Penn State hockey lands projected 2026 No. 1 NHL Draft pick Gavin McKenna
July 8, 2025 update: McKenna officially announced Tuesday on ESPN that he committed to play at Penn State.
Penn State is set to add a generational talent to its hockey team.
Phenom Gavin McKenna plans to commit to the Nittany Lions, a source confirmed Monday to the Centre Daily Times.
Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects first reported the news, and an official announcement is expected later this week.
McKenna, a forward, is 17 years old and his immediate hockey future had been up in the air — with a decision about whether to even play in college needing to be made. His choice to go the NCAA route would in all likelihood give him one year in Happy Valley before he heads off to the 2026 NHL Draft.
And when he gets there, he’ll likely be the No. 1 overall pick with a chance to change the trajectory of a hockey franchise in the same ways that Sidney Crosby and other generational talents have before him. But in the meantime, he’s set to spend a year at Penn State where he could help lead the program to a national title one year after its first Frozen Four appearance.
His impact would be felt immediately on the ice. McKenna had 41 goals and 88 assists for the CHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers in only 56 games with the team after lighting up the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championships with 10 goals and 10 assists in only seven games.
And McKenna won’t have to do it alone. He’s set to join defenseman Jackson Smith — who was taken 14th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2025 NHL Draft — and forward Luke Misa, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames.
The newest Nittany Lion would likely make his on-ice debut with the program on the road in Arizona when Penn State opens its season on Oct. 3 against Arizona State.
This story was originally published July 7, 2025 at 3:38 PM.
