After two years of going undrafted, a key piece to the Nittany Lions officially received the call.
Penn State center Charlie Cerrato has been drafted No. 49 overall in the second round by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
He is the second-highest selection in program history, trailing only Jackson Smith who was drafted in the first round on Friday night.
Cerrato, 20, was graded as a subpar prospect the previous two years, ranking 222nd in 2023 and 175th in 2024 among North American skaters according to the past two College Hockey Inc. draft guides. But following an eye-catching 2024-25 campaign, Cerrato skyrocketed up draft boards. Entering this year, Cerrato ranked as high as 110th by NHL.com and was projected as a middle-round pick.
The upcoming sophomore turned heads with his strong two-way game down the middle, shutting down opponents in his own zone and transitioning it into offense in a split second. Cerrato’s dominant 2024-25 season was headlined by not only a Frozen Four berth, but a top-three finish nationally in points, goals and assists among freshmen.
The 20-year-old’s lifelong dream of playing in the NHL is nearly fulfilled, but it wasn’t achievable without his parents. His father, Vinny, and mother, Rebecca, were major catalysts in Cerrato’s ability to don an NHL team’s logo.
“My dream since 6-7 years old was to play in the NHL,” Cerrato told The Daily Collegian. “Just the support they gave me, the help they’ve provided along the way, has been huge. They’re my two biggest supporters in this whole NHL dream. They’ve been the two that’ve been there since Day 1.”
As Cerrato prepares for his second year with the Nittany Lions, he now joins teammates Aiden Fink, Reese Laubach, Jackson Smith, Luke Misa, Nolan Collins and Kevin Reidler as NHL draftees.
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