Penn State Men’s Hockey Announces 2020-21 Captains

Guy Gadowsky has found his next crop of leaders. The team announced Wednesday that rising senior Alex Limoges will serve as team captain for the 2020-21 season. Rising juniors Aarne Talvitie and Paul DeNaples will serve as alternate captains.

Limoges — who will wear a letter for the first time in his Penn State career — posted 11 goals and 32 points in 30 games last season, ranking sixth in the Big Ten. He was named All-Big Ten honorable mention for his performance.

In 2018-19, Limoges set a program record as he became the first Nittany Lion to post 50 points in a season. With linemates Evan Barratt and Liam Folkes heading to the pros, Limoges will be the focal point of Penn State’s offense.

While Talvitie and DeNaples will also have a letter for the first time as Nittany Lions, but both have experience in team leadership roles. Talvitie captained Team Finland to the gold medal in the 2019 World Junior Championships. DeNaples captained the Sioux Falls Stampede in 2017-18, his final season in the USHL.

Talvitie, who injured his knee during that gold medal game, missed the second half of his freshman season but returned to play 30 games as a sophomore, recording six goals and 19 points. He earned the Big Ten sportsmanship award for Penn State after taking just one minor penalty.

DeNaples has been one of the most solid defensemen for the Nittany Lions over his first two seasons. As a freshman, he was nominated for Big Ten defensive player of the year with a plus-31 rating. DeNaples has yet to miss a game, playing 73-straight contests. His career plus-49 rating already ranks second all-time at Penn State.

Penn State secured its first ever Big Ten regular season title last season and were just a couple of days away from a Big Ten Tournament semifinal matchup with Minnesota when all NCAA activities were cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The 2020-21 season may be challenging for the Nittany Lions, with 12 roster players from last season departing.