Penn State men’s hockey qualified for the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season against all odds after completing two consecutive sweeps of Minnesota in back-to-back weekends. Qualifying for the big dance in a third consecutive season will be much more difficult for the Nittany Lions, as two of the team’s biggest contributors are leaving the program.

Andrew Sturtz, the leading scorer in program history, decided to forgo his final season of NCAA eligibility to sign with the Ottawa Senators’ organization, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Trevor Hamilton signed with the Detroit Red Wings’ organization after running out of NCAA eligibility.

Losing Hamilton was inevitable, but losing Sturtz is another massive blow to Guy Gadowsky’s squad. Replacing their production will take an effort by committee from the Nittany Lions.

Replacing Andrew Sturtz

Head coach Guy Gadowsky knows replacing Andrew Sturtz’s personality and presence in the locker room will be extremely difficult. Losing high-character players isn’t an anomaly for the team — roster turnover happens in any sport, so Gadowsky thinks Sturtz’s character and personality will resonate with the Buffalo native’s now-former teammates and stick around the locker room.

As for replacing Sturtz’s production on the ice, Penn State is returning ten of the 12 forwards who were in the lineup against Denver and 13 forwards overall. Gadowsky considered the line of Alex Limoges, Evan Barratt, and Liam Folkes as his best of the 2017-18 season. He thinks Folkes’ similarities to Sturtz make him a prime candidate to replace some of Sturtz’s production.

“I’m really proud of what [Folkes] has done,” Gadowsky said. “He is a much, much, much better hockey player. I think he can still be a little more consistent in the offensive zone, but in so many areas, his performance this year compared to last year is night and day. [Folkes and Sturtz] are both right-hand shots, and both are goal-scorers, so I think there are a lot of similarities between them.”

The head coach also saw great improvement in Evan Barratt, one of four Nittany Lions to be selected in the NHL Draft. Barratt’s talent is clear, but Gadowsky said he needs to have a strong summer in the weight room to progress as a player next season.

“What makes [Barratt] great is his instincts,” Gadowsky said. “His hockey IQ is elite, absolutely elite, and so is his competitiveness. For him to take the next step, [strength and conditioning coach] Cam Davidson will be his most important person.”

Outside of that line, the team returns center Chase Berger — a strong candidate for the captaincy next season — along with players like Brandon Biro, Denis Smirnov, Nate Sucese, and Nikita Pavlychev. Replacing Sturtz’s production will take strong seasons from Penn State’s collection of forwards as a whole.

Replacing Trevor Hamilton

Trevor Hamilton is one of two key departures on the right side of Penn State’s defense. Erik Autio is also out of NCAA eligibility and will not return to Hockey Valley next season.

With only four defensemen in the lineup against Denver returning, matching some of Hamilton’s production may be a bit more tricky than replacing Sturtz’s. Rising sophomores Alex Stevens and Adam Pilewicz didn’t see much action last season, but the key to their roles on the team is a strong summer.

“I think those guys need really good summers,” Gadowsky said. “The summer is so important. Hockey seasons are so long and grueling, and it’s tough to get a lot of that work in once the season starts. You have to get it done beforehand. If you haven’t done the work ahead of time, it’s really difficult to get that done during the season.”

One veteran right-handed defenseman who’s returning is rising senior Derian Hamilton. While Derian is not related to Trevor, he could potentially slot into Trevor’s spot in the lineup. With 59 games of NCAA hockey under his belt, he’s one of the most experienced defensemen left on the roster, along with players like Kevin Kerr and Kris Myllari.

Rising sophomore Cole Hults, who spent the majority of the season on the top defensive pairing with Erik Autio, had a strong freshman season, scoring 20 points while playing in all 38 games. As Gadowsky noted, Hults needs to improve on several aspects of his game  to progress as a player.

“I really like his mentality,” Gadowsky said. “He’s really high-producing and does it in a low-risk way. If his game is going to take the next step, he’s gonna have to make strides this summer. He can’t just come in with the same explosiveness and level of conditioning. He needs to be more explosive, he needs to be leaner and meaner, and if that happens, I’ll be extremely optimistic for him.”