ROSEMONT, Ill. – Freshman forward Aiden Fink (Calgary, Alberta) was named one of three finalists for the 2023-24 B1G Freshman of the Year Award as announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.
This marks the fourth season, first since 2019-20, Penn State has had a finalist for a major conference award, but the first time since the league started recognizing finalists in 2017-18 that the Nittany Lions have had a finalist for the Freshman of the Year Award.
Fink joins fellow first-year standouts Artyom Levshunov of Michigan State and Sam Rinzel of Minnesota as FOTY finalists.
Fink, who was named a Big Ten Star of the Week three times this season along with being named the HCA National Rookie of the Month in November, was also named a 2024 Hobey Baker Award Nominee and named to the Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year watch list.
The Calgary, Alberta native concluded his rookie campaign in Hockey Valley with a team-best 34 points on a team-high 15 goals and 19 assists in 34 games with three multi-goal games and nine multi-point efforts to his credit.
Fink's 34 points lead all conference freshmen while his 15 goals are the second-most among rookies in the Big Ten.
Fink set the Penn State single-season record for powerplay tallies this season with eight to his credit. He is also one of just three Nittany Lions all-time to hit the 30-point mark as a freshman joining Denis Smirnov '20 and Nate Sucese '20. His 34 points rank third on the Penn State freshmen scoring list, while his 15 goals stand alone in fifth all-time among Penn State rookies and his 19 assists are tied for second.
For more information on the 2023-24 season presented by the Penn State Bookstore: the Official Bookstore of Penn State Athletics, visit the men's hockey page at GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
