Aug. 20, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" The Nittany Lion men's hockey team announced its 2015-16 captains on Thursday morning with senior forward David Glen (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta) earning the nod as skipper by his peers. Defensemen Luke Juha (Mississauga, Ontario) and David Thompson (Glen Mills, Pa.) will serve as alternate captains.
"Our staff supports a hundred percent, the team's choice for captains," Penn State Head Coach Guy Gadowsky said. "All three exhibit a high level of work ethic and an extremely strong commitment to Penn State University and our hockey program."
Glen is the only returning Nittany Lion who has worn a letter in the past, having been an alternate the past two seasons. The 2013-14 Penn State male honoree of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, Glen is among the program all-time leaders in goals (4th, 23), games played (4th, 86), points (5th, 46) and assists (7th, 23).
The senior economics major is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2013-14, 2014-15) and leads the PSU all-time plus-minus chart with a plus-10 rating. Glen becomes the third Nittany Lion captain in varsity history, following Tommy Olczyk (Long Grove, Ill.) and Patrick Koudys.
Joining Glen and receiving their first letters as Nittany Lions are blueliners Juha and Thompson. Juha, an economics major, was a 2014-15 All-Big Ten honorable mention player last season in addition to being a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2013-14, 2014-15).
Juha is Penn State's all-time leader in defenseman scoring with 36 points on seven goals and 29 assists.
A finance major, Thompson came into his own last season as a leader on the ice and in the locker room, providing steady play with captain Koudys. Thompson had a goal and five assists in 31 games last season, including the game-winner against No. 14 Vermont at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Off the ice, Thompson was a 2014-15 Big Ten Distinguished scholar and earned the team's Top Student-Athlete award with graduated senior Max Gardiner.
Penn State kicks off the 2015-16 campaign with The International Game vs. Windsor on Oct. 4 inside Pegula Ice Arena. Tickets for that game are available for purchase on TicketMaster.com. The Nittany Lions then hit the road to face Canisius on Oct. 10 in Buffalo.