The most anticipated Penn State men’s hockey season in history kicks off this week, but one of the key pieces on their projected bottom-six will not see the ice this season. On Friday, sophomore forward Keaton Peters announced through the team’s social media that he would miss the entire 2025-26 season due to a knee injury sustained a few weeks ago.

Peters will take a medical redshirt, which will allow him to maintain three years of eligibility once he recovers.

In 35 games last season as a true freshman, Peters potted a pair of goals to go along with four assists and six total points. He was second among forwards in blocked shots with 31 and was a key part of the Nittany Lions’ stellar faceoff performance with a 54.9 percent win rate as the team’s fourth-line center.

Penn State had already lost one projected starter for this season when Andrew Kuzma, who missed his freshman year with an injury, decided to spend the 2025-26 season in the Ontario Hockey League after the long rehab. The infusion of talent in the offseason provided the team with plenty of forward depth, which will be tested in the early going.