UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- For Xander Lamppa, it has always been about his roots in hockey and he's excited to bring that to Penn State.
His father, Brent, spent four years playing hockey at the University of Notre Dame. That, and growing up in Minnesota, have instilled hockey in Lamppa's DNA. Growing up he had an ice rink in his backyard; and now, he'll go from playing in his backyard to one of the most exciting atmospheres in college hockey.
So far, the adjustment to Penn State for Lamppa has been a breeze.
"With the team and all the resources, we have, it makes it easier," Lamppa said.
Prior to Penn State, Lamppa first spent one season with the Austin Bruins of the NAHL. He was still in high school at the time but would drive from school to the rink for games. That experience was one that helped Lamppa learn some valuable lessons.
Lamppa cites it as one of the best decisions he ever made. It allowed him to advance in his development and prepare him for the USHL. Lamppa knew remaining in high school for that final year could have held him back in the long run.
"If I stayed back, I would have had to play in Austin again instead of going to the USHL," Lamppa said.
After Austin, Lamppa spent the next two seasons with the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL. He excelled offensively there, especially last season where he had 45 points (15G, 30A) to lead the Blackhawks.
He credits much of his success in the USHL to his line mates. Their experience is something that helped Lamppa fill up the stat sheet.
"It was easy for us to dominate a lot of games and shifts when matched up against lines that were much younger and smaller," Lamppa said. "We had a lot of success and fun controlling the play."
Like his teammates, it'll be a long-time coming when Lamppa finally steps on the ice for a competitive game next month. He had just come off a tough 3-2 loss with Rochester when they began to hear rumblings of a potential shutdown.
Lamppa said himself, nor his teammates, thought it was true. When the news did break, it was a tough pill to swallow.
"There were a lot of mixed emotions," Lamppa said. "We had another fourth of the season left plus playoffs and we were number one in our division. We had a really good team and it was heartbreaking."
Lamppa spent the next week in Waterloo and then headed home. It was another month-and-a-half until he could return to the ice. He spent that time in between working out at home and playing tons of tennis and golf.
Now at Penn State, Lamppa reflected on the process that brought him to Happy Valley. He had an interesting recruiting process in that he didn't garner much interest until his second year in the USHL.
There were a couple of bigger schools in the running for Lamppa, but ultimately after visiting Penn State he knew that was where he wanted to go. Lamppa gave head coach Guy Gadowsky a call and told him he wanted to come play for the Nittany Lions.
"Coach Gadowsky and coach Fisher were the two main guys recruiting me and showed a lot of genuine interest on my visit," Lamppa said. "You could tell they really cared about me and they knew my playing style."
Lamppa describes himself as a big forward who is good at controlling the puck down low. His aggressive offensive playing style will fit in perfectly at Penn State. He has adjusted well and worked closely with both Alex Stevens and Alex Limoges. Both have been instrumental in Lamppa getting adjusted quickly.
Lamppa doesn't want to assume any role he may have this season. He will continue to stay humble and be ready for any role and pounce when opportunities come his way.
"I'll play the right way and work my butt off and see where things can take me from there," Lamppa said.
