Penn State hockey’s offseason has already delivered a little bit of everything: pro signings, NHL milestones, transfer portal movement and another reminder of just how quickly the modern college game can change.
Aiden Fink appeared ready to take the next step after signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators on April 13. Fink was expected to see his first NHL action shortly after, but immigration issues tied to his visa status prevented the former Nittany Lion star from making his NHL debut.
While Fink’s wait continues, another former Penn State standout made history.
Arsenii Sergeev made his NHL debut Thursday night and backstopped the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 win in their season finale, stopping 27 of 28 shots. In the process, Sergeev became the first Flames goaltender to win his debut game in the ECHL, AHL and NHL all in the same season. Last year at Penn State, the Yaroslavl, Russia native went 19-9-4 with a .919 save percentage, a 2.54 goals-against average and four shutouts while earning All-Big Ten Second Team honors.
Sergeev also became just the fourth different Nittany Lion to appear in an NHL game, joining Casey Bailey, Brett Murray and Brandon Biro.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Back in Hockey Valley, Penn State picked up its first portal win Monday when Vermont freshman defenseman Caeden Herrington committed to the Nittany Lions. Herrington posted one goal and seven assists in 34 games last season, blocking 20 shots while skating for a struggling Catamounts team. Before Vermont, Herrington showed significant offensive upside in the USHL, including a 16-goal, 20-assist season with the Lincoln Stars in 2024-25. After leading all USHL defensemen in scoring, he was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft. He arrives in Happy Valley with three years of eligibility remaining.
Herrington joins a Penn State roster that will look dramatically different next season. The Nittany Lions have lost Fink, Matt DiMarsico, Charlie Cerrato and Kevin Reidler to NHL opportunities, JJ Wiebusch, Nic Chin-DeGraves and Cade Christenson to the portal, and Jarod Crespo, Carter Schade, Ben Schoen and Alex Servagno to graduation. Freshman phenom Gavin McKenna is also widely expected to depart for the NHL, though that is not yet official.
Christenson’s departure became official when Providence announced it had added the former Penn State defenseman for 2026-27. Christenson has two years of eligibility remaining and leaves after appearing in 21 games for the Nittany Lions last season, totaling five goals and two assists with a plus-10 rating. As a freshman in 2024-25, he played in all 39 games during Penn State’s Frozen Four run, recording nine points, a plus-23 rating and 79 blocked shots, the sixth-most in the NCAA.
The shifting NCAA landscape struck again Thursday when Vancouver Canucks prospect Kieren Dervin announced he had decommitted from Penn State and will instead play for Michigan. Dervin, a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is coming off a 42-point season with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs and was named a finalist for the William Hanley Trophy as the league’s most sportsmanlike player.
