UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Head coach Guy Gadowsky and the Penn State men's hockey team announced captains for the 2020-21 season earlier this week. Rising senior Alex Limoges (Winchester, Va.) was voted team captain by his peers while junior classmates Aarne Talvitie (Espoo, Finland) and Paul DeNaples (Moscow, Pa.) will serve as alternates.
"I'm thrilled and honored about the opportunity of becoming captain, it's humbling to have been chosen by my teammates and coaches," commented Limoges. "I'm eager and motivated to get back on the ice and finish, next year, what we started this year."
Limoges becomes the eighth Nittany Lion in program history to don the 'C' as he will be wearing a letter for the first time in his Penn State career next season.
This past season, Limoges ranked sixth in the Big Ten with 32 points on 11 goals and 21 assists in 30 games while his 1.07 points per game was good for second in the conference and 26th nationally. In Big Ten only games he paced the conference averaging 1.05 points per game in 22 games ranking tied for second in league games with 23 points on nine goals and 14 assists.
Limoges, a 2019-20 All-Big Ten honorable mention, became the eighth Nittany Lion in program history to reach the 100-point mark for his career late last season and will enter his senior year leading all returning Big Ten players with his 103 career points, good for fifth nationally among current juniors and tied for seventh all-time at Penn State.
As a sophomore in 2018-19, Limoges set single-season Penn State records with 50 points and 23 goals leading the Big Ten in each and ranking tied for first and tied for second in the nation, respectively.
Talvitie and DeNaples will also be wearing a letter for the first time in their Nittany Lion careers come October, but both have had prior leadership responsibilities during their hockey careers. Talvitie served as captain for team Finland, leading them to a Gold Medal at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, and DeNaples wore the 'C' during his last season with the Sioux Falls Stampede in 2017-18.
DeNaples has been one of the most consistent defensemen for the Nittany Lions since arriving in Hockey Valley. He scored three goals while adding eight assists for 11 points during his sophomore season and ranked second in the Big Ten with a +18 plus/minus rating. The rising junior hasn't missed a game since stepping foot on campus having played in 73-straight contests and with a career plus-49 rating ranks second all-time at Penn State.
Talvitie returned from injury for his sophomore season finishing with six goals and 13 assists for 19 points. He earned the Big Ten sportsmanship award for the Nittany Lions after taking just one minor penalty in 30 games played.
