Free Agents - Penn State
Notes on some potential free agent signee forwards on Penn State
As college free agent season approaches, I’ve written some thoughts down on Penn State’s forward group, one of the more notorious offenses in the Big Ten. I’ve looked to note whether I think a player is ready to take on the next level in each capsule. Spoiler: in Penn State’s case, I don’t think anyone is.
Brandon Biro
89 points in 111 games, 38 in 35 this year
While teammate Alex Limoges is going to get a lot of love (a 6’1 late-97 forward who tripled his goal totals as a sophomore), Biro’s been one of the most productive players in the Big Ten this year. Not particularly big, but he’s a tenacious forward with a scoring touch. To boot, he can facilitate with speed and has just four penalty minutes on the year. I’m not sure what to make of him as a potential pro, but I do think he has room to grow in college as a senior. He might be able to emerge as a very serviceable middle-six scorer down the line.
Nathan Sucese
Sucese and Limoges are both players I was scouting well before they were in junior, so they are extremely known commodities for me by now. Sucese came into college hockey as an older player and has posted about 15g/15a each year, which should count for something. He continues to impress me, but I don’t know that there is anything like an NHL ceiling to him - an excellent college player none-the-less.
Liam Folkes
While I’m hesitant to say Folkes has an NHL upside, he’s only impressed me over the course of the season. His last five games don’t hurt: nine points in his last three (Big Ten Playoffs), twelve when you add in a series against Notre Dame. When lined up with Barratt-Limoges the trio form one of the best lines in college hockey, and he really does his share. Folkes has a nose for the net and tries to make the best play. The knock would probably be that he is smaller and close to his ceiling, but I would note that his scoring has nearly doubled each season.
Alex Limoges
The Winchester, Virginia resident committed to Cornell almost five years ago, which I thought was an inspired get for the Big Red at the time. Limoges could always put up numbers, but he’s showing he can put the puck in the net himself consistently, and that his skating, which I thought would never hold him back in the ECAC, can more than get the job done in the Big Ten.
At Cornell, he would have likely been surrounded by big bodies who could create space for him. With Barratt and Folkes, he’s got an energizer rabbit and a dialed-in scorer (try to guess which is which) lining up with him. It’s working out pretty well for Limoges in State College all the same. Whether he’s a top professional prospect, I’m not sure. I suspect this is a really ideal usage for his skillset and that he’s nearing his ceiling, which is a great college player.