Kris Myllari Commits to Penn State

Kris Myllari, a '97 born defenseman who played for the Ottawa Senators Midget AAA program last year, has committed to Penn State. He is currently playing for the Kanata Stallions of the CCHL.

Myllari is potentially a very big pick-up for the fledgling Penn State program. Sean Lafortune, director of scouting at TheScout.ca, which specializes in Ontario hockey prospects described Myllari as, "a smooth, calculated defender who plays with poise well beyond his years. Excellent intellegence and positional play." Myllari is listed at 6'1" 170 lbs., so he's got a nice frame to go along with that skillset.

As with most talented young prospects out of Ontario, the OHL will provide an obstacle to Myllari ending up in Happy Valley. Myllari was selected in the 2nd round of last year's OHL Draft by the Kingston Frontenacs. Myllari seemed ready to sign with Kingston earlier this fall, but opted not to because of concerns about Kingston's depth on the blue line. Myllari's father is a former OHL player, and played on the same team as Kingston GM Doug Gilmour. The quotes in the linked article, combined with Myllari's connections to the OHL would seem to make the possibility of him ever making it to the Penn State seem relatively low, but it may be worth the risk for Penn State to try and bring such a talented player to their program.