Penn State hockey officially announces two transfer additions
Penn State Nittany Lions hockey has added two key transfers in the form of North Dakota forward Ashton Calder and RPI forward Ture Linden, officially announcing both signings on Tuesday afternoon.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Calder has one remaining season of eligibility.
Calder played on the wing for the Fighting Hawks in 2021-22. He posted 11 goals and 10 assists in 21 games as a right-shot forward.
His most productive season came in 2020-21 at Lake Superior State.
Calder lit the lamp 16 times in 29 games — which tied him for the most in the WCHA — while also producing 13 assists for the Lakers.
He helped Lake Superior State reach the NCAA Tournament that season, scoring a hat trick in the WCHA title game against Northern Michigan.
Notably, he also served as an alternate captain for the Lakers that season.
The Nittany Lions were not up to their typical scoring standards last season. Known to be a high-tempo, attacking team under head coach Guy Gadowsky, Penn State scored just 3.1 goals per game — tied for 18th in the nation out of 59 teams.
Penn State’s coaching staff will be hopeful that Calder can help elevate those numbers.
Nittany Lions add RPI forward Ture Linden
Linden exploded last season at RPI, posting 20 goals and 19 assists in 44 games.
Linden’s goal total tied him for 11th in the country, and he sat alone at the top of the ECAC scoring charts. He’s listed at 6-foot, 200 pounds.
The right-shot centerman wore the ‘C’ for the Engineers last season as well, meaning the Nittany Lions are bringing in a pair of experienced leaders.
Linden was listed as a senior at RPI last season. But, because the Engineers did not partake in the 2020-21 campaign due to the pandemic, he has two years of eligibility remaining.
A Great Falls, Virginia, native, Linden has 29 goals and 39 assists in 114 career games.
New athletic director Patrick Kraft offers thoughts on Penn State hockey program
Penn State officially introduced its new Atheltic Director Patrick Kraft last Friday.
Kraft arrives from the hockey hotbed of Boston College, where he worked with Jerry York — one of the longest-tenured and most successful coaches in the history of college hockey.
York retired following the conclusion of the season, and the Eagles have yet to settle on his replacement.
Kraft described college hockey as “an amazing sport,” and offered some insight into his initial conversations with Gadowsky.
“I told Guy, we’re gonna get to the Frozen Four,” he said. “This is a strong area for hockey, and what I gotta do is help Guy get there. I gotta help him understand — what are the things that we can do to help get him there?
“That stuff really helps a department, helps a culture. It helps everything when you start to win.”
