UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Recent Penn State women's hockey graduate Jenna Brenneman was selected by the Minnesota Whitecaps in the fourth round with the 24th overall selection in the 2021 National Women's Hockey League draft Tuesday evening.
Brenneman was the first goaltender selected in the 2021 draft and makes history as the first-ever Nittany Lion picked in the NWHL draft.
Brenneman joins fellow graduate Jessica Adolfsson in joining a professional women's hockey league after graduating from Penn State this past year. Adolfsson signed a pro contract with Linkoping Hockey Club in the SDHL back in April.
"Jenna is a competitor and culture driver," said head coach Jeff Kampersal. "She had a great 2018-19 season for Penn State and helped turn our program around. We'll always be appreciative of her team-first attitude and wish her luck with the Whitecaps. I am glad she gets to go back home and play."
A native of Eagan, Minn., Brenneman joined the Nittany Lions in 2018-19 after a two-year stint with the Clarkson Golden Knights. Her impact was felt immediately as she solidified the Nittany Lions' defense with great goaltending.
She set single-season records for Nittany Lion goaltenders with 34 games played, 34 starts, and 2,030 minutes played while also tying a then Penn State record with 13 wins. She posted a 1.74 goals-against average with a .927 save percentage and tied another PSU record with four shutouts.
Her efforts in 2018-19 earned her All-CHA second team honors as well as three CHA Goaltender of the Week awards. She was also named to the Let's Play Hockey Team Minnesota All-NCAA Division 1 first team.
Injuries in 2019-20 and 2020-21 limited Brenneman's playing time to just two more games in her Penn State career, but Brenneman continued to excel as a Nittany Lion off the ice and eventually graduated with her degree in rehabilitation and human services in May 2021.
