Gavin McKenna is widely expected to be chosen No. 1 overall within the 2026 NHL Draft next June. The latest member of the Penn State Nittany Lions is fresh off ripping up the Western Hockey League, and can now take his talents from Medicine Hat, Alberta to University Park, Pennsylvania in 2025-26.
And the 17-year-old doesn’t mind the pressure that comes with being one of the vital highly sought-after players outside of the National Hockey League.
“I do not mind the eye,” the young Canadian told NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale earlier this week. “Truthfully, I do not really think a complete lot of it. You get used to it. You think that there’s quite a lot of pressure, but I do not mind it.
“Obviously it’s a unique 12 months for me. I’m looking forward to simply the entire draft 12 months itself, talking to NHL teams and just working towards the goal of getting drafted as high as possible. On top of that, I’m looking forward to being at Penn State. I feel we now have an incredible team there.”
McKenna spent the last three seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers after being drafted first overall by the WHL franchise in 2022. The Whitehouse native was the primary Yukon-born player to be chosen No. 1, and he helped the Tigers win the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2024-25.
He was absolutely electric in junior hockey, posting a ridiculous 129 points in 56 regular-season games and following it up with 38 more points in 16 playoff contests. Representing the Western Hockey League within the 2025 Memorial Cup, McKenna finished second in tournament scoring because the Tigers were beaten by the London Knights within the championship game.
Gavin McKenna will spend his last 12 months outside the NHL at Penn State
Following the 2024 decision of the NCAA to permit Canadian Hockey League players to be eligible to play in collegiate competition, McKenna committed to the Nittany Lions for the 2025-26 campaign earlier this month.
He immediately becomes a Hobey Baker favorite as he looks to play “against older, heavier, stronger guys” before likely going pro in 2026-27.
McKenna won two gold medals with Team Canada in 2024; one on the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and one other on the World U18 Championships in Finland. But he was unable to capture one other in 2025, as Canada finished fifth place within the World Junior Hockey Championship, watching america win gold for a second 12 months in a row.
“We all know that it isn’t normal for Canada to complete that bad two years in a row, so especially for us returning guys, there’s quite a lot of fire in our hearts to sort of prove ourselves this 12 months,” McKenna told Morreale.
McKenna was the youngest player on Canada’s roster in 2025, scoring a goal in five games. He needs to be certainly one of the roster’s premier players because the country looks to return to junior hockey supremacy for the primary time since 2023.
Together with the world juniors, the teen can be looking forward to creating the transition from Canadian junior hockey to the NCAA — and hopefully helping the Tigers win a title in the method.
“I feel less games will probably be an enormous adjustment, living on your personal, sort of preparing for all times,” he said. “I feel just being with a brand new team is at all times different. It is going to be an enormous adjustment but I feel it’ll get me ready for my rookie 12 months (within the NHL). I would like to win a national championship of course. I feel my goals are high for myself and I do know it will be a very important 12 months.”
It’ll be interesting to see how the dynamic young forward performs in 2025-26 — and which NHL team will get the privilege to pick him next summer.