UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Following an up and down season in 2019-20, Chase McLane's 2020-21 campaign is already off to a better start after being selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators on Wednesday evening.
McLane is extremely motivated to be a student-athlete at Penn State, so much so that after finishing his on ice training Wednesday afternoon he went straight to the Morgan Academic Center and was one of the last people to find out he had been selected by Nashville.
"I was at the Morgan Academic Center by myself," McLane said. "Honestly, everyone knew before me because I was working on homework."
Last season with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, McLane missed a lot of time with injury. Pair that with the Coronavirus shutdown and it's easy to assume the last 12 months have been difficult for him. Now at Penn State, McLane is more excited than ever.
"I wanted to go to a big school and Happy Valley seemed pretty attractive," McLane said.
Even though he missed a lot of time last season, McLane still produced when on the ice. He finished with 16 points over 18 games with Tri-City. One of the tough parts about being injured for McLane was watching his team struggle while he was out.
McLane prepared himself to be effective when he returned and although his time back on the ice was short, due in large part to March's shutdown, he acknowledged it was tough because Tri-City was heating up before the season ended.
"We were on the rise and starting to win games and it sucks that Covid ended it," McLane said. "I feel like we could have made a deep playoff run."
Even though it may have ended prematurely, McLane had nothing but positive things to say when remembering his time with the Storm.
"It was one of the best experiences of my life," McLane said. "I had a great time in Tri-City. We had some good teams there too. I feel like I learned a lot of leadership skills, especially coming from the older guys."
One of those older guys that played with McLane at Tri-City was sophomore Connor McMenamin. Knowing McMenamin at Penn State offered McLane a sense of familiarity when coming to Happy Valley.
"We were really close in Tri-City," McLane said. "We played on the same line for a while and sat next to each other on the bus. [Connor's] one of my best friends."
The injury last season taught McLane a lot and he used it as an opportunity to get better. He worked with the coaching staff at Tri-City to get better on the ice and stronger off the ice. These are all things McLane will look to carry over to Penn State.
There were a lot of factors that contributed to McLane choosing to come to Penn State. One of the big ones was head coach Guy Gadowsky, who had a first-hand look at McLane with the Storm.
"Gadowsky came out and watched me and seemed impressed," McLane said. "Him and coach Fisher really recruited me."
Adjusting to Penn State hasn't been difficult for McLane. The online classes have also been an easy adjustment since McLane did his senior year of high school online.
On the ice, McLane is continuing to adjust as well. He has worked with larger groups as Penn State progresses closer to the season. McLane has also enjoyed working with Gadowsky and has learned some valuable lessons from him as well.
"We were working on our back check and I was kind of doing it wrong," McLane said. "He helped me and pointed out how I was supposed to do it."
Another aspect of his game McLane is working on is putting the puck in the back of the net more. But he believes that is something that will come with more development.
McLane is confident that he will continue to get better. One of the things that gives him confidence is watching how his former teammate McMenamin has progressed in such a short time at Penn State.
"I've seen Connor and he's just a way better player all around," McLane said. "I've watched a few minutes of him play and he just looks way better. It's inspiring because I have three to four more years to get to that level."
As a group, McLane knows he, and his fellow freshmen have a tough job. It won't be easy replacing the best class in program history. But it is a challenge McLane is certainly up for.
"I feel like we know we have some big shoes to fill," McLane said. "But I feel like we're fully capable of it."
One thing McLane doesn't lack is confidence. That is a trait that will be sure to take him a long way in his time at Penn State.
