‘You know where to find me’ | Charlie Cerrato reflects on his career ahead of the 2025 NHL draft – The Daily Collegian

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Penn State forward Charlie Cerrato (15) skates towards the puck during the NCAA Regional Finals against Uconn on Sunday, March 30, 2025 in the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Huskies 3-2.
Forward Charlie Cerrato (15) holds the NCAA trophy during a celebration for the Penn State men’s hockey team at Pegula Ice Arena on Monday, March 31, 2025 in University Park, Pa.
Penn State Forward Charlie Cerrato (15) is held back by an official after a brief skirmish with a Wisconsin player during the men’s ice hockey game at Pegula Ice Arena on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 in University Park, Pa. The Badgers beat the Nittany Lions 6-3.
Penn State forward Charlie Cerrato (15) faces off during the NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship semifinal game against Boston University at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, April 10, 2025 in St. Louis, Mo. The Terriers beat the Nittany Lions 3-1.
 
Penn State forward Charlie Cerrato (15) skates towards the puck during the NCAA Regional Finals against Uconn on Sunday, March 30, 2025 in the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Huskies 3-2.
At just 18, Youngstown Phantoms forward Charlie Cerrato was on the cusp of his lifelong dream. His name was officially entered into the NHL entry draft, an ambition set when he was just a mere 6-7 years old. 
However, Cerrato’s 13 years of tireless work didn’t lead to fulfillment on draft day. He went undrafted in his first two years of eligibility before heading to Penn State for his freshman year. Yet, Cerrato didn’t back down — he continued to put in the work and inched closer to his ultimate goal. 
“It’s a chip on your shoulder when you don’t get drafted,” Cerrato told The Daily Collegian. “Two years of not getting drafted, looking back on it, it’s just whatever, it is what it is. Whether you get drafted or not you still have to go out there and earn your contract. At the end of the day, we’re all in the same position no matter what.”
Fast forward to 2025 and Cerrato is heading into this year’s draft with heightened expectations. After being ranked 222nd and 175th among North American skaters in the previous two College Hockey Inc. draft guides, he now enters the 2025 draft at 110th per NHL.com. 
That substantial leap to a 3rd-4th round draft grade hasn’t come without reason. In Cerrato’s eyes, many professional scouts and team management look for “guys that show up in big moments,” and there wasn’t a higher stage than the one Penn State was on this past season. 
While the Nittany Lions fell just short of a national title, Cerrato entered the spotlight with his tremendous play and clutch performances — most notably his behind-the-back assist to Matt DiMarsico that sent his program to its first Frozen Four. 
Forward Charlie Cerrato (15) holds the NCAA trophy during a celebration for the Penn State men’s hockey team at Pegula Ice Arena on Monday, March 31, 2025 in University Park, Pa.
Throughout the blue and white’s substantial postseason run Cerrato flashed his vision, hockey IQ and 200-foot game. The freshman set his teammates up at will, and he did so when it mattered most.
“He has a lot of great physical attributes, but his IQ sets him apart,” DiMarsico told The Daily Collegian. “You could even see on the goal that sent us to the Frozen Four, the play to slip at the blue line and then the behind the back pass, like not many players in college hockey can make that play. It showed his full tool set.”
But what really makes the center such a hot commodity is his defensive prowess. Cerrato can shut down teams from his own zone and turn it into offense in a split second. 
That two-way game projects Cerrato as a middle-six center in the NHL, and he shares that same vision. The lefty forward said he models his game after Florida Panthers’ center Sam Bennett — someone who sizes up similarly and will cash in this offseason with a long-term contract. 
“(Bennett’s a) similar size, 6-foot-1, 190-195. He’s a playmaker, he’s physical, he works his butt off,” Cerrato said. “He scores goals, makes plays in the big moments and I feel like that’s a guy I try to model my game after and play like. If I turn out like him, I’d be super fired up with how my career went.”
Standing 6-foot-1, 195 lbs, Cerrato definitely matches up in stature with Bennett, but they share other similarities as well. Both play with an edge to their games that leads to getting under opposing players’ skins, this was seen when the freshman taunted Michigan’s bench after converting a penalty shot to essentially clinch the best-of-three Big Ten quarterfinal series.
But the resemblance that stands out the most is the physicality both players showcase. Cerrato credits that toughness to his football background, mentioning he plays with a “fearlessness” because of his time with a pigskin.
Growing up as the kid of a former NFL executive, Cerrato picked up the sport at the early age of five — the same time he started to play hockey. His work on the football field translated to the rink, with his former Phantoms coach Ryan Ward even saying Cerrato is a “football player wearing hockey equipment.”
“When you start playing football at a young age, you’re not scared of contact,” Cerrato said. “Throwing my weight around from Day 1 when hitting was legal in hockey was never a problem. I’ve never been scared of going to the hard areas, I’ve never been scared of contact or afraid of hitting guys that are bigger than me.”
Penn State Forward Charlie Cerrato (15) is held back by an official after a brief skirmish with a Wisconsin player during the men’s ice hockey game at Pegula Ice Arena on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024 in University Park, Pa. The Badgers beat the Nittany Lions 6-3.
Not only will Cerrato’s physicality need to transfer over to the NHL, but his blindness to outside noise from the media will be a valuable trait. Despite having high expectations his entire career — entering college ranked as a 4.5-star and being a potential draft pick — he doesn’t care about what others think.
His maturity with off-ice activities has only grown with age, although it’s one of the only knocks on his draft stock as an overager. Cerrato, 20, enters his third and final draft of eligibility starting on June 27, but he doesn’t want teams to shy away because of that. 
When asked to give his pitch to teams as to why he should be drafted, Cerrato said  “I’d tell them ‘Look, I’m 20 years old, you’re looking at 18 years olds but I’ve been through it, I’ve faced adversity my whole life and I’ve overcome it. So if you want a guy that’s going to go out there and work his butt off every day, whether it’s practice, on the ice, off the ice or in games, you know where to find me.’”  
He’s dealt with adversity his entire life, but that hasn’t halted him from putting in the work. Being a hockey player from a non-traditional hockey market in Maryland, there were plenty of challenges to overcome. The main hurdle was that he practiced and played in Philadelphia two to three times a week, which is over an hour drive from his hometown. 
Regardless, he continued to push himself, in large part due to his parents, but it’s also just the player and person he is — he often emphasizes his continuous effort, which is a sentiment shared by his collegiate coach Guy Gadowsky.
“The role he’s evolved into is something that he’s earned,” Gadowsky said in February. “He wasn’t given anything.”
Penn State forward Charlie Cerrato (15) faces off during the NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championship semifinal game against Boston University at the Enterprise Center on Thursday, April 10, 2025 in St. Louis, Mo. The Terriers beat the Nittany Lions 3-1.
 
As Cerrato gears up for a second season with the Nittany Lions, he plans to spend time training in State College with his linemate DiMarsico. From there, Cerrato will likely get drafted and work out at that team’s development camp. 
But for now, Cerrato is in Michigan, which is a place he called home for five years. The upcoming sophomore is skating, working out and training at the USA Hockey Arena before he eventually makes a lengthy car ride to his home state to await a potential life-changing phone call with his family. 
Whether his name gets called or not, he’ll be with the support group that’s backed him since he was a child and perhaps experiencing one of the most thrilling moments of his life together. 
As Cerrato’s name has flown around in mock drafts and social media the past few seasons, he’s trying to “stay in the present, focus on (himself) and not listen to the outside noise,” ahead of the 2025 NHL draft. 
“If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t,” Cerrato said.
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