Penn State freshman sensation Gavin McKenna is headed to the international stage.
McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NHL Draft, was added to Team Canada’s roster ahead of the 2026 IIHF World Championship, which will be held May 15-31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.
The addition is another major milestone in what has already been a historic year for McKenna, who became one of the most decorated players in Penn State men’s hockey history during his freshman season.
McKenna was named as one of five additions to Canada’s roster earlier this week, joining four current NHL players. Canada’s final roster will be announced in the coming weeks as the program looks to win its first gold medal at the Men’s World Championship since 2023.
McKenna also becomes the first Penn State player to represent the program at the World Championships.
For Penn State, it is another significant marker of the program’s rise under Guy Gadowsky. The Nittany Lions have produced NHL draft picks, professional players, NCAA Tournament teams and All-Americans, but McKenna’s addition to Canada’s senior national team puts the program on a new international stage.
The Whitehorse, Yukon, native put together one of the most productive seasons in Penn State history, setting nine program records and becoming just the third Nittany Lion to reach the 50-point mark in a single season.
McKenna finished the year with 51 points, the second-highest single-season total in program history, while setting Penn State freshman records in both points and assists. He scored 15 goals and added a program single-season record 36 assists.
His 51 points ranked third in the Big Ten and tied for fifth nationally, while his 36 assists ranked second in the country, behind only Michigan’s Michael Hage. McKenna also set Penn State’s single-season record by averaging 1.46 points per game, a mark that led the Big Ten and ranked second nationally.
McKenna’s freshman season came with plenty of hardware.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and was a unanimous selection to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He also became Penn State’s second Hobey Baker Top-10 finalist and just the fourth All-American in program history.
McKenna was twice named the Hockey Commissioners Association National Rookie of the Month, earning the honor in October and February. He also collected four Big Ten weekly awards, including two First Star of the Week honors.
His most memorable individual performance came in February against Ohio State, when McKenna delivered one of the best single-game performances college hockey has seen in decades.
In Penn State’s 11-4 win over the Buckeyes, McKenna set program records with eight points and seven assists. The performance helped the Nittany Lions set their record for most goals scored in a Big Ten game and tie the overall single-game program record for goals.
Five of McKenna’s seven assists were primary assists. His eight points were the most in an NCAA Division I game in 39 years, while his seven assists were the most in a game since 1983. Both marks were also the most by any Big Ten player in a single game, including both before and after the conference began sponsoring men’s hockey.
Now, after rewriting the Penn State record book, McKenna will have a chance to represent Canada on one of hockey’s biggest international stages.
For Penn State, it is another first.
For McKenna, it is another step toward what could be a franchise-altering summer.
