Penn State has announced the hiring and return of former Nittany Lions defenseman Vince Pedrie as an assistant coach for the men’s hockey team.
Pedrie joins Guy Gadowsky’s staff following the departure of longtime associate head coach Keith Fisher, who accepted the head coaching position at Lindenwood earlier this month.
“I am ecstatic to be returning to Penn State as an assistant coach for the men’s ice hockey team,” said Pedrie in a statement. “I extend my sincere gratitude to Coach Gadowsky, the entire Penn State staff, and all who contributed to the realization of this opportunity. It has been nearly a decade since I enrolled as a freshman on this campus, and now to be returning as a coach for my alma mater is truly surreal. I am honored to be entrusted with this responsibility and eagerly anticipate furthering the program’s already remarkable success. We Are!”
“We are thrilled to have Vince Pedrie coming back to Hockey Valley,” added Gadowsky. “As a student-athlete, he came here as a free agent, took a chance on a new program, and developed into one of the best defensemen in the nation, leading to an NHL contract after two terrific seasons. Vince retired after playing for three NHL organizations and has been doing a great job building his network in the hockey world as a coach and an agent all while completing his degree and graduating with a 3.3 GPA in 2021. Vince brings first-hand experience to help develop our defensemen along with a great love for Penn State to further enhance our culture.”
Pedrie, a fan favorite during his time in Hockey Valley from 2015 to 2017, helped lead Penn State to the 2017 Big Ten tournament championship, its first in program history, and its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2017 before signing a two-way NHL contract with the New York Rangers and AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack following his sophomore season.
The Chicago native spent parts of the next four seasons with three different NHL organizations, skating in 109 career AHL games and registering 31 points on five goals and 26 assists before hanging up his skates in 2020.
Pedrie departed Hockey Valley in 2017 after becoming the first Nittany Lions defenseman to hit the 30-point mark and the first to be named a first team all-Big Ten selection. Pedrie set single-season records in each offensive category for a Penn State blueliner at the time with eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points. His point and goal totals, while having been matched since he left, still haven’t been surpassed. In just two seasons at Penn State, Pedrie registered 52 points in 71 games on 16 goals and 36 assists and still ranks third in goals and ninth in both points and assists while his plus-31 rating is tied for tenth.
Pedrie completed his bachelor’s degree in communications arts and sciences in Dec. 2021 following his professional hockey career.
Since retiring as a player, Pedrie has served as the lead United States player representative for all U.S. based clients for the Will Sports Group on behalf of numerous NCAA Division I commitments and USHL/CHL draft picks over the past four years.
Pedrie is also a level 4 USA Hockey coach having spent four-plus seasons as a youth coach, most recently as the head coach and director of player development for the Windy City Storm 16U squad. He was also a head coach for Team Illinois AAA for the 15U and 16U teams from 2020 to 2023.
