When Penn State's hockey season ended in the regional semifinals at the hands of Minnesota-Duluth, it felt like only a matter of time before news broke about one of the Canes' 2025 picks going pro. That news didn't take very long to come. On Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that 2nd-round pick Charlie Cerrato was heading to Chicago.
Drafted 47th overall as an over-ager last June, Cerrato was having an excellent sophomore campaign before an injury forced him to miss significant time. He opened his season with a two-goal, five-point performance against Arizona State and amassed 21 points in 16 games until going on the shelf for two months.
Cerrato returned in time for the final games of the regular season, but when the Nittany Lions would need him the most was the postseason. He scored Penn State's Big Ten tournament-opening goal in its quarterfinal bout with Minnesota before providing an assist in a semifinal loss to Michigan. He was held scoreless in his final game at Penn State, the aforementioned loss to Minnesota-Duluth.
In two seasons with the Nittany Lions, Cerrato scored 22 goals and 69 points in 61 games and guided the program to its first Frozen Four a season ago. He also represented the U.S. collegiate ranks at the Spengler Cup in December. Instead of signing his entry-level deal, Cerrato is making the jump to the AHL, signing a professional tryout with the Wolves to join their roster before their playoff run begins.
Signing a PTO doesn't ensure that Cerrato will see game action with the Wolves, though I'd suspect he could at some point. It's the same path that Boston College's James Hagens took with the Boston Bruins, signing a PTO to play in Providence. He scored his first professional goal over the weekend for the Bruins' AHL club.
While it remains possible that Cerrato signs his entry-level deal with the Canes soon, I suspect that it will be after the season that we see it happen. It'll give him the change to play in the prospect showcase over the summer, attend training camp in September, and earn a chance to make the Hurricanes' roster ahead of the 2026-27 season, even if seems likely that he'll start in Chicago.
I love this move for all parties involved. It gets a highly-touted prospect a chance to get some professional reps in the AHL, and potentially some action. I think Cerrato is ready to make the jump. Center is a valuable position, so developing him now instead of waiting until next season could prove beneficial. It might not be long before we see Cerrato in a Canes sweater making his NHL debut.