From conceptualization to execution, and everything in between, Penn State’s own Ben Kogut and John Hanna have pulled out all the stops to own the ‘look good’ aspect, so the Nittany Lions can feel and play good in return.
For the first time since the program's birth, the Blue and White debuted three alternate uniforms for historic matchups throughout the 2024-25 season; “The Throwback” jersey, “The Protector” jersey, and “The Wrigley” jersey.
Each design is deeply infused with the rich history of Penn State University and its hockey program, with every intricate detail telling a story through its visual elements. With the efforts of Associate Director of Equipment, Ben Kogut, and Associate Director of Strategic Communications, John Hanna, these alternate uniforms have caught the attention of college hockey fans nationwide.
“We’ve always been fairly simplistic with our home and away jerseys, and I’m sure we’ll always be that way. That’s why with the alternate jerseys, it’s a fun chance to do something different and special, and showcase the history of Penn State hockey,” said Kogut.
Starting his career with the Nittany Lions in 2014 within the women’s hockey program, Kogut designed his first ever alternate jersey, which was a THON inspired jersey. Now in his 11th season with Penn State, he has designed a variety of alternate jerseys for both the men’s and women’s programs.
For Kogut’s design process, he claims it starts with just an idea, a mere concept. With this, he dives into the school history and researches different ways to make that particular idea come to life, and embody each ounce of history through Penn State’s past.
Once the information is gathered, the design begins on an Adobe Illustrator template, beginning with the crest, and followed by the detailing of patterns, emblems, color schemes, etc., followed by hours of adjustments and tweaks to ensure the vision is best represented by the finalized product, and the final product tells a story of its own.
Once finalized by Kogut, Hanna along with the entire creative services team and marketing and branding department at Penn State, get sent the mockup to get signed off on. If it receives the green light, that draft then makes its way to the jersey producer, which often gets kicked back to Kogut for tweaks and alterations. Running through this approval process as many times as needed, once given the okay from the producer, the order is placed, and runs through a 12-week production process before making its way to Hockey Valley.
In some cases, such as the throwback jersey design, the designing and execution process took about three years before the finished product arrived on campus, and debuted in November, 2024.
Once the jerseys arrive, is when the real fun begins; the social media teasers and reveals orchestrated by Hanna are what not only build anticipation and excitement surrounding the uniforms, but the stories in which they originated. Through Kogut’s research and creation of the ideas and Hanna’s marketing strategy, the two work in tandem to execute a series of content that creates buzz about the new designs.
“Ben and I have a very close relationship, and we both want what’s best for the program, we want to put the best possible product forward. He’s proud of every design that he puts out, so he wants it showcased in the best way possible,” said Hanna. “Each of our jersey reveals this year have been a true collaborative effort, there are pieces of my vision, and he provides a lot of information and it’s on my creative mind to throw it together and make sure the final piece portrays that.”
In coordinating the jersey reveal campaign, careful consideration goes into deciding who gets to be in the shoot; factors range from personality, seniority, skating and skill levels, player profile, and many more. When accounting for the vision and the story behind the uniform, players are selected meticulously to contribute to the final product.
With the selection process complete, players are treated to an exclusive first glimpse of the uniforms, sparking a wave of excitement and anticipation throughout the locker room as the remaining players eagerly await the full team reveal.
“It’s like Christmas morning. Seeing it first, and just knowing how hyped everyone is going to be, and how happy it’s going to make people, it’s a really fun experience being chosen for the videos,” said captain Simon Mack, who was selected in the “Throwback” jersey reveal.
One of Hanna’s initiatives in this year’s reveals was a ‘teaser’ approach, where he released specific elements of the jersey to generate excitement over the design, but also call attention to the intricacies and storytelling of each design.
The variety of alternate designs this year opened immense opportunities for marketing, Hanna took the opportunity to execute to the best of its potential. In formulating teams of up to 10 individuals to ensure the proper production, scene, lighting and content crew, the stories of these designs were brought to life.
“Every jersey reveal this year has contained pieces of both Ben and my visions. While there were three very specific, very different uniforms, that each tell a story, our job was figuring out the best way to tell that story. It’s not just a uniform, it’s a piece people can get invested in, especially for those two specialty games we had,” said Hanna.
In using digital marketing strategies and social media campaigns, the hype was received nationwide, growing interest from college hockey fans coast-to-coast. Once the game-specific jerseys are worn, they move forward into an online auction process that raises money for various foundations that played roles in the original conceptualized storylines.
The “Protector” jersey, which was debuted by sophomore forward Reese Laubach, was auctioned off online, with proceeds benefiting the Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation and the State College Coyotes, a local sled hockey organization in Happy Valley. The value to these uniforms go beyond just the flashy designs and the storytelling, but what they can do to give back to a community that has helped grow this program to what it is today.
“Getting to wear them on the ice is so exciting, and we love showcasing them to the fans,” said senior Dylan Lugris. “Ben does such an incredible job in designing them, and John with getting people invested through social media, so in turn it gets us all excited when we get the opportunities to wear something new.”
Conceptualizing and executing these jerseys are the fun part, but the storylines behind them are what make them so special to the athletes representing them, and the community of fans it draws in who want to invest in a part of this program's history.
A common debate amongst the locker room stems from which of the three designs from the 2024-25 season are the favorites; although a slim margin, the majority believe the “Throwback” uniforms are their favorites, due to the unique design and rich history embedded in them. Unlike other specialty sweaters, these have been added to the current jersey rotation and will become a true alternate look to be seen at Pegula Ice Arena for the new few seasons.
“What I liked about the throwback jersey was the way that we were able to tell the story of the program’s different eras; the original varsity era, to the club era when they first brought hockey back, to where the program is now, it’s just a really meaningful jersey for a lot of people who are involved in this program, and invites the opportunity for people who haven’t followed the program as closely to learn more of the rich history and culture in Hockey Valley,” concluded Hanna.