RALEIGH, N.C. - Eric Tulsky, General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed forward Charlie Cerrato to a three-year, entry-level contract. At the NHL level, Cerrato will receive $775,000 in 2025-26, $850,000 in 2026-27 and $900,000 in 2027-28. He receives $85,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level for all three seasons, and the deal includes signing bonuses worth $220,000.
“Charlie is a skilled, two-way center who has excelled at the college level over the last two years,” said Tulsky. “He’s strong at faceoffs, smart defensively and should be an excellent fit for the way the Carolina Hurricanes play hockey.”
Cerrato, 21, completed his second season at Penn State and was the Nittany Lions’ leading scorer before suffering an injury on January 9 against Minnesota that forced him to miss most of the remainder of the year. The Fallston, MD, native returned to the lineup on March 6, and finished the season with seven goals and 20 assists (27 points) in 23 games. Cerrato earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors in 2024-25, leading all Big Ten rookies in goals (15), assists (27) and points (42) in 38 games. He ranked second in the nation in points and assists and third in goals by a freshman skater. The 6’1”, 195 lb. forward completes his collegiate career with 69 points (22g, 47a) and 78 penalty minutes in 61 games.
Prior to college, Cerrato spent the 2023-24 season with Youngstown in the USHL, registering 50 points (12g, 38a) in 45 games, ranking second among Phantoms skaters in points and leading the club in assists. He also spent two seasons (2021-23) with the United States National Team Development Program, totaling 29 points (9g, 20a) in 54 USHL games in that span.
