On Tuesday, I covered three reasons to be optimistic about Penn State hockey’s 2026-27 season. The roster is talented, and the goaltending should be good enough to keep the Nittany Lions competitive against better teams. However, there are some warning signs that the season will be a struggle for Penn State.
1. Defense
The defense has always been a vulnerability for Penn State, but last season was one of the worst defenses that I can remember in the decade-plus that I have watched this team. The talent and experience were there, but there was very little cohesion or structure in the defensive zone. Penn State gave up over 34 shots on goal per game, which ranked 56th out of 63 NCAA teams. Goaltending covered up their defensive zone lapses for most of the way until Josh Fleming had a rough patch toward the end of the regular season.
Guy Gadowsky has used run-and-gun schemes for most of his time at Penn State. It certainly has its advantages and allows the players to be creative offensively, but it also sacrifices the defense for more offense. This was evident in games against Michigan and Michigan State last year, who both looked far more structured defensively than Penn State in all nine games the Nittany Lions played against those two teams.
2. Replacing Wingers
Penn State returns just 40% of its goals from last year and must replace all four of its top six wingers. Gavin McKenna, Matt DiMarsico, and Aiden Fink all signed professional contracts, and JJ Wiebusch transferred to Wisconsin. Those four alone combined for 43% of Penn State’s scoring last year.
The good news is that Penn State has talented wingers returning and coming in via recruiting and the transfer portal. Justin Poirier, Marco Mignosa, Shea Van Olm, and Dane Dowiak are all excellent options for top six wingers, but will they seamlessly replace the outgoing production? It remains to be seen.
3. The Big Ten
Michigan and Michigan State have loaded rosters and return a decent amount of production from 2025-26. Minnesota made a much-needed coaching change as Bob Motzko struggled to adapt to the changing landscape of college hockey. The Gophers’ 11 wins last year was their fewest in 54 years. Brett Larson should inject new life into a program that has too much talent to be this bad again. Wisconsin was not consistent last year but made the national championship game, and they destroyed Penn State in State College last March. The Badgers are never an easy out.
Notre Dame showed signs of life toward the end of the regular season. It feels doubtful that they will improve enough to make the NCAA Tournament this year, but their floor is higher than a year ago. Ohio State was plagued by atrocious goaltending from the normally-steady Kristoffer Eberly, and if he returns to form, the Buckeyes are back in business.
The Big Ten looks to be deeper than a year ago. Penn State cannot count on going 9-2-1 against Minnesota, Ohio State, and Notre Dame again like they did last year. The Nittany Lions must find a way to grind out wins against Michigan and Michigan State that they left on the table last year.