Goodbye, Cinderella. Penn State is now ‘the hunted’ as the NCAA ice hockey season begins.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — There is a palpable buzz surrounding Penn State entering the men’s hockey season, which begins at 10 p.m. Friday at No. 14 Arizona State.

This offseason, the Nittany Lions added Gavin McKenna, the consensus No. 1 pick in next year’s NHL draft, and Jackson Smith, the No. 14 overall selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2025 draft. Also new to the team but not new to campus is Mac Gadowsky, a 2025 Hobey Baker Trophy finalist and the son of Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky.

Those additions, plus the return of the team’s six highest goal scorers from last season, have Penn State ranked No. 5 in the USCHO poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history.

“You would rather be in a position where you have expectations than if you don’t,” Guy Gadowsky said. “I think a lot of athletes come to Penn State because they don’t mind those expectations.”

When Penn State hired Gadowsky in 2011, the team was still part of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. It joined NCAA hockey the following year.

Thirteen seasons and 404 wins later, the former NHLer has his Nittany Lions garnering championship expectations, which could be scary. But not to the coach, who said he is embracing the hype.

“I can tell you that back when there were zero expectations and the only expectation was that you were going to get killed, this is a lot better,” he said. “So we’re enjoying this [version].”

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Nine new players will don the blue and white sweater, with no name more notable than McKenna, a 17-year-old phenom poised for an NHL roster spot next fall. Last season, McKenna became the third-youngest skater to win the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year award. Only NHL All-Stars Sidney Crosby, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, and John Tavares were younger.

The Canadian forward had never been to a U.S. college before visiting Happy Valley last summer. He said he had a “gut feeling” that if he did attend college, it would be at Penn State. And after one look at Penn State’s campus, McKenna was hooked.

“As soon as I saw this place, I kind of knew I was coming here,” McKenna said. “I liked what these guys did last year in making the Frozen Four. I wanted to come to a winning team, and I thought this was the spot.”

Gadowsky called McKenna “extremely fast” and lauded his ability to manipulate the pace of play. The hype surrounding McKenna is noticeable, and since his commitment in July, the hype surrounding the Nittany Lions has grown exponentially.

But this buzz is not new to McKenna, who has been in the spotlight for years.

“With our team this year, there’s a lot of hype, and obviously with that comes a lot of pressure,” McKenna said. “But I think over the years, I’ve kind of learned to deal with [the pressure].”

The excitement surrounding Gadowsky’s program has exceeded the 5,700-seat capacity at Pegula Ice Arena and will graduate for a day to the 106,572-seat Beaver Stadium, home of the school’s football team where a temporary rink will see Penn State face Michigan State on Jan. 31.

The Nittany Lions played outdoors at Chicago’s Wrigley Field last season. Aiden Fink, who led the team with 53 points last year, believes the Beaver Stadium atmosphere will be 10 times better.

“Being able to play at Beaver Stadium is a dream of mine. I think everyone dreams about it,” Fink said. “I know all the alumni are a little mad that it didn’t happen in their time, but it just shows how cool this game’s going to be.”

After a 6-9 start to last season, the Nittany Lions rattled off a Cinderella run to the Frozen Four before losing to Boston University. An impressive offseason has Penn State ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten preseason poll, and its players understand they are “the hunted” entering this campaign.

“We’re going to have a target on our back every night, and we’re going to get your team’s best game,” said captain Dane Dowiak. “But we’re not going to change what we have to do. We’re going to hold to our own values and what we know as a team.”