“Unapologetic Positivity”: Carson Dyck’s Leadership Approach That Fueled Penn State’s Second-Half Surge“Unapologetic Positivity”: Carson Dyck’s Leadership Approach That Fueled Penn State’s Second-Half Surge

“Unapologetic Positivity”: Carson Dyck’s Leadership Approach That Fueled Penn State’s Second-Half Surge

Written By: Molly White, GoPSUsports.com student writer

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up,” - a statement coined by Babe Ruth, but re-established by Penn State senior Carson Dyck. As the Nittany Lions mounted their tremendous second-half run, credit from coaches and players have been universally granted to the outstanding leadership of No. 7. 

In his four-year career with the Blue & White, the Alberta native has found rich success in the intangibles; from becoming the youngest ever Nittany Lion to win the team culture award following his sophomore campaign in 2022-23, to being named an alternate captain for his final season, Dyck has cultivated a legacy that will live on in this program for years to come.

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“You’ve heard us talk about the Penn State Hockey culture before, and he’s just a guy who understood it right away; he’s a born leader and positive influence, through and through,” said head coach Guy Gadowsky. “There’s no situation that he doesn’t make better, he’s truly an amazing person.” 

As a team that experienced immense adversity in its early stages this season, and despite their competitive efforts, could not find themselves into the win column in conference play until their 10th Big Ten game, Dyck became the beacon of hope this team needed. 

Praised for his ability to lead by example and be an insufferably positive role model, the team slowly rallied around him and adopted his mentality, and haven’t looked back since. Despite all odds, Penn State clawed its way back through an insurmountable comeback, as the team who was first written off, to now a national title contender. 

“For us in that situation, it would have been so easy to fold, but Carson Dyck was the main guy that would refuse to let anyone be negative,” said Gadowsky. “The impact he’s had on this program is incredible. What an amazing feat this was to come back from where this team started, to make the tournament, and he deserves so much of that credit.”

Selected as a captain by his teammates ahead of the 2024-25 season, Dyck has received praise throughout the locker room for his vocal leadership abilities, his level of competitiveness and integrity, and positive attitude. 

Off the ice, whether this be organizing opportunities to bond as a team or offer mentorship to younger players, or on the ice by challenging his teammates to put forth their best effort every day, he has made massive contributions to this team that often go unnoticed

“He’s a tremendous individual and he takes charge as a vocal leader in the locker room and when needed he’ll be the first guy to say what needs to be said, I just can't say enough great things about him as a person. We owe so much of our success to him.”

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“Whether it’s on or off the ice, he’s always finding ways to bring guys together, in the game he’s talking us through intermissions, and when needed he’ll be the first guy to say what needs to be said," stated Mack. 

Cementing himself as a backbone player for this Nittany Lions group through the years, Dyck has skated in 85 total games, his highest being 30 games last season. Dyck constantly receives praise for his perseverance and competitiveness on the ice, his ability to contribute through all three zones and his reputation of being one of the mentally and physically toughest players in the conference. 

While some players could see this as a feat, Dyck used this as momentum, and an opportunity to teach his teammates to be patient, grounded and optimistic despite circumstances. 

“I’m not a guy who plays a ton of minutes or does a whole lot of tangible things on the ice, so I’ve had to find ways to make myself useful off of the ice, and I think that guys really feed off of how hard I can go sometimes,” emphasized Dyck. “If I’m not getting down about not seeing the ice, then they can’t get down about not having the best game, and I think that’s been a big part of my approach.”

Dyck serves a crucial role on the ice as playmaker, one that is not represented in the box score. Through 85 games played, Dyck has compiled 16 points on two goals and 14 assists, earning his second career goal in the Big Ten Tournament, in a first-round sweep of the Michigan Wolverines. 

“If you saw the reaction from the bench, you can see just how much he means to our team and how loved he is by every single guy in that room. It was a huge goal for us, and we couldn’t have been happier for him,” said Mack.

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Accredited by the entire program, his outlook is reflective of his character, and one that is deeply admired by all of his counterparts. Freshman forward JJ Wiebusch emphasized Dyck’s unique approach to working closely with the underclassmen to help them develop their confidence as individuals and as a unit, and as history shows, once the freshmen started contributing, is when this team took off.

“He’s an unbelievable guy, who shows every day how deeply and selflessly he cares for his teammates. He is an all-around great person, and the hardest worker, and he doesn’t get enough credit for that,” said Wiebusch. “This leadership group, especially Carson, really enforced an unapologetically positive mindset that has carried us through, and look at where we are now.” 

This approach that originated with Dyck has now infected the locker room, and despite their 0-8 start to conference play, have gone 9-2-4 since, including a first-ever road sweep at Michigan in the Big Ten quarterfinals, to secure an at-large bid to their second NCAA tournament appearance in four years. 

While finally cashing in on their success, the mindset and approach will remain the same. The preparation for the big dance starts with the leadership group, majorly impacted by Carson Dyck.

“Every leadership group develops their own identity, and what has happened here is that they have done the absolute best job at keeping this team positive. Some guys lead through intimidation or fear, but this is a unique group in the way that they hang their hat on the fact that they’re just not going to allow negativity,” said Guy Gadowsky.

The team heads to Allentown, Pennsylvania where they prepare to take on the Maine Black Bears for the first time in program history in the NCAA tournament. Puck drop is slated for 8:30 p.m. on Friday night.