UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Head Coach Guy Gadowsky and the Penn State men's ice hockey team announced the hiring and return of former Nittany Lion forward Andrew Sturtz as assistant coach on Monday morning.
This hire is in result of the NCAA Division I council voting to eliminate the voluntary coach designation across Division I, instead including those coaches within a new limit for countable coaches in each of the applicable sports. Sturtz will join Gadowsky and associate head coach Keith Fisher for whom he played for from 2015-18 along with assistant coach Juliano Pagliero in Hockey Valley. He will be involved in all aspects of coaching and recruiting with a strong focus on skill development.
"I am extremely honored and excited to be returning to Penn State as an assistant coach for the men's ice hockey program," commented Sturtz. "My time as a student-athlete in Happy Valley truly changed my life and I look forward to working with Coach Gadowsky and his staff to give that same experience to our current and future Nittany Lions. I will embrace the challenges that my new role is going to bring and do my very best to make all Penn Staters proud! WE ARE…"
Sturtzy, a fan favorite during his time in Hockey Valley from 2015-18, helped lead Penn State to the 2017 Big Ten Tournament Championship, its first in program history, and its first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018 before signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators following his junior season.
The Buffalo, New York native battled multiple injuries during the majority of his five-year professional career and officially announced his retirement this spring. Over parts of three seasons in the American Hockey League, Sturtz played in just 35 games with the Belleville Senators scoring four goals while adding seven assists for 11 points.
Rejuvenated entering the 2020-21 season with the Rapid City Rush of the East Coast Hockey League, Sturtz was off to a fast start with 28 points (10 G, 18A) in 33 games before suffering another debilitating injury that sidelined him for nearly 18 months before he made yet another comeback this past season.
Sturtz began the year with the Orlando Solar Bears before a trade sent him to Toledo where he recaptured his scoring touch that fans in Hockey Valley came to love over the years leading the Walleye on a deep playoff run. In 64 total games during the 2022-23 season, Sturtz scored 27 goals while adding 14 assists for 41 points.
Sturtz left Hockey Valley in 2018 as Penn State's all-time leading goal scorer and just the second Nittany Lion ever to eclipse 100 career points. He currently ranks first all-time in shorthanded goals (9), second in goals (54), seventh in points (104) and 10th in assists (50) while his 0.94 points per game in 111 total games played is good for fourth all-time.
Prior to signing his NHL entry-level contract at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, he registered 40 points on 14 goals and 26 assists as a junior making him one of just seven players all-time to register a 40-point season as a Nittany Lion. His 22-goal sophomore campaign remains tied for the second-most goals in a single-season all-time while his 26 assists from 2017-18 are tied for the seventh-most in a single-season.
Sturtz completed his bachelor's degree in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management in the summer of 2020 while playing professionally in the ECHL.
"We are thrilled to add Andrew Sturtz to our staff," stated Gadowsky "His statistics at Penn State are extremely impressive: Sturtzy won a B1G Championship, is second in plus/minus, second all-time in goals scored, game winning goals, and goals in a season, and as a three time Academic All-B1G Member he was able to complete his degree in three years and sign an NHL contract after his junior season."
As impressive as that is, Sturtzy's most important contributions by far occurred off the ice; his infectious personality made a very positive and very big impression on everyone he interacted with at Penn State. I never get tired of hearing teammates, students, professors, and fans alike tell me how much they enjoyed Andrew Sturtz and we are extremely happy to have him back."
