The Penn State center is a perfect two-way fit for the Canes.
The Carolina Hurricanes selected center Charlie Cerrato with the 49th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The Penn State freshman had 15 goals and 27 assists in 38 games last year. Cerrato was an essential piece in the Nittany Lions’ first trip to the Frozen Four this season.
In the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament, the Fallston, Maryland native had 11 points during those six games. He was the primary assist on the overtime winner in the upset versus Michigan and scored the game-winning goal with three minutes left in the rematch to eliminate the Wolverines.
Cerrato had three assists in the opening round upset against Maine in the NCAA Tournament, and was the primary assist on the overtime winner over UConn to advance to the Frozen Four.
In other words, Cerrato is a gamer.
Even with his offensive prowess, Cerrato is regarded as a defensive-minded two-way center.
As with the Semyon Frolov pick, it is important to look around the current roster for mentors. The scouts say he likes to engage in the forecheck while being mindful of his assignments in the high zone. Can Jordan Staal or Seth Jarvis be the model for Cerrato?
At 20 years old, can Cerrato make the jump quickly enough to fit into the top prospect pool? Let’s see what one more year in Happy Valley will do for him.
Cerrato had a wide range of rankings, from 47th overall from FCHockey, to 162th overall with Draft Prospects Hockey. He entered his name in the previous two drafts, and this is the first time his name was called.
At 6’0”, 190 pounds, he had some room to grow. Once again, Cerrato has a couple of models on the current roster that use their strength to play above their height.