It’s been almost three weeks since the last time Penn State men’s hockey took the ice, and it’ll be another two-plus weeks until they resume play in early January against RIT. This prolonged break comes at a good time, as the team looks to get two key players back from injury when the season resumes.

While getting Aiden Fink and Cade Christenson healthy will be a massive help, there’s a case to be made that the biggest improvement the team can make through the rest of Big Ten play is the progression of their own players, particularly the freshmen.

This was the highest-touted freshman class in program history, led by projected No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna and first-round defenseman Jackson Smith. Accomplished CHL forwards Shea Van Olm, Luke Misa, and Lev Katzin, as well as defenseman Nolan Collins and goaltender Josh Fleming, rounded out the group.

But the numbers haven’t quite been there. An expected adjustment period has left some of the more impatient fans wanting more. Even though McKenna is averaging over a point per game, Smith is putting up solid numbers for a defenseman, and Fleming has looked like a bona fide stud in net, the general consensus is that the group has underwhelmed.

Yet, there’s reason to believe the best is yet to come, and all we have to do is look back at what happened last season.

Charlie Cerrato

Cerrato was a star on the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms in the 2023-24 season, putting up 50 points in 45 games. He arrived at Penn State as a highly-touted recruit with future NHL aspirations, but started slowly as a true freshman in 2024-25.

While he had a number of multi-point games, Cerrato entered the holiday break with six goals and six assists in 16 games, a modest sum, but one that felt hollow as the team had gotten smacked around in Big Ten play to that point. When the season resumed at Wrigley Field in early January, something seemed to ignite the Fallston, Maryland native.

He notched his first career two-goal game in the January 5 win over Notre Dame, the team’s first conference win of the season, and kept the ball rolling with a two-point night in a loss against top-ranked Michigan State. He had points in seven of the first eight games out of holiday break, including another multi-goal game against Michigan on February 1.

DEFENSE OFFENSE

WHAT A POKE CHECK FROM CHUCKY!!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/efvCOhvwCz

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) February 2, 2025

He hit a point drought shortly after, but made up for it with three three-point performances, the third of which saw him get three assists in Game 1 of the Big Ten quarterfinals against Michigan. When Penn State punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament, he had five assists in the two regional games to help send the team to its first-ever Frozen Four.

In his final 24 games, he scored 11 goals with 11 assists for 22 total points. After five multi-point games in the first half, he had nine in the second half, including four three-point performances and a multi-goal game. He parlayed his performance into becoming the highest-drafted incumbent Nittany Lion in program history, selected No. 49 by the Carolina Hurricanes in June’s draft.

JJ Wiebusch

Cerrato’s linemate this season and last, Wiebusch, had an even stronger season in the USHL before enrolling at Penn State, posting 29 goals and 34 assists for the Sioux Falls Stampede in 2023-24. He made a good first impression upon debuting, scoring a goal in his NCAA debut against Alaska-Fairbanks.

After that, he cooled down. He scored just two goals in the next 20 games and went into the break with just 11 points in 16 games. The numbers weren’t bad, but like many others on the team, they didn’t seem to be enough to get wins in Big Ten play.

Unlike Cerrato, Wiebusch started the second half cold, failing to score a single point in his first four games after the holiday break. But after two assists against Canisius on January 18, he suddenly became one of the team’s most prolific scorers.

He broke a nine-game goal drought against Ohio State six days later and put together a five-game point streak. After another drought, he took it to another level, starting with the series in East Lansing, scoring goals in back-to-back games and dishing out three assists in the regular season finale against Minnesota.

His magnum opus came in Big Ten play, when he stunned the Yost Ice Arena crowd in Ann Arbor with a hat trick and SportsCenter Top-Ten between-the-legs overtime winner in Game 1 of the Big Ten quarterfinals before scoring again in Game 2 to contribute to a sweep that punched the team’s ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

UMMMMM, YEA @SportsCenter, PENN STATE CALLING WE HAVE YOUR NO. 1 PLAY OF THE NIGHT!!#SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/xt6D6FMqXH

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 8, 2025

In the Allentown Regional, he scored another two goals. By the time the Frozen Four arrived, Wiebusch had scored a goal in seven out of the last eight games and had 11 goals and 11 assists in an 18-game stretch. His hot goal scoring carried over into this season, where he led the NCAA in goals through Halloween.

Cade Christenson

While the two forwards previously mentioned measured their breakouts in terms of scoring, Christenson showed another way it can be done, one that Smith and the bottom-six forwards can take to heart: grit and defense.

Christenson split time between the Alberta Junior Hockey League and British Columbia Hockey League, both a step beneath the major junior hockey leagues in Canada (such as the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL), and excelled with 52 points in 67 combined games in 2023-24 before enrolling at Penn State.

As a freshman, the Edmonton native only had nine points, but made up for it by being strong defensively. The most notable thing that improved as the season went on? His willingness to get in front of pucks.

Through the first 15 games, Christenson was only credited with 17 blocked shots. Over his last 24 games, he was credited with a staggering 62 blocks, ultimately leading the team at the end of the season with 79. It also helps that both goals he scored came in the second half, as the team went on its memorable run.

First a s Nittany Lion for Cader!!!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/K0q8wK1CDe

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) February 9, 2025

Under Guy Gadowsky, Penn State has a propensity for playing better after Christmas. After starting 2020-21 with five straight losses, they went 10-7 in conference play to end the season. In 2023-24, they started 2-9-3 in Big Ten play, but finished 5-5. We all know about their midseason turnaround in 2024-25. There are multiple occasions of Gadowsky turning around a sinking ship in the recent past.

This time, however, Penn State men’s hockey can take the next step from good to great.