Penn State has announced the hiring and return of former Nittany Lions forward Andrew Sturtz as an assistant coach for the men’s hockey team.
Sturtz will join head coach Jay Jadowski, assistant coach Keith Fisher and assistant coach Giuliano Pagliero at Hockey Valley. Will be involved in all aspects of training and recruitment with a strong focus on skills development.
“I am honored and excited to return to Penn State as an assistant coach for the men’s ice hockey program,” Sturtz said in a statement. “My time as a student-athlete at Happy Valley has truly changed my life and I look forward to working with Coach Gadowsky and his staff to bring the same experience to current and future Nittany Lions. I will embrace the challenges my new role will bring and do everything in my power to make all of the Penn Staters proud. We…”
“We are thrilled to add Andrew Sturtz to our staff,” Jadowski added. His stats at Penn State are very impressive: Sturtzy won a B1G championship, is second in the plus/minus class, second all-time in goals scored, game-winning goals, and goals in a season, and as an all-time academic three-time B1G member, He was able to complete his degree in three years and sign an NHL contract after his junior season.
“As impressive as he is, Sturtzy’s most important contributions to date have happened off the ice; his infectious personality made a very positive, very big impression on everyone he interacted with at Penn State. I never tire of hearing my teammates, students, professors, and fans alike tell me How much they enjoyed Andrew Sturtz and we are so happy he is back.”
A fan favorite during his time at Hockey Valley from 2015 to 2018, Sturtz helped lead Penn State to the 2017 Big Ten Championship, its first in program history, and to two NCAA tournament first appearances in 2017 and 2018 before signing a two- General, he signed an entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators after his junior season.
The Buffalo, New York native has suffered multiple injuries for most of his five-year professional career and officially announced his retirement this spring. Over parts of three seasons in the AHL, Sturtz played in just 35 games with the Belleville Senators, scoring four goals while adding seven assists for 11 points.
Rejuvenated to enter the 2020-21 season with the Rapid City Rush, Sturtz got off to a fast start with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 33 games before suffering another injury that sidelined him for nearly 18 months before he hit the ground running again. Back last season.
Sturtz started the year with the Orlando Solar Bears before a trade sent him to the Toledo Walleye, where he led the Walleye to a deep playoff run. In 64 total games during the 2022-23 season, Sturtz scored 27 goals while adding 14 assists for 41 points.
Sturtz left Valley Hockey in 2018 as the all-time leading scorer in Penn State history and the second Nittany Lion ever to surpass 100 career points. He currently ranks first all-time in goals scored (9), second in goals (54), seventh in points (104) and tenth in assists (50), while his 0.94 points per game in his 111 total games played is good for fourth. . -time.
Before signing his entry-level NHL contract at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, he scored 40 points on 14 goals and 26 assists as a rookie, making him one of only seven players ever to record a 40-point season. Nitani lion. His second 22-goal season remains tied for the most goals in a single season all-time, while his 26 assists from 2017-18 is tied for seventh in a single season.
Sturtz completed his bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management in the summer of 2020 while playing professionally in the ECHL.