Tessa Janneke has become a household name at Penn State, and the Orangeville, Illinois native has continued to thrive for years, even as most of her success has come from the hockey valley.
Janneke attended Orangeville High School remotely to attend the North American Hockey Academy (NAHA), where he played three seasons.
“At the end of my eighth grade year, (Penn State) coach (Jeff) Kampersal reached out to me,” Yaneke said, “and he wanted to set up a time to discuss recruiting.”
In his three seasons with NAHA, Janneke tallied 114 goals and 113 assists for a total of 227 points with Team Red U16, Team Red U19 and Team White 19U AAA.
“At NAHA, she got better and better every time I saw her,” Kampersal said. “She brought that work ethic and humility to Penn State.”
“That's what first made me really consider Penn State,” Yaneke said, “I did a rink tour of Pegula Ice Arena and my dad sent me a bunch of videos of the rink and campus.”
Forward Tessa Janneke (15) skates with the puck during a Penn State women's hockey game at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania, Feb. 23, 2024. The Nittany Lions defeated the Tigers, 2-1.
After multiple conversations with Kampersal and the coaching staff, Yaneke decided Penn State was where he wanted to be.
“The coaches were invested in me as a player,” Yaneke said, “the relationships I developed with them and the way they treated me.”
Janneke's first year at Penn State will likely be remembered as one of the best rookie seasons in Nittany Lions history.
Her 47 points are the most by a freshman in Blue & White history, and her 25 assists and 22 goals in 2022-23 rank atop the freshman record books.
As a result, Yaneke was named CHA Rookie of the Year and HCA National Rookie of the Year.
“We were all pretty overwhelmed by her at first because she's such a great person and such a great athlete,” senior forward Maia Baslett said. “She's a great hockey player, but she's also a really good person, and at the end of the day, that's what matters more.”
In her sophomore year, people really started to take notice of her.
“The league knows what kind of player Tessa is and they're paying her special attention,” Kampersal said. “It's not always easy to play in the spotlight.”
Forward Tessa Janneke (15) shoots for goal during a Penn State women's hockey game at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. The Nittany Lions are tied 1-1 with the Huskies.
Janneke has represented her country internationally in multiple tournaments, making her debut in the red, white and blue at the 2022 IIHF Women's World U-18 Championship, where she recorded three goals and three assists for six points in five games and won the silver medal.
She was also selected for the U.S. team for the 2023 World Championships, where she once again brought home a gold medal and recorded six points.
Janneke recently won the silver medal at the 2024 World Championships, earning four points.
“I think we (the U.S. team) were the more skilled team, but anything can happen in a game,” Janneke said. “Either way, it was a really great experience being part of a team and representing the U.S.”
Just as Janeke looked up to the veterans as a freshman, she has now earned a leadership role and new players will look up to her.
“She's grown from last year to this year,” Baslett said. “She might not be the loudest voice in the room, but she always brings a lot of energy, and that's going to get our program going even further.”
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