Gavin McKenna, projected 2026 NHL Draft No. 1 pick, commits to Penn State University

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Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and 2025 CHL Player of the Year, has committed to Penn State University for the 2025-26 season.

He announced his choice on the Tuesday evening edition of ESPN’s SportsCenter.

McKenna’s decision, which he narrowed down to Penn State or Michigan State (with Denver and Michigan as other considerations), had been widely anticipated for months and marks one of the biggest commitments in college hockey history.

McKenna has dominated the WHL over the last two years. He registered 103 points in 66 combined regular-season and playoff games two years ago, and 173 points split between 76 regular-season, playoff and Memorial Cup games last season, leading the Medicine Hat Tigers to a WHL title while stringing together a 51-game point streak. He was the third-youngest player ever to win CHL Player of the Year (behind Sidney Crosby and John Tavares) and could very well dominate college in a way that Macklin Celebrini, Jack Eichel and Adam Fantilli did, immediately becoming one of the preseason favorites for the Hobey Baker.

With McKenna and top 2026 D prospect Keaton Verhoeff — bound for North Dakota — now committed to play college hockey in their draft year, there is a very real chance that the top two picks in next year’s NHL Draft are both Canadians who chose to play in the NCAA, an indicator of the rapidly-changing landscape in junior and college hockey.

Why McKenna chose Penn State 

Michigan State is a historic program that has been rejuvenated since hiring head coach Adam Nightingale in the spring of 2022, and has assembled a loaded roster full of legitimate NHL prospects. Already a favorite in the Big Ten and nationally heading into the 2025-26 season, landing McKenna could have turned the Spartans into one of college hockey’s all-time juggernauts.

However, Penn State, fresh off its first appearance in the Frozen Four, has emerged as a rival in the now extremely competitive Big Ten and a leading contender for a lot of the top CHL names in this new world of college recruiting. With significant financial backing, Penn State has stepped up with major NIL offers in a push to land premier talent. It’s believed that despite a limited track record of producing NHL players, McKenna valued the opportunity to put his stamp on a program and look to help further lift the school’s college hockey standing under head coach Guy Gadowsky.

The Nittany Lions’ 2025-26 freshman class already included 2025 Blue Jackets first-rounder Jackson Smith and 2024 Flames draft pick Luke Misa. They’ve also added Mac Gadowsky, Guy’s son, who was one of the top players in the transfer portal, and are returning a core that includes Predators prospect Aiden Fink (who finished fourth in college hockey scoring last year) and 2025 Hurricanes second-rounder Charlie Cerrato.

Scouting reports

McKenna was one of the very best players in the CHL this season. He’s an electric forward with truly elite skill and offensive sense. He’s one of the most creative and skilled players I’ve seen in recent years. That McKenna is also a high-end skater who can make his difficult plays at quick tempos gives a lot of confidence about how his game could fare in the NHL. If teams were going to pick him apart, it would be that he’s an average-sized winger who doesn’t have a super high motor, but his talent and scoring are so good that it’s nitpicking. I wouldn’t call him a Macklin Celebrini/Connor Bedard-level prospect, but he’s not far off. — Corey Pronman, senior prospects writer

McKenna is a captivating offensive winger who had one of the most productive age-adjusted seasons in modern CHL history last season. He’s a fabulous, flowing skater with natural straight-line and corner speed, great edges and a rare ability to make plays while flying around out there. He’s impressive at carrying and dodging sticks through neutral ice to create entries. He has a first touch like glue where the puck just lands and sticks to his blade when he’s catching it, even when it’s coming in hot or into compromising positions. He’s a brilliant puck transporter, transition machine and get-out-of-jail-free card who routinely skates pucks out of the zone himself and relieves pressure. McKenna is so shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking. He has impressive maneuverability and adjustability from his hips down. He plays pucks into space and leads guys at an advanced level. He shields pucks extremely well from defenders’ sticks. He’s constantly changing directions and keeping defenders off him. He pre-scans and sees and reads the game at an elite level.

When he’s on the ice, the talent divide is always clear, even when he has played with top players. Though he’s a natural playmaker first, he’s also got scoring elements, has tons of pre-shot deception in his movements, attacks the middle and goes downhill, and has been one of the WHL’s leaders in shots on goal since entering the league. He can beat you to the middle or the outside if you give it to him. And while he’s lean, he’s also got a really good stick defensively, taking back and lifting a lot of pucks (though there is the odd time when he doesn’t pick up assignments and can puck watch/drive-by instead of stopping on pucks). He projects as a first-line, star and maybe even superstar winger. — Scott Wheeler, national prospects writer

(Photo: Jonathan Kozub / Getty Images)

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