When Kevin Kerr was first learning the game in the Philadelphia area, he had no aspirations of playing college hockey at the state's largest university - after all, it didn't have a Division I program.
That has all changed, of course, in the last two years, thanks to the commitment of Penn State and alumnus Terry Pegula. Now Kerr has given the Nittany Lions his commitment to join the program in 2014-15.
"Playing Division I hockey for the state where I grew up, that's perfect," Kerr said. "If I knew that was a possibility, I would have always dreamt about it."
A creative, offensive defenseman born in 1996, Kerr recently represented the United States at the Youth Olympic Games. At home, he plays for Team Comcast.
Philly Talent
The Philadelphia area - and Pennsylvania as a whole - features a wealth of talent, and many of those players are on the rosters of the state's other Division I teams, Mercyhurst and Robert Morris. Kerr's commitment shows that Penn State will be a factor for those in-state players as well.
Kerr attended College Hockey, Inc.'s Reebok Collegiate Hockey Summit in Vorhees, N.J., last spring, and said that he has always been committed to the college route.
"My dad always preaches, 'School, school, school,'" he said. "That was never a question for me."
What tipped the scales toward Penn State, beyond the appeal of staying close to home, was the hockey program's infrastructure - both in terms of personnel and the Pegula Ice Arena, which will be completed a year before Kerr arrives on campus.
"The first thing is definitely the coaching staff," he said. "Coach Gadowsky was by far my favorite of the coaches I talked to. He's a great guy, and an outstanding coach. His style should really fit my style of play, too - it allows you to be more creative and more free flowing."