Penn State men’s hockey had a quiet 2021 NHL Entry Draft this past weekend but future Nittany Lion Owen McLaughlin heard his name called in the seventh round, going No. 206 overall to the Philadelphia Flyers.
McLaughlin, an 18-year-old center from Spring City, Pennsylvania, played last season with Mount St. Charles in Rhode Island, scoring 54 points (16 goals, 38 assists) over the span of 33 games. McLaughlin is set to play in the USHL for the Sioux City Musketeers next season.
He is schedule to enroll at Penn State for the 2022-23 season. NHL Entry Draft selections do not lose their NCAA eligibility.
Penn State welcomes a fairly young team to the ice in 2021-22 with just four players listed as seniors on the team’s official roster. Six Nittany Lions enter their junior season looking to bounce back from an up-and-down 2020-21 campaign that was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nittany Lions are looking to regain their form from the 2019-20 season, in which Penn State won the regular season Big Ten Title and had experience and depth to make them a dark horse postseason favorite. The NCAA Tournament – which saw Penn State slated to host a regional in Allentown – was never played due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Penn State will host an NCAA postseason regional in Allentown for the 2022, 2023 and 2025 seasons. On the women’s side, Penn State will host the 2022 Frozen Four at Pegula Ice Arena as well as the 2026 iteration of the same event.
