ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State sophomore defenseman Jackson Smith (Calgary, Alberta) was one of 12 individuals to earn preseason honors as he landed on the All-Big Ten Second Team as announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon.
Smith, a B1G All-Freshman Team honoree and Second Team All-Big Ten selection a season ago, led all Big Ten defensemen with 11 goals and ranked second with 26 points during his rookie campaign. He finished the year tied for fourth in the nation in goals by a defenseman and tied for 15th in points.
Smith’s 11 goals were a single-season program record for a defenseman and already rank tied for eighth all-time for Nittany Lion blueliners. Smith’s seven powerplay tallies also topped the nation among defensemen a season ago while being a Nittany Lion single-season record for blueliners and tied for the second-most in a single-season all-time.
The Calgary, Alberta native registered 17 of his 26 points in 24 Big Ten games to tie Wisconsin’s Ben Dexheimer for the most among defensemen in conference games. Smith’s nine goals in Big Ten play were top of the league for blueliners.
The Nittany Lions open their season on the road at the 2026 Ice Breaker Tournament in Connecticut with a game against UConn in Storrs on October 9 at 7 p.m.
For more information on the 2026-27 season, visit the men's hockey ticket page at GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.