No. 18 Penn State men’s hockey is back in form and carrying a three-game win streak into this weekend’s matchup with No. 7 Minnesota. Its recent run is underscored by the fact that an influx of untimely injuries forced Guy Gadowsky to roll out some unorthodox lineup sheets.

Enter Casey Aman, a freshman defender who has rolled with the punches to carve out his niche as the utility skater for the Nittany Lions. He’s become the player Gadowsky can slot wherever he needs, even changing position mid-game to suit the lineup.

Eagle-eyed fans will notice he took a shift at all five positions this Friday against Lindenwood.

“Casey had an incredible night. He played left wing, right wing, center, left [defense], right [defense],” Gadowsky said of Aman. “I’ve never seen that actually. I haven’t had that before.”

Gadowsky emphasized Aman doesn’t play the positions strictly as a stopgap, though, and has the skills to back up his teammates in each role.

“He doesn’t look back and go, ‘What do I do?’ He’s [a] very smart guy,” Gadowsky said. “And for him to pick up the systems from different positions. I mean, it’s a credit to his intelligence, not just his skill.”

Modern college hockey demands a lot out of each position player. Each one has different responsibilities in the offensive zone, on the forecheck, on the rush, and even during line changes.

“It’s hard no matter how much you practice it unless you’re intelligent to get it down. We’ve had forwards practice for four years who don’t get the systems,” Gadowsky said. “He really gives the team confidence that ‘Hey, we can get this done no matter what we have to do.'”

Aman tallied his first collegiate point on Friday, pickpocketing his opponent before foregoing a solid shooting position to feed Jacques Bouquot an even better opportunity. His teammate completed his first career hat trick on the precise one-timer pass.

“Luckily enough for me in that case, Casey used his hockey sense. He made a really good play,” Bouquot said of the goal.

This meshing of forward tactics and defensive intuition makes Aman deadly on the forecheck, dangerous in transition, and unselfish in front of goal on a team with a “shoot-first mentality” in Bouquot’s words. His one plus-minus through 10 games in different roles is a telling number: he’s a net positive wherever he is on the ice.

Penn State is still missing important names long-term at forward like Christian Sarlo and Ben Schoen, while Carson Dyck was scratched for the Lindenwood series. Carter Schade will likely be out of the defensive rotation for a while, too. A player like Aman stops the bleeding. His impact on the team will likely continue to be small on the box score, but the versatility he affords the lineup keeps Penn State competitive through its mid-year slate.

“The confidence we talked about, that’s where it stems from… you have a guy like Casey who can step up and play anywhere, anytime, really, really well,” Gadowsky preached at his mid-week press conference. “That’s what builds confidence.”