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Seven weeks ago Penn State hockey got a boost in talent when Aarne Talvitie committed to play in Hockey Valley. Joining Erik Autio and his brother Oskar, Talvitie was the third player from Finland to commit to Guy Gadowsky’s squad.
Today Talvitie was selected with the 5th pick in the 6th round of the NHL draft by the New Jersey Devils. Penn State sophomore Denis Smirnov was selected five picks earlier.
In the sixth round (160th overall) of the #NHLDraft the #NJDevils have selected Aarne Talvitie!#DevilsDraft pic.twitter.com/mBCi4smVE0
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) June 24, 2017
Talvitie turned 18 just a few months ago and he will have many options in the coming years. Next season it was expected that he would stay in Finland, where he plays in a very competitive league. That would likely leave him only two seasons of eligibility at Penn State, or he would lose his draft status with the Devils. While he may still take that route, it is also possible that he could join Penn State this coming season now that the clock has started ticking for his NHL arrival.
Congratulations Aarne!