn State’s division I team in his two seasons since being called up from the club team. On the surface, it may not seem like Erlichmann made much of an impact on the program, but the rest of the team knows how important he’s been over the past two seasons.

“Matt Erlichmann has been a really important addition to our team,” Gadowsky said. “He has maybe the most unique path of any of our guys, maybe more than Erik Autio. He came here to play club hockey, and because of his interaction with our players and staff at hockey camp and how well he played for the club program, we decided to go this route with him. It’s been extremely important to our team.”

A beloved figure among his teammates, Erlichmann made his first NCAA appearance in the final minutes of a 5-2 victory over Robert Morris at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Erlichmann’s family was in attendance to see the Bedford, PA, native play Division I hockey at the home of the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, making for an extremely special occasion.

“He’s quite a person,” Gadowsky said. “I’m really glad it happened. We obviously would’ve liked to do it more, but we’re really, really glad he got to play Division I hockey in an NHL rink close to an hour and 15 minutes away from where he grew up. I think that was really special.”

The senior class will be honored in a pre-game ceremony prior to No. 18 Penn State’s tilt with No. 8 Minnesota on Saturday night. The ceremony gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by a 7 p.m. puck drop. Game one of the series starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday.