Nov. 28, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Head men's hockey coach Guy Gadowsky announced Wednesday the addition of five future Penn State student-athletes who signed National Letters of Intent during the November early-signing period. All five individuals will join the Nittany Lions for the 2013-14 season.
The additions include forwards David Goodwin (St. Louis, Mo.), Zach Saar (Plainwell, Mich.) and Eric Scheid (Blaine, Minn.), defenseman David Thompson (Glen Mills, Pa.) and goaltender Eamon McAdam (Perkasie, Pa.).
Goodwin (Sioux City), McAdam (Waterloo), Saar (Des Moines) and Scheid (Lincoln) all hail from the Unites States Hockey League, while Thompson patrols the blue line for the British Columbia Hockey League's Chilliwack Chiefs. A Blaine, Minn., native, Scheid will represent the class' only sophomore after playing with Alaska Anchorage in 2011-12.
"Assistant coaches Keith Fisher and Matt Lindsay tirelessly worked to ensure a great class for 2013," Gadowsky said. "We addressed certain areas of need, from size to hockey IQ to bringing in another top-notch goaltender, and they accomplished all three of those goals."
The Nittany Lions (6-5-0) are in the midst of their first NCAA Division I season and will join the new Big Ten Hockey Conference in 2013-14. Pegula Ice Arena will also open prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. A $90 million state-of-the-art facility, Pegula Ice Arena will house a 6,000-seat arena that will serve as the home to Penn State Hockey.
David Goodwin (F 5-10 179 St. Louis, Mo. Sioux City Musketeers (USHL))
Second-year player for the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers ... In 2012-13, has appeared in 18 games and ranks second on the team with 13 points (5g, 8a) ... Team captain ... In 2011-12, posted 39 points (17g, 22a) in 47 regular-season games ... Was teammates with current Penn State freshman Matthew Skoff during the 2011-12 season ... Skated in 68 regular-season and 11 playoff games with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers from 2010-12 ... Helped lead Green Bay to the 2011 Clark Cup finals ... Also played for the St. Louis AAA Blues (2008-10) and De Smet Jesuit High School (2006-10) ... Brother, Sam, played at Niagara.
Gadowsky on Goodwin: "David has an excellent hockey IQ and has put up consistent numbers during his three seasons in the USHL. We expect him to be a solid contributor."
Eamon McAdam (G 6-2 185 Perkasie, Pa. Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL))
Highest-rated USHL goaltender in the NHL Central Scouting North American preliminary rankings ... Participated in the 2012 USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game ... Third-year player for the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks ... In 2012-13, has posted a 5-2-0 record with two shutouts ... Ranks sixth in the league with a .917 save percentage and 10th in goals-against average (2.88) ... Led the U.S. Junior Select Team to the gold medal at the 2012 World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia ... Served as the goalie of record in each game as Team USA went undefeated (4-0-0-0) ... Led Waterloo to the silver medal at the 2012 Junior Club World Cup in Omsk, Russia ... Named the tournament's best goalie ... In three seasons with Waterloo (2010-13), has appeared in 34 games and has posted an 18-11-0 record with two shutouts, a 3.35 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage ... Also played for Team Comcast (2006-10) ... Sister, Sarah, attended Penn State.
Gadowsky on McAdam: "Eamon is an excellent athlete who has proven himself on both the international and junior levels. He has the potential to be one of the top goaltenders in college hockey."
Zach Saar (F 6-4 210 Plainwell, Mich. Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL))
Has appeared in 12 games with the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers in 2012-13 ... Has collected three goals and five assists ... Team captain ... Split time between Des Moines and the Chicago Steel in 2011-12 ... Recorded 13 points (8g, 5a) in 23 games with Chicago and added 12 points (6g, 6a) in 32 games with Des Moines ... Was teammates with current Penn State freshman Connor Varley in Des Moines ... Participated in the 2012 USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game ... Served as an assistant captain with Chicago ... In 2010-11, skated in 32 games and collected four goals and six assists ... Also played for Detroit Little Caesars (2009-10) ... Sister, Lauren, played volleyball at Georgetown ... Father, Brad, lettered on Penn State Football's 1982 national championship team.
Gadowsky on Saar: "Zach's a very big body and has the skill to put the puck into the net. He plays a very tough game."
Eric Scheid (F 5-9 163 Blaine, Minn. Lincoln Stars (USHL) Alaska Anchorage (WCHA))
Has skated in 16 games with the USHL's Lincoln Stars in 2012-13 ... Tied for first on the team with eight goals and 17 points ... Tied for second in the league with a plus-15 rating ... Member of Alaska Anchorage of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 2011-12 ... Appeared in 30 games and tied for fourth on the team with 15 points (6g, 9a) ... Led team's freshmen with six goals and 15 points and his nine assists were third best ... In 2010-11, played in 57 regular-season games with the Lincoln Stars ... Ranked fifth on the team with 36 points and 15 goals and was sixth in assists (21) ... Added four power-play, three-game winning and one shorthanded marker ... Also played at Blaine High School ... Named to the all-conference team and received all-state honorable mention honors.
Gadowsky on Scheid: "Eric is an excellent two-way player with a ton of speed. He has great offensive ability and takes care of all zones on the ice. He's a tremendous addition to the program."
David Thompson (D 6-2 200 Glen Mills, Pa. Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL))
Has skated in 25 games with the BCHL's Chilliwack Chiefs in 2012-13 ... Team captain ... Leads team's defensemen in points (15) and goals (4) ... Has added 11 assists ... Served as an assistant captain for the Chiefs during the 2011-12 season ... Notched 30 points (9g, 21a) in 60 regular-season games ... Added one assist in six playoff games ... Named team's best defenseman and recipient of the Ironman Award ... Played for the BCHL's Quesnel Millionaires during the 2010-11 campaign ... Recorded 14 points (5g, 9a) in 60 regular-season games ... Played in four playoff contests ... Earned team Rookie of the Year and Ironman honors ... Also played for the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (2002-09) and Rustin High School (2006-10) ... Helped lead Rustin to the 2009 state championship.
Gadowsky on Thompson: "I have a ton of respect for David as an American captain of a Canadian junior team. I love his character and his attention to detail and positioning. David will be a great leader and will prove to be very difficult to play against."