Penn State men's hockey lost a lot of talent, even with the Transfer Portal aside, after its NCAA Tournament First Round loss to Minnesota-Duluth.
Penn State hockey sustains second Transfer Portal blow, loses another key forward
On top of forwards Matt DiMarsico, Aiden Fink, Charlie Cerrato and goaltender Kevin Reidler signing after the season, forwards J.J. Wiebusch and Nic Chin-DeGraves entered the portal. Defensemen Jarod Crespor and Carter Schade, forward Ben Schoen, and goaltender Chris McFayden are also graduating, leaving even more roster spots open for the Nittany Lions.
On Friday, though, head coach Guy Gadowsky landed a major talent from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) has been a hot spot for Gadowsky, and he's continuing taking advantage of that pool of talent moving forward into 2026-27 and beyond.
BREAKING: @PennStateMHKY has landed a BIG TIME recruit in Jaxon Cover (F) from the London Knights (OHL)
— Matt Becker (@mattbecker250) April 10, 2026
Cover is projected to be drafted in the late first round or second round of the 2026 NHL draft
Covers 2025-26 stats:
20🥅
32🍎
52P pic.twitter.com/hW6Y9NpF7n
Forward Jaxon Cover commits to Penn State men's hockey
Left-winger Jaxon Cover is a top prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft. He's ranked in the top 50 across different outlets, including Elite Prospects and NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters). Per the Consolidated Rankings reported by Elite Prospects, Cover is No. 38, which is just outside of the first-round. Cover is projected to go in either the first- or second-round in the draft.
With the London Knights of the OHL in 2025-26, the forward logged 52 points on 20 goals and 32 assists over 67 games. He finished the season plus nine as well.
On April 10, Cover announced his commitment via social media. He'll join a group of underclassmen that includes goaltender Josh Fleming, defenseman Jackson Smith (14th overall of 2025 NHL Draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets), forward Luke Misa (150th overall of 2024 NHL Draft to the Calgary Flames), forward Lev Katzin, and forward Shea Van Olm. All five will be sophomores in 2026-27.
Bringing in talent that's projected to be a high draft selection is crucial for Gadowsky. With forward Gavin McKenna's future at the collegiate level unknown, the blue and white need to fill that gap as much as possible if the generational talent heads off to the NHL. The combination of Misa, Katzin, and Van Olm with Cover can do just that.