Penn State men's hockey earned a commitment from the Tampa Bay Lightning's sixth round selection of the 2024 NHL Draft. Center Kaden Pitre was selected No. 181 overall that year and has played for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) since the 2022-23 season.
Pitre, 20, spent a little over three seasons in the OHL with the Flint Firebirds to start. He split the 2025-26 season between the Firebirds and North Bay Battalion, logging a total of 44 points on 18 goals and 26 assists from his time with both teams (49 total games).
He announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Saturday via social media. Pitre's scouting profile, per Elite Prospects, reads:
"Pitre’s a proactive, engaged defensive centre who chokes out attacks early through his supporting movement and physicality. He doesn’t just enter battles with speed; he goes out of his way to make early contact and never stops battling. He finishes every check and creates chaos around the net."
BREAKING: @PennStateMHKY has received at commitment from Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, Kaden Pitre (C)
— Matt Becker (@mattbecker250) June 6, 2026
Pitre spent his last four seasons in the OHL with the Flint Firebirds and the North Bay Battalion pic.twitter.com/msvbV0Lvys
Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick forward Kaden Pitre commits to Penn State hockey
Penn State had a tumultuous offseason with many of its players leaving either due to eligibility, the Transfer Portal, or signing contracts with their NHL or AHL affiliated teams.
The Nittany Lions lost three of seven centers because of it.
Ben Schoen, who was a redshirt senior in 2025-26, finished his last collegiate season at Penn State with 13 points on two goals and 11 assists. At the dot, he won 46.4 percent of faceoffs (116 wins, 134 losses).
Charlie Cerrato also left the team, signing a Professional Tryout Contract with the Chicago Wolves (AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes). His sophomore season was cut short due to injury, but he still logged 27 points on seven goals and 20 assists as well as a 58.7 faceoff percentage (249 wins, 175 losses). Cerrato was a left-winger for the team as well.
Nic Chin-DeGraves entered the Transfer Portal after the season. As a sophomore center and right-winger, he had nine points on three goals and six assists and finished with a 47.6 faceoff percentage (182 wins, 200 losses).
Still on the roster are rising sophomore Lev Katzin, rising sophomore Luke Misa, rising senior Reese Laubach, and rising senior Dane Dowiak.
Katzin had five points on two goals and three assists as well as a 54.2 faceoff percentage (65 wins, 55 losses). Misa, who also plays as a left-winger for Penn State, had 19 points on eight goals and 11 assists as a true freshman. He had a 50.4 faceoff percentage (210 wins, 207 losses). Laubach's 28 point season (12 goals, 16 assists) was accompanied by a 48.5 faceoff percentage (172 wins, 183 losses). Dowiak, who was also the Nittany Lions' captain in 2025-26 and a left-winger, completed an 18 point season on nine goals and assists a piece. His faceoff percentage finished at 53.5 percent (189 wins, 164 losses).
Bringing in Pitre helps fill that gap in the middle, likely slotting into the third or fourth line to start the season, and allows the combo forwards to play at their respective wings.
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