After a sensational freshman season, Penn State center Charlie Cerrato was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of Saturday’s NHL Draft:
Cerrato had 15 goals and 27 assists last season and centered Penn State’s dominant second line. He assisted Matt DiMarsico on the game-winning goal against UConn to send Penn State to the program’s first ever Frozen Four. He ranked second in the NCAA in scoring (42 points) among freshman, trailing only Boston University’s Cole Hutson.
After being passed over in the previous two NHL Drafts, Cerrato’s stock rose dramatically with his breakout 2024-25 season. Entering the weekend, he was projected as a middle-round prospect, but the Hurricanes clearly liked what they saw from Cerrato enough to nab him in the second round.
Cerrato is the second player in program history to be drafted while active at Penn State, joining Denis Smirnov. The Nittany Lions’ 2025-26 roster now has 7 total NHL Draft picks, with more potentially to come as the rest of today’s draft unfolds.