UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky addressed the media Tuesday for the first time since the end of last season. The Nittany Lions are ranked atop the preseason Big Ten poll for the first time in program history. Here are a few takeaways from the afternoon.
Aarne Talvitie Cleared to Play
The sophomore forward out of Espoo, Finland was cleared for full contact on Sunday, so Tuesday's practice was the second day Talvitie practiced with the team at full speed.
Talvitie was putting together a strong freshman season, scoring five goals and tallying 11 assists in his first 17 games before sustaining a season-ending injury during the gold medal game for the Finnish National Team at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships.
"Obviously, he's not 100% what we expect him to be when the season starts, but he has been looking really good with his skating," Gadowsky said. "To me he looks fairly comfortable."
Talvitie will assume the bulk of the responsibilities in the faceoff circle this season, along with senior forward Nate Sucese, after Chase Berger and Ludvig Larsson both graduated last year.
The Top Line in College Hockey Returns
The front line of Alex Limoges, Liam Folkes and Evan Barratt combined for 135 points last season, which was the best among any trio in college hockey. However, after qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and 2018, the Nittany Lions failed to do so for a third consecutive season last year.
Matching their statistical production from last season will be a tall order, but an even more successful year for them will be adding a few more wins in order to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, even if that means sacrificing a few points.
"The next step is being more consistent this year," Limoges said. "I think there was a time last year when we were playing well but the puck wasn't going into the net. The goal this year is to produce every game and help our team win every night."
Emphasis on Defense Without Sacrificing Offense
Senior Peyton Jones has been Penn State's top option between the pipes for the last three seasons, but even with that much experience under his belt, the Nittany Lions allowed 3.56 goals per game in 2018-19, last in the Big Ten.
"Our expectations are that we are going to do a better job defensively to help (Jones) out," Gadowsky said. "I think at times we've left him out to dry. We play an exciting game and score a lot of goals, but I think there have been times where we haven't been fair to him."
Under Gadowsky, Penn State has always been a prolific offensive team and the goal this season is to improve defensively while also maintaining their offensive productivity.
"We absolutely could turn to be a defensive team and not score, but that's not us," Gadowsky said. "That's not what we want to be, so the approach is to maintain our offensive identity, but get better on the defensive side without sacrificing any of the offense."
Managing Preseason Expectations
Gadowsky said the team has not even talked about being tabbed the top team in Big Ten during the preseason. While he acknowledged that it is difficult to ignore, the emphasis for them has always been to focus on what is next.
Penn State, having gone to the NCAA Tournament in two of the last three seasons, is now concentrating on taking the next step forward. Preseason rankings should not alter their team goals.
"I don't think preseason rankings mean a whole lot," senior captain Brandon Biro said. "It's just noise that we don't listen to, so we're just going to go as if we didn't even see those rankings."
Biro Replaces Berger as Captain
Brandon Biro will assume the captain role this season after Chase Berger graduated last year. He scored 40 points, fourth most on the team, in 37 games last season and is arguably the most talented team captain that Penn State has had under Gadowsky.
"He is a relentless worker," Gadowsky said. "There's not one aspect of his game that he doesn't want to make sure he does to the max. The guy does not leave any stone unturned in terms of improving himself. He is the exact same as the first time he stepped on campus.
Gadowsky added this year's team has the luxury of having one of its most skilled players also be the team's hardest worker, and the team has fed off of Biro's energy in the preseason.