The Penn State men’s hockey program closed its 14th varsity season with another NCAA Tournament appearance, another 20-win campaign and another reminder of how far the program has come under Guy Gadowsky.
Now, the Nittany Lions are already turning the page toward what comes next.
Penn State finished the 2025-26 season 21-14-2, marking its seventh 20-win season in program history. All seven have come in the last 11 years. The 21 victories also tied for the third-most in a single season in program history.
The Nittany Lions advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time before falling to Minnesota-Duluth, 3-1, in the Albany Regional semifinals. Penn State ended the year ranked No. 11 in both national polls.
As the program closed the book on the season, Penn State announced its 2025-26 team awards, with freshman phenom Gavin McKenna leading the way.
McKenna was voted Team MVP and Freshman of the Year by his teammates, and also earned the team’s top scorer honor after one of the best individual seasons in program history. The Whitehorse, Yukon, native set nine Penn State records and became just the third Nittany Lion to reach the 50-point mark in a single season.
McKenna finished with 51 points on 15 goals and a single-season program-record 36 assists. His 51 points were the most ever by a Penn State freshman and ranked third in the Big Ten and tied for fifth nationally. His 36 assists ranked second in the country behind only Michigan’s Michael Hage.
McKenna also set Penn State’s single-season record by averaging 1.46 points per game, a number that led the Big Ten and ranked second nationally.
The freshman forward’s postseason resume continued to grow after the season. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, landed on the All-Big Ten Second Team and was a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. McKenna also became Penn State’s second Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist and just the fourth All-American in program history.
McKenna is widely expected to be one of the top players available in the 2026 NHL Draft, which will be held in Buffalo at the end of June.
Freshman defenseman Jackson Smith was also recognized after a standout rookie season. Smith was voted Penn State’s Top Defenseman after leading all Big Ten defensemen with 11 goals and 26 points. His 11 goals set a Penn State single-season record for a defenseman.
Smith, a Calgary, Alberta, native, joined McKenna on the All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Junior captain Dane Dowiak earned three team honors, being named Players’ Player, Culture Award winner and Iron Lion. It marked the second straight year Dowiak earned both Players’ Player and Iron Lion recognition.
The Players’ Player award goes to the player who best represents work ethic and commitment to Penn State hockey’s on-ice objectives. The Culture Award, given annually since 2017-18, recognizes the student-athlete who best influences a positive culture of quality and values away from the rink.
Dowiak, a Pittsburgh native, had nine goals and nine assists for 18 points in 27 games before his season was cut short by an upper-body injury. He is expected back for his senior season in 2026-27 and should be one of Penn State’s leading returning scorers.
Sophomore Keaton Peters, who missed the season with a lower-body injury, was named Penn State’s Top Student-Athlete.
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Penn State 2025-26 Awards:
Team MVP: Gavin McKenna
Top Defenseman: Jackson Smith
Freshman of the Year: Gavin McKenna
Players’ Player: Dane Dowiak
Culture Award: Dane Dowiak
Top Scorer: Gavin McKenna
Top Student-Athlete: Keaton Peters
Iron Lion: Dane Dowiak
Penn State Lands Maine’s Poirier Via Portal
The Nittany Lions also made a major addition through the transfer portal, landing forward Justin Poirier from Maine. Poirier, a Carolina Hurricanes prospect, led Maine in goals and power-play goals with seven, while ranking third on the team in points.
Poirier brings a proven scoring profile. Before college, he spent three seasons with Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL, recording 210 points on 122 goals and 88 assists in 181 games. His 51-goal season in 2023-24 made him the first 17-year-old to score 50 goals in the QMJHL since Sidney Crosby scored 66 in 2004-05.
Poirier plays with a relentless offensive motor, attacking the slot, finding backdoor space and hunting rebounds around the net. He can score off the rush, release quickly off passes and beat goaltenders with a one-timer.
Another Gilmour Goaltending Prodigy Commits To Lions
Penn State also added to its future goaltending depth with a commitment from Crew Petty out of Gilmour Academy, the same program that produced Ryder Fetterolf. Petty went 24-9-0 with five shutouts, a 2.19 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. He is expected to join Penn State as the third goaltender next season.
