The Transfer Portal for NCAA men's hockey officially opened and Penn State men's hockey players are following through on their initial decisions, including forward Nic Chin-DeGraves.
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The Nittany Lions' forward group took massive hits outside of Chin-DeGraves as well, who was one of three Penn Staters to first depart via the Transfer Portal. J.J. Wiebusch previously announced his intentions on entering the portal. Other forwards, such as Charlie Cerrato, are off to the next phase of their careers.
Defenseman Cade Christenson also entered the portal on April 13, according to USCHO.com's Transfer Portal tracker.
Penn State hockey loses defenseman Cade Christenson to Transfer Portal
Christenson made his 2025-26 season debut at the start of the new year versus RIT after recovering from a prior injury. Over 21 games as a sophomore, he registered seven points on five goals and two assists as well as 19 blocks.
As a freshman, Christenson played in 39 games. He had nine points on two goals and seven assists, but he shined the most in front of Penn State's own net, logging 79 blocks. His block count led the Big Ten, ranked sixth in the country, and tied for sixth-most in a single Nittany Lion season. Christenson's performance in year one earned him a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and on the Allentown Regional All-Tournament Team.
While his sophomore season was abbreviated, it's clear that Christenson is a massive loss for Penn State. He finished one half of the season with a plus-minus of plus-10, proving himself as a crucial player on the blue line.
The blue and white also lost defensemen Carter Schade and Jarod Crespo following the 2025-26 season due to expired eligibility. Their remaining d-core consists of rising sophomores Jackson Smith (31 blocks in 35 games) and Nolan Collins (37 blocks in 37 games), rising junior Nick Fascia (27 blocks in 25 games), and rising seniors Mac Gadowsky (42 blocks in 36 games) and Casey Aman (31 blocks in 31 games).
There's not a lack of talent on defense, even with Schade's, Crespo's, and Christenson's departures. Penn State must focus its attention on rebuilding its forward group.
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