‘It’s gonna be fun’: Everything PSU coach Guy Gadowsky said about Gavin McKenna
Five days have passed since the trajectory of the 2025-2026 Penn State men’s hockey team was drastically shifted by the addition of Gavin McKenna, but the excitement around the program has continued to build.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a run to the Frozen Four and are now the betting favorites to win the national title this coming season with McKenna on their roster, along with defensemen additions Mac Gadowsky, a Hobey Baker Award top-10 finalist, and Jackson Smith, who was taken 14th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2025 NHL Draft.
And on Tuesday morning, head coach Guy Gadowsky didn’t do anything to slow down that hype train around the talent joining his team. Gadowsky met with the media for 30 minutes and discussed his program’s latest addition, why he believes McKenna joined Penn State and more.
Here’s everything Gadowsky said about the team’s additions and what they mean for the Nittany Lions.
On the process of landing McKenna and his program’s pitch to him:
“Obviously there was mutual interest, but nothing was done until after his season and it was known that he wanted to explore the NCAA. That’s when we really started looking at it. As far as the pitch goes, we feel really good about what Penn State has to offer any student-athlete and so that wasn’t a change. Obviously this is a huge thing for Penn State and Penn State hockey and a huge thing for college hockey as well. You’re nervous until it’s done, but once it was on SportsCenter and done, it felt very, very good. And I’m pumped for the Penn Staters that get to watch this guy.”
On selling the program to McKenna:
“It’s the same for every hockey player that we bring to Penn State and Pegula Ice Arena. There’s a lot of things that make Penn State hockey a really attractive program for any potential student-athlete. And we go through all of it, it’s not just one thing. It has to do with how we develop, our facilities, the personnel, the philosophy of the administration, the support of the university, and the support of Pegula Ice Arena, the great student body takes makes it an incredible atmosphere — there’s a lot of things, so we went through it all.”
On the additional challenges of bringing in elite level talent this upcoming season:
“I think you’re talking about team and player management, and sure it does (bring challenges). But that’s something that this staff has talked a lot about and we’re very excited and eager to tackle those challenges. And those are great challenges to have.”
On if his approach changes with elite talent:
“I don’t think the approach changes. I think our culture has always been ultra-competitive and Penn State culture. I think that we really follow the same philosophy as the student body. We take ownership in our experience. We don’t just really on other people. We’re not entitled to rely on other people to create it for us. Penn State students, they take ownership in their experience, whether it’s athletics, academics or any event. ... That’s not going to change. It’s a great environment to be a part of for any student-athlete and for any staff member. And I think for all our Penn State alumni, that’s an expectation. I think for all our Penn State supporters, they really understand that and really appreciate that. And that’s never going to change.”
On coaching McKenna:
“I think one of the things that makes him so special is that he’s so creative. His mind is just very different. There’s no way that I or anybody else on our staff thinks like Gavin does. He is a very, very special, special, special athlete — who thinks very differently. And I’m going to enjoy watching him. By no means am I ever going to talk to him about how his mind creates. That’s him and it’s going to be really fun to watch. And that goes for all of our athletes. That’s partly what I think makes Penn State hockey fun, it’s that we certainly encourage creativity. With him, just watching his game — he’s so fun to watch because of his physical skill level but also how his mind is able to just slow things down and create. It’s just really fun to watch.”
On the increased expectations with adding elite talent:
“This is Penn State. Penn State has very high expectations of all its athletic programs and puts a lot of resources into that. It’s not like this is a new thing. Penn State has these types of expectations. We did not have these expectations when you start from a club program. Well, I can tell you it’s better to have the expectations than not. So this is where everybody wants to go.”
On McKenna as a person:
“He’s very humble and extremely polite. He has excellent manners. And his mind always goes first to the whole — to the team — always. What the team does, how the atmosphere is for the team, the success of the team. That’s how he is.”
On potentially adding more players like 2025 No. 6 overall pick Porter Martone and other players potentially going to NHL camp:
“It is a fluid situation. You have to look at a lot of things. You have to look at everything from admissions dates to where you are with your lineup in terms of injuries, eligibility, a whole lot of things. I’ll never say we are going to do this for sure or I’m not going to do this for sure. It’s something that we examine every day.”
On McKenna’s biggest potential challenges:
“College is different, so there’s a transition. There’s not only a transition to college hockey, there’s a transition to college. There’s a transition, albeit a very exciting, fun one, to State College. All those things. I think we have really good players on this team, really good people, and I think they’re looking forward to helping him navigate and enjoy all of those things. So what can we do? I think we can be a little patient. You can’t just expect anybody to come in and pick things up from a college hockey perspective, a college perspective, or a State College/Penn State perspective. It takes some time. I think it’s something he’s very much looking forward to and it’s gonna be fun. But what can we do? It’s to remember that one gets it all right away and it takes some time.”
On he and his coaching staff considering lines for the upcoming season:
“We think of a lot of things. Nothing is set in stone, that’s for sure. But it’s hard to get together as a staff and not look at the way things might play out, but we don’t solidify anything until after camp and beyond.”
On why McKenna chose Penn State:
“I don’t want to speak for him, but I believe he really believes in the facilities that we have, in the personnel that we have and the philosophy that we have in terms of development. And that it’s a great place for him to go prior to the NHL. He’s done very, very well in the CHL. I think he’s looking for a new challenge. And I think he loves the fact that he would be the very first. And I think he loves the fact — he’s seen the support that Penn State hockey gets and Penn State University gets and I think that fits him very well.”
