Penn State freshman forward Chase McLane was selected 209th overall in the 7th round of the NHL Entry Draft on Wednesday night by the Nashville Predators, giving the Nittany Lions another young player to join the program after getting a boost to his professional hopes.
The Michigan native joins Penn State this season after sitting out the majority of the 2019-20 season in the United State’s Hockey League due to an injury. While healthy he skated in just 18 games scoring five goals with 11 assists for 16 points. Over the span of his career, McLane otaled 50 points (13G, 37A) in 106 USHL games.
Penn State will now skate four players with NHL ties, Kevin Wall (Carolina), Aarne Talvitie (New Jersey) and Clayton Phillips (Pittsburgh). The Nittany Lions saw a handful of players leave for various NHL organizations this offseason. Former Penn State forward Casey Bailey is still the only Nittany Lion to see the ice during an NHL game.
Former goalie Eamon McAdam is the program’s highest going 70th overall prior to enrolling in 2013.
The NHL Entry Draft does not impact a player’s eligibility and simply gives an NHL team first rights at signing a player between draft night and what amounts to the conclusion of a player’s collegiate career. Once signed, a player is no longer eligible for NCAA competition.
A 2018 rule change does however allow college hockey players to sign with an agent without losing eligibility. Normally this is not the case among other NCAA sports. Baseball is the other NCAA sport that allows for a player to sign with an agent, the driving force in this factor is the similarity in draft process.
