Penn State Hockey: Olczyk Doing Just Fine In New Role

There are probably two things that you should know about Tommy Olczyk as it pertains to hockey.

He loves Penn State, and he is always team-first.

So when he wasn’t chosen to be Penn State’s captain for a third straight year this offseason, the only thing that was different was the lack of a letter on his jersey.

At face value it sounds like a bad change, the kind of change that says something about Olczyk and the program. But really it was about where the program was at entering this year and what the team needed out of its captain. It was never that Olczyk wasn’t giving enough, Penn State simply needed something different for a different era.

And now Patrick Koudys fills that role. He’s a physical defenseman whose size alone demands respect on the ice, and thanks to his skills he plays at crucial moments. Olczyk was the captain who would set the tone with his play and his worth ethic, but he was never flashy. He was never going to be the guy Penn State looked to in that crucial moment to score the big game winner. In many ways Koudys isn’t going to score that goal either, but he’ll be out there making sure someone does.

Even if it makes sense to everyone involved, at the end of the day Penn State changed captains with both players still on the team. It is if nothing else, rare, unconventional, and according to head coach Guy Gadowsky the kind of thing you couldn’t do with a player other than Olczyk.

“In my mind he is as much of a leader as he has ever been,” Gadowsky said. “If anything the change showed that you don’t have to have a letter on your jersey to be a leader. It created an inclusive atmosphere in the locker room. Tommy gets it. He gets the big picture. He has been around [hockey] his entire life at the highest levels and understands team chemistry and what has to happen. Really nobody was concerned that he wouldn’t fill his role [moving forward]. I don’t think it was even a question. He’s so well aware of the big picture.”

“I don’t know that it would have worked [with a player other than Olczyk] We had all the optimism that it would be a success.”

That success has been pretty clear. Penn State is off to a 12-7-4 record so far this season with both Olcyzk and Koudys in the thick of it all. Olcyzk has five goals to his name this year and a shorthanded tally to his credit. Koudys has no goals but four assists and a team high 39 blocked shots. Penn State didn’t start winning games simply because of a captain change, but it’s clear that change hasn’t hurt matters any.

So, for as unconventional as it all has been, the entire saga is the non-story that Gadowsky thought it would be. It’s interesting because it’s a unique situation, but it has resulted in nothing but positives.

“On the ice and off the ice, this is the most fun I’ve had playing hockey in a long time,” Olczyk said earlier this week. “I think it was the right decision with how we’re doing this year, I think [Koudys] is the right guy for the job. I still haven’t changed anything, the way I play. If anything I’m more loose and goofier around the locker room, a little less serious. But I think it has been for the better and everything happens for a reason.”

Years ago, when Olczyk first came to Penn State it was the opportunity to build a program and help create something that was a driving force behind his decision. Even with all the time that has passed, that passion hasn’t diminished. It’s part of what has made the transition from captain to a leader without a letter so easy.

“It’s something that I believe so dear in,” Olczyk said. “Not to get a little mushy on you. But I do believe in it. When I came here I told coach I was willing to look past having to play a year of club hockey and help build this. I told him on my visit that when I look back in 10 or 15 years down the road I want to be proud of what I personally left behind and what all these guys have left behind. When I come back as an alumni and we’re winning national titles — not saying that it won’t happen while I’m here — but when it does happen and I’m gone, I’m going to be ecstatic that I was part of something that helped create that.”

Olczyk may not be a captain, but it’s hard to say he’s any less of a leader because of it.

And that kind of attitude across a roster is why Penn State’s second season at the Pegula Ice Arena has gone so well.