The Carolina Hurricanes’ 2025 second-round pick, Charlie Cerrato is continuing to make positive strides in his development. 

Cerrato made the transition from the USHL to NCAA hockey this past season, which he feels helped his individual game. 

At Penn State, Cerrato feels that he grew as a player, and he’s happy with the progress he made over the season.

“I had a great year in Youngstown, and I had a fantastic staff, fantastic coach there, and I loved it. But I feel like everything kind of clicked for me at Penn State,” Cerrato said. “I saw … a ton of things that improved, but I think just my confidence to finish and make plays definitely was the best it’s been this year.”

In 38 games, the 20-year-old forward recorded 15 goals, 27 assists, and 42 points for Penn State. 

Cerrato attended the Hurricanes' development camp in July and impressed people within the organization. 

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“You have a player that is able to be complete in terms of being able to drive off and being able to play sound defensively, being able to win faceoffs, being able to get in on the forecheck. That’s exactly how we play,” Hurricanes assistant general manager Darren Yorke said. “We’re looking for Charlie to … graduate with the exact same game and get to the NHL.”

This upcoming season, Cerrato is set to return to Penn State with the hopes of further progressing and preparing to eventually make the jump to professional hockey.