Former Michigan commit Justin Larose has committed to Penn State men’s hockey, he tells Onward State. Mike McMahon of College Hockey News was the first to report the move was likely.

Larose, a 21-year-old from Saint-Lazare, Quebec, stands 5-foot-9 and 174 pounds. The left-shot forward spent the last five seasons in the QMJHL, developing into one of the league’s best offensive players before serving as captain of the Newfoundland Regiment during his final season of junior eligibility.

Larose put together the best season of his junior career in 2025-26, recording 32 goals and 56 assists for 88 points in 64 regular-season games to finish fourth in the QMJHL scoring. His 40 power-play points and 292 shots on goal both rank second in the league.

Larose also notched five goals and four assists in 12 playoff games, helping Newfoundland reach the second round of the QMJHL Playoffs.

Larose originally committed to Michigan in June 2025 but elected to return to the QMJHL for one final season of junior hockey rather than joining the Wolverines immediately. As recently as early July, he was still expected to play at Michigan for the 2026-27 season.

However, Michigan announced its seven-player freshman class without Larose. Neither the program nor Larose had addressed the change before Chalmers reported Friday that the forward had committed to Penn State.

Before joining Newfoundland, Larose spent four seasons with the Victoriaville Tigres before being traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs midway through the 2024-25 season. He finished the season with 26 goals and 35 assists for 61 points in 63 games between the two clubs before being acquired by Newfoundland ahead of his final year of junior hockey.

Larose becomes another experienced addition for head coach Guy Gadowsky and the Nittany Lions.

Through his five-year QMJHL career, Larose appeared in 321 regular-season games, totalling 113 goals and 155 assists for 268 points.

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