Penn State Hockey: Pedrie To Forgo Final Two Seasons, Signs Deal With New York Rangers

Penn State defenseman Vince Pedrie will forgo his final two seasons of eligibility, signing a deal with the New York Rangers. The now former Nittany Lion sophomore announced the news late Monday night.

‘It comes with a heavy heart that I announce I will not be returning to Penn State for my final two years,’ Pedrie wrote. ‘I personally want to thank my coaches, trainers, fans, the roar zone, and most importantly my teammates for the best two years of my life.’

Despite a relatively short career, Pedrie had become a regular and dependable fixture of the Nittany Lions’ defense alongside Erik Autio as Penn State’s top defensive unit. During his sophomore season Pedrie flourished in an aggressive offensive system with 30 points in 39 games and earning All-Big Ten First Team honors.

Pedrie becomes the third Penn State player to leave the program early for an NHL deal as he joins forward Casey Bailey and goalie Eamon McAdam at the next level. Bailey so far is the only former Nittany Lion to log NHL minutes, however McAdam is playing well, working his way up the New York Islanders’ system.

For myriad reasons, agents (or as the NCAA recognizes them, ‘advisors’) are looking more and more to sign their clients following their junior seasons. In that light, the news is earlier than expected, but conversely Pedrie would have left Penn State following his junior season well into the age of 24.

The full impact of Pedrie’s departure won’t be felt in full until next season begins. The Nittany Lions will reintroduce talented defender Kevin Kerr back from injury next year as well as bringing incoming freshman Alex Stevens into the fold. While Penn State will certainly miss Pedrie, it remains to be seen if addition of Kerr and Stevens ultimately mitigates the loss. Penn State’a defensive unit is deep to begin with, without those additions.

All things considered, this will likely become far more normal if the continuing rise in talent at Penn State stays on its current upward trajectory.

Update:

The Rangers released contract details on Tuesday afternoon, Pedrie has signed a two-way deal with the Rangers and their American Hockey League affiliate the Hartford Wolfpack. Pedrie will depart for Hartford later this week, the Wolfpack host the Hersey Bears on Friday at 7:15 p.m.