Penn State men’s hockey, fresh off of their first Frozen Four trip in program history, has landed one of the top defensemen in all of college hockey via the transfer portal, securing the commitment of Mac Gadowsky, who spent the previous two seasons playing for Army.

Gadowsky, son of the Nittany Lions’ long-time head coach Guy Gadowsky, is a State College native, but decided not to follow his father when he enrolled at Army in 2023.

He entered the portal on March 31 and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist this past season as one of the top 10 players in college hockey.

Gadowsky was one of only two defensemen named as a finalist in 2025. In 38 games, he led all NCAA defensemen with 16 goals, racking up a total of 42 points, and had a team-high plus-minus of plus-five. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Penn State will have two openings in its defensemen rotation, with both Jimmy Dowd Jr. and captain Simon Mack graduating.

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Michael Zeno

Michael is a junior from Eastampton, NJ, majoring in international politics. He's a diehard Knicks, Yankees, Rangers, and Giants fan. When he's not watching old OBJ highlights, he likes to bowl and play pickup basketball. He'll forever believe that Michael Penix Jr. was short. You can contact him at @MichaelZeno24 on Twitter or zenomanknows@gmail.com

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