Penn State men’s hockey forward Charlie Cerrato will miss the remainder of the regular season with an undisclosed injury, head coach Guy Gadowsky told the media on Tuesday.

Cerrato exited in the first period of the team’s January 9 win over Minnesota and did not return. He was initially labeled as “day-to-day” in the aftermath leading into the Notre Dame series alongside fellow injured skaters Casey Aman and Shea Van Olm, but his status had steadily been downgraded until Tuesday’s announcement.

The sophomore from Fallston, Maryland, was off to a spectacular start to the season, centering one of the most productive lines in hockey with Matt DiMarsico and JJ Wiebusch. Through 18 games, he led the team with 24 points, scoring six goals as he embraced the role of creating opportunities for his teammates.

While Gadowsky said he could return for the postseason, which is about six weeks away, losing the Carolina Hurricanes’ draft pick is a huge blow for a team that has been hitting its stride in the second half and has the top two teams in college hockey next on the schedule. Cerrato joins Keaton Peters and Braedon Ford on the shelf after the two suffered long-term injuries earlier this season.

Reese Laubach replaced Cerrato between DiMarsico and Wiebusch after the injury and has performed well, while captain Dane Dowiak jumped into Laubach’s spot between Gavin McKenna and Aiden Fink. Cerrato’s strength in the faceoff circle might be the biggest thing the team is losing, as the sophomore was winning 60% of his draws prior to injury.