Penn State Men's Hockey Recruiting Class: Day One Recap

Penn State men’s hockey will announce its 2024-25 incoming class all throughout the week. The team announced four confirmed players on June 3.

Arsenii Sergeev (Goaltender, University of Connecticut – Hockey East)

Sergeev is the only transfer from the portal for the Nittany Lions, but he looks to be promising for the squad that struggled in the net toward the end of the season.

With Liam Souliere’s departure to the University of Minnesota and Doug Dorr’s graduation, Penn State returns incoming junior Noah Grannan, who split time with Souliere last season.

Grannan, whose last appearance was late February in a 6-0 loss against Wisconsin, finished his season with a .885 save percentage and a 3.33 goals-against average.

A Calgary Flames prospect, Sergeev held a .913 save percentage and a 2.70 GAA with the Huskies, a team that finished eighth in the Hockey East.

It will be decided whether one gets the start over the other, or if the two goalies work in tandem similar to the beginning of last season.

Charlie Cerrato (Forward, Youngstown Phantoms – USHL)

Penn State earns a huge offensive powerhouse and rush attacker in Cerrato, who spent time with the USNTDP and the Youngstown Phantoms over the past few years.

The first of many commits from the USHL, Cerrato scored 50 points in 45 games with Youngstown, including four in the playoff run.

Cerrato is a flipped commit from Michigan, a well-noted Big Ten rival.

The Nittany Lions lost scoring with Ryan Kirwan transferring to Arizona State University and a flurry of graduating seniors, and Cerrato will be a piece of the puzzle to fill their absences.

Nick Fascia (Defense, Waterloo Black Hawks – USHL)

Fascia was the third commit of the day for the Nittany Lions and provides grit on defense as well as precision shooting.

The New Jersey native, who spent the season with the Waterloo Black Hawks, totaled 18 points and 44 penalty minutes.

While senior defenseman Jimmy Dowd Jr. will be back for another season, Penn State took a heavy hit on defense, losing captain Christian Berger and Dylan Gratton to the transfer portal. However, Fascia, along with other incoming talent, will provide the “gritty, not pretty” Penn State style.

JJ Wiebusch (Forward, Sioux Falls Stampede – USHL )

The fourth and final announcement for the Nittany Lions, the flipped Merrimack commit put up 63 points in 60 games for the Sioux Falls Stampede in the 2023-24 season and an additional one in the playoffs.

Similar to Cerrato and other forwards the team signs, they will need to find their place on the team and within the lines themselves after losing the likes of alternate captains Xander Lamppa and Christian Sarlo, as well as Tanner Palocsik and Jacques Bouquot among Kirwan and Chase McLane.

To keep up with Penn State men’s hockey, follow the CommRadio insiders Adrianna Gallucci (@agallucci17) and Josh Bartosik (@Josh_Bartosik) on X.

Adrianna Gallucci is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.