UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Senior Jarod Crespo (Seven Lakes, N.C.) inked an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) with the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League for the remainder of the 2024-25 season as announced by the club on Monday afternoon. The Barracuda are the AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League.
“Jarod had a great career as a Nittany Lion capped off by a tremendous senior year on the ice and as a leader of this team,” stated head coach Guy Gadowsky. “He consistently worked at his game and really found himself as a player and a captain this past season. It’s always very rewarding to see someone so dedicated to the program get rewarded with an opportunity at the next level!”
Crespo, an All-Big Ten Honorable mention this past season, had a career year across the board with 17 points on five goals and 12 assists in 37 games. For his career, he missed just 11 games over four years skating in 141 games overall to rank tenth all-time as a Nittany Lion.
The North Carolina native finished his Penn State career with 42 points on 12 goals and 30 assists to rank tied for fifth on the Penn State all-time goals list by defensemen and fourth all-time in blocked shots with 193.
Against RIT on Senior Day back in January, Crespo became just the second Nittany Lion defenseman all-time to register a hat-trick as he potted three goals in a 7-3 victory to begin a seven-game win-streak for Penn State. The hat-trick was the fourth of the season at the time and the 19th all-time. The Nittany Lions finished the year with seven hat-tricks as a team and now have 22 all-time.
“My four years at Penn State taught me how to deal with adversity, pain, and setbacks and come out a better person and player on the other side,” mentioned Crespo. “The entire staff and all my coaches pushed me to be the best version of myself each day. My time in Hockey Valley has prepared me for professional hockey and life in general and I could not be more proud to have competed my whole college career as a Nittany Lion. We Are!”
Penn State concluded its season with a loss to Minnesota-Duluth in the Albany Regional Semifinals after finishing third in the Big Ten. Crespo was part of a senior class that advanced to three NCAA Tournaments in four years along with the program’s first-ever Frozen Four in 2025. The 2025-26 alternate captain was part of three 20-win seasons and 80 wins during his time in Hockey Valley.