McKenna Mania: Top 2026 NHL Draft prospect chooses Penn State

Photo Credit: Penn State Men’s Hockey Twitter

Dubbed the most exciting NHL prospect since Connor McDavid, 17-year-old Gavin McKenna has committed to play college hockey at Penn State University. While the move had been rumored to be official just days prior, McKenna made his commitment announcement on ESPN Tuesday night.

"After two unforgettable seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers I'm very excited to continue my hockey career at Penn State," McKenna told ESPN. "I feel this is the next step in my development to reach my ultimate goal of playing in the NHL and I am excited to get to Happy Valley. I'm very appreciative for all the support I've received so far, especially to my family who has been with me through it all.

"It was a super tough decision. "Obviously there's a lot of great options out there, but me and my family and everyone who is part of my circle, we all decided the best spot for me next year will be Penn State University. I think Penn State is a great spot for me. I got to get a taste of what it's like there. I got to bring along my dad, and we both thought it was a great spot for me."

McKenna was choosing between Penn State and Michigan State University, two of the best college hockey programs in the country. Ultimately, after visiting both schools, Penn State’s offer was too good to refuse.

McKenna is said to have received a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal of $700 thousand (USD), which is worth close to $1 million in Canadian dollars. McKenna’s NIL deal is the largest in college hockey history.

The move was made possible by a rule change initiated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in November. The rule allowed players in the three Canadian Hockey Leagues - the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League - to be permitted to play in the NCAA starting August 1, 2025.

Prior to the rule change, CHL players were viewed as professionals and were not allowed to compete in the NCAA due to its amateurism rules. Five players were selected from NCAA programs during the first round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft in late June, while 21 players, including the first two picks of the first round, were chosen from teams in the CHL. That number will likely change due to the new rules, with some of the prospects drafted out of the CHL this year already committing to play for NCAA programs next season.

“While we will take time to fully review this rule change, we believe this is a positive development that will provide our players with more opportunities to continue their hockey and academic careers following their time in the CHL,” said the CHL in a statement in November. “It will also give young players and their families more options in choosing their development path. We remain strongly committed to carrying on that tradition of success on the ice while embracing the enhanced academic options that this rule change will present off the ice.”

McKenna’s name alone will attract more high-end Canadian talent to Penn State and Division I college hockey.

The 17-year-old’s stardom is well deserved. McKenna was the 2024 David Branch CHL Player of the Year. He is the youngest player to win the award since John Tavares in 2006-07. The Hat Tigers forward posted incredible numbers across 56 games. He scored 41 goals and added 88 assists for 129 points, leading his team to their first WHL championship since 2007.

The Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, native had a 40-game point streak, a modern-day CHL record, in the regular season, which extended to 54 games in the playoffs, once again setting a modern-day record for most consecutive points in a CHL campaign. A season before, McKenna finished with 97 points in 61 regular-season games, winning CHL Rookie of the Year.

The left-shot forward is regarded as a “generational talent,” receiving similar hype to No. 1 overall picks like Sidney Crosby (2005), McDavid (2015), and Connor Bedard (2023), and being compared to NHL greats that he grew up idolizing.

"McKenna is in a special category that you only come across every few years," said Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting vice president and director. "His offensive instincts and playmaking game are truly exceptional and it's his composure, compete and maturity that really sell you on his talent.

“His game resembles the likes of Patrick Kane and Doug Gilmour, who both had slight builds and were able to utilize their talents to produce and use those same smarts and wits to protect themselves from hockey's physical elements.”

"His trajectory is generational because when you compare where he is at the same age to some of these other players to get to the NHL as 18-year-olds and have an impact, he's on that same path," said David Gregory, NHL Central Scouting associate director. "When you think of the key skills you have to have in the NHL ... you have to be smart, you have to be able to skate and you have to be able to compete. Those three important skills are maybe his three best skills, so we're not even talking about how great his hands are.”

McKenna is joining a Penn State program that is coming off its best season since becoming a Division I hockey team in 2012. Penn State finished 22-14-4 and reached the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time in school history.

While they lost to Boston University in the semifinals, Penn State is gearing up for another run at a championship. Along with adding McKenna, Penn State received a commitment from Columbus Blue Jackets prospect and the 14th-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Jackson Smith. Calgary Flames 2024 fifth-round pick Luke Misa, the brother of 2025 second-overall pick Michael Misa, committed to Penn State in May. They could potentially add more recent draftees who are looking to transition from the CHL to the NCAA, including the sixth-overall pick in June’s draft, Philadelphia Flyers forward Porter Martone.

Charlie Cerrato, the team’s second-leading point scorer (42) last season, will return to Penn State for the 2025-26 season after being drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Cerrato was just the second Penn State player drafted to the NHL, but that number is expected to rise in the coming years with future No. 1 overall pick McKenna and other high-end commits that join the program.

"I think the main goal obviously is to win a championship," McKenna said. "I think you saw what Penn State did this year, making it to the Frozen Four. They’ve come a long way, and I think next year when I go there obviously that’s the goal, to win the championship with them."