Penn State men’s hockey lost one of its most promising recruits when forward Will Cuylle signed a contract with the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires on Thursday.

According to the NCAA’s eligibility rules, any player that signs a contract with a team in the Canadian Hockey League — which includes the OHL, Western Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League — forfeits their NCAA eligibility. 

Cuylle committed to Guy Gadowsky’s program on June 5 after being selected No. 3 overall by the Peterborough Petes in the 2018 OHL Draft. The Petes selected Cuylle knowing that he would not report to their development camp, a decision that maintained his NCAA eligibility at the time.

Windsor’s signing of Cuylle is a huge loss for the Nittany Lions. The 16-year-old is a prototypical power forward with plenty of size (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) along with a lethal shot and strong skating skills. The Spitfires saw enough value in the forward to trade seven draft picks to Peterborough for his services.

Penn State may attract plenty of recruits of its own, but competing with a team like Windsor on the recruiting trail was always going to be difficult. Windsor is one of four teams in the CHL to win three Memorial Cups as the league’s champion.

Additionally, the Spitfires boast a list of alumni that includes reigning NHL MVP Taylor Hall and Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis, who signed an eight-year, $50 million extension with the team this summer.