Gavin McKenna’s one-year stop at Penn State ended exactly where it was expected to end: with his name called first.
The Toronto Maple Leafs selected McKenna No. 1 overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, making the Penn State star the latest face of one of hockey’s most visible franchises and giving the Nittany Lions one of the most significant draft moments in school history.
McKenna arrived in State College as the most hyped player in college hockey and left as a franchise cornerstone. His combination of elite vision, puck skill, creativity and offensive confidence made him the clear headliner of the draft class. For Toronto, the pick represents a swing at a player with superstar upside. For Penn State, it represents another landmark moment in the program’s rise under Guy Gadowsky.
It also puts Penn State in rare company across the four major North American drafts. With McKenna joining Ki-Jana Carter, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft and Courtney Brown, the No. 1 overall overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, Penn State now has No. 1 overall picks in multiple big-four leagues.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.That places the Nittany Lions alongside a select group of schools that have produced top overall picks in at least two of the NFL, NHL, MLB or NBA drafts, including Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, LSU, Oklahoma, Stanford, Miami, North Carolina, Nebraska, Oregon State, Tennessee, Auburn, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Georgia, Indiana, Syracuse, Utah, Virginia and NC State.
Penn State is the second Big Ten program to have a No. 1 overall pick joining Michigan who had defenseman Owen Power go to the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
For Penn State hockey, McKenna’s selection is more than a draft headline. It is a validation point of proof that State College can be a destination for the sport’s most elite prospects.
