Andrew Sturtz: Penn State men’s hockey’s unlikely hero

It’s no secret that the Penn State Nittany Lions struggled through the bulk of their 2024 season. One of the main individuals keeping the team positive was the youngest coach on the staff.

Andrew Sturtz, in his second year as assistant coach, has a lot of familiarity with the Penn State hockey program.

He grew up in Buffalo, New York and came to Penn State to play hockey, leaving as the team’s all-time point leader.

Even though his mark does not stand anymore, the impact he has in the State College area is still enormous.

Often referred to as “Sturtzy” by bench boss Guy Gadowsky, his personality has helped mold the second-half run by the Nittany Lions.

He played for Gadowsky from 2015 to 2018, helping lead the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten conference title in 2017 and two NCAA tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018.

When Penn State made the NCAA tournament back in 2018, they also had nine conference wins that season, a mark that Penn State reached this season.

Sturtz signed an entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators after the 2017 season and spent the better part of five years in the minor leagues.

Injuries got the better of him and after retiring from hockey after the 2022 season, he was looking for a job.

He joined Penn State’s staff and has been an instant spark plug.

Gadowsky commented at weekly media this week about the calmness that he has shown this season when everything was not going the program’s way.

“He is probably the most unwavering, positive person that I’ve come across in hockey,” Gadowsky said. “No matter what the results were, he was always extremely optimistic about what we were doing.”

Sturtz was praised for his ability to handle emotions as a second-year assistant coach. It seems that he has been the voice of the locker room night in and night out.

Penn State is a young team that hasn’t experienced lots of big playoff moments, which makes adding Sturtz to the coaching staff a valuable asset.

Since he has taken over as the power-play coach, Aiden Fink has taken leaps and bounds with a Penn State record eight powerplay goals on the year.

Not every person gets put in the spotlight on a team that is surging toward a potential playoff push, but it seems that the head coach notices his combinations on a daily basis.

“He’s the ultimate positive person and everyone in the State College and Penn State area loves him so much,” Gadowsky said.

The hottest team in the country will look to continue their dominance this weekend as they travel to Columbus to battle with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Giustino Racchini is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email gar5448@psu.edu.