There has never been a Penn State commit like Gavin McKenna.
That certainly goes for the hockey program, which has only been an NCAA operation since 2012.
But there’s also a strong case to be made that McKenna is the biggest Penn State commit in any sports.
That includes the basketball program, the wrestling program— which has won 12 national titles in the past 14 years— and, yes, the Penn State football program.
McKenna, still just 17 years old, is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
As if that isn’t impressive enough, many feel he’s the most promising prospect since Connor McDavid, the best player in the world today and an all-time great.
For Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky, the way McKenna’s mind works is reminiscent of an even greater Oiler.
WHAT GUY SAID
When Gadowsky talked about McKenna with reporters Tuesday morning, he indeed mentioned the most iconic name in hockey history.
“I was fortunate enough to grow up to watch Wayne Gretzky play from Edmonton,” Gadowsky said. “I think one of the things that makes (McKenna) so special is that he is so creative. His mind is just very different. And there’s no way that I or anybody else on our staff thinks like Gavin does. He is a very, very special athlete who thinks very differently, and I’m going to enjoy watching him.
When Gretzky was active, there was a saying that an all-star NHL player thought one play ahead, a superstar thought two plays ahead and Gretzky thought three plays ahead.
The gravity of Penn State getting a player that might be even close to that caliber isn’t lost on Gadowsky.
“Obviously, this is a huge thing for Penn State and Penn State hockey,” he said, “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.”
The fact that McKenna announced his commitment on SportsCenter proves Gadowsky’s point that this isn’t only a huge deal for Penn State hockey, but for college hockey in general.
Not too long ago, McKenna’s presence in the NCAA wouldn’t have been possible.
But thanks to a rule change that is going into affect this season that allows Canadian Hockey League players to move to the NCAA, McKenna and Jackson Smith— who went No. 14 overall to the Blue Jackets in last month’s draft— are eligible.
McKenna certainly proved enough in the CHL.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.McKenna, a native of Whitehorse, Yukon in Canada, scored 129 points for the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers, and won’t turn 18 until close to the end of the year.
His performance earned him the David Branch Player of the Year, presented annually to Canada’s top amateur player. Previous winners of that award include Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and McDavid.
For Gadowsky, a lot of this goes back to the way Gavin McKenna thinks, and Gadowsky doesn’t plan on messing with that mindset.
“By no means am I ever going to talk to him about how his mind creates,” he said. “That’s him, and it’s going to be really fun to watch. … That’s partly what I think makes Penn State hockey fun, is we certainly encourage creativity. And with him, I can tell you, just watching his game, he’s so fun to watch because of his physical skill level, but also how his mind is able to slow things down and create. It’s just really fun to watch.”
“He’s done very, very well in the CHL,” Gadowsky said. “I think he’s looking for a new challenge. I think he loves the fact that he would be the very first. And I think he’s seen the support that Penn State hockey gets and Penn State University gets, and I think that fits him very well.”
NOT DONE YET
Something that should excite Penn State fans and scare fans of everybody else is that Penn State might not be done adding to its 2025 Class yet.
Two big-time players that have been linked to Penn State are Michael Misa, who went No. 2 overall to the Sharks in this year’s draft, and Porter Martrone, who went No. 6 to Philadelphia.
Misa’s brother, Luke, is already playing for Penn State.
Gadowsky was asked about the possibility of adding more NHL-caliber talent, and he didn’t rule out the possibility.
“(The roster) is always fluid because of eligibility, injuries, et cetera,” he said. “So I don’t think it’s fair to ever say, always, you know, we are absolutely done or we’re not done, I think, because there’s too many factors that can happen.”
Gadowsky also pointed out that timing is a factor.
“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,” he said. “So, I will 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.””
Overall, none of this is too bad for an operation that was a club program at the time these prospects were born.
“We did not have these expectations when you start from a club program,” said Gadowsky. “Well, I can tell you it’s better to have the expectations than not. So this is where everybody wants to go.”
As for Gavin McKenna, well, he can do it all.
“We don’t use the term ‘five-tool player’ in hockey as much as you hear it used in other sports, but McKenna’s one of those guys,” Gadowsky said. “He’s got it.”
