Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, is reportedly expected to sign with the Penn State Nittany Lions for the upcoming 2025-26 NCAA hockey season.
Elite Prospects’ Cam Robinson dropped the news on Monday, adding that the 17-year-old forward chose State College over East Lansing, home of the Michigan State Spartans.
“Multiple sources indicate that Gavin McKenna will commit to Penn State University for 2025-26,” Robinson wrote on X. “One of the most electrifying prospects chooses the Nittany Lions. A game-changing get for PSU hockey.”
Independent hockey insider Jordan Schmaltz – a former member of the St. Louis Blues for parts of three seasons – indicated that McKenna could put pen to paper as soon as Monday.
“Sounds like Gavin McKenna will be signing with Penn State sometime this week. Maybe even as early as today,” Schmaltz posted on X. “He was added to the team group chat last night.”
Whispers of McKenna’s eventual decision began in early June when SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman dropped hints on the 32 Thoughts Podcast.
“I was asking a few people around hockey what they thought, and informal straw poll, I would say Penn State. That’s who the favorite is,” Friedman said. “Nothing’s done until it’s done. I was told it would be premature to make any enormous proclamation. But I asked a bunch of people around and said if you had to pick where he’s going to play next year, most of them picked Penn State.”
McKenna has spent the past three seasons in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers, recording 129 points (41g, 88a) in 56 games during the team’s championship campaign last year. The Whitehorse, Yukon native could’ve stayed for a fourth season but it seems he wants to help the Nittany Lion program take the next step.
Penn State is coming off their first-ever appearance in the Frozen Four this past April, ultimately falling to the Boston University Terriers 3-1 in the semifinal round. With a so-called generational talent like McKenna on the roster, a national championship pursuit could be even more attainable now.
McKenna is eligible to jump into the college ranks due to the NCAA’s vote last November to permit Canadian junior players to participate in Division I play beginning with the upcoming season. Previously, all players in the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL were deemed professionals ineligible for the NCAA.
Penn State has produced three NHL talents, including Brett Murray, Brandon Biro, and Casey Bailey. Other pro standouts from the school include AHLers Alex Limoges, Ryan Kirwan, Connor MacEachern, Simon Mack, Kris Myllari, Nikita Pavlychev, Nathan Sucese, and Kevin Wall.
