Penn State added to its next two recruiting classes this week
Penn State is probably losing Gavin McKenna to the NHL, and there’s probably no one in the incoming class who can replace him. But the Nittany Lions made two excellent additions to their prospect pool this week that will undoubtedly help them in their future ambitions.
Left-shot defenseman Charlie Michaud is a Denver native who will be joining the Nittany Lions from the Penticton Vees. It’s not quite that simple, though. Michaud has already played college hockey, playing six games for Miami last year before departing for the WHL. Michaud needed to enter the transfer portal to attend Penn State because of that, but he had no points with Miami, so this is spiritually his freshman campaign (I’m not sure how he’ll be classified by the NCAA.) With the Vees, Michaud posted 15 assists and no goals in 35 games. He scored his first goal of the season in the playoffs — an overtime winner for the Vees’ first-ever playoff win — and added four assists in 15 games.
Michaud is a pretty big defenseman at 6 feet tall and 196 pounds, and a year at Penn State will only enhance that. He played top pair minutes for the Vees, mostly on the left side. He’s expected to join the team next season.
The Nittany Lions also secured a commitment from Yegor Shilov of the Victoriaville Tigers. Shilov will not be joining Penn State until the 2027-28 season, however, as he only just turned 18 and will be spending the upcoming year back in Victoriaville. Still, he’s an exciting addition for the Nittany Lions. Shilov is a 6-foot-1, 181-pound center who shoots left. He tore it up in the Q last season, notching 82 points in 63 games, including 50 assists. It earned him the Michel Bergeron Trophy for best offensive rookie of the year.
Shilov is one of the top prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft, and it’s not hard to see why. A native of Tyuman, Russia, he’s been a prolific producer since he was young, regularly averaging between 2 and 3 PPG. Shilov came to the US in 2024 and played 31 games with the Long Island Gulls 16U AAA team, earning 48 points, before heading up to the Green Bay Gamblers. His time with the Gamblers is the only time in his recent career that he’s dipped below a point per game, scoring just 28 points in 39 games and being -30. Moving to Victoriaville seems to have reignited his scoring touch. He’ll be a very talented addition the season after next for Penn State.