BUFFALO, N.Y. — Gavin McKenna’s Penn State chapter is closed, and by every indication, it was a chapter he will carry with him for a long time.
For McKenna, the move to Penn State was never just about one season of college hockey. It was about testing himself. It was about development. It was about stepping into an older, stronger, faster game and seeing how quickly he could adjust before beginning the next stage of his hockey career.
That next stage is now here.
McKenna is expected to be one of the first names called in the 2026 NHL Draft later this month at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. But before the draft-night spotlight fully shifts toward his NHL future, McKenna took time during the NHL Scouting Combine to reflect on what Penn State meant to him.
“Penn State was a fun ride,” McKenna said. “I got to experience some crazy things, like the outdoor game and just college in general. It was a pretty fun ride.”
That line says plenty.
McKenna came to Penn State as one of the most fascinating players in college hockey. He left as one of the most decorated players in program history.
His freshman season was not just impressive by Penn State standards. It was one of the most dominant freshman campaigns college hockey has seen from a draft-eligible forward in recent memory.
McKenna shattered nine Penn State program records while becoming just the third Nittany Lion to record 50 points in a season. He finished with 51 points on 15 goals and a program-record 36 assists, giving Penn State a dynamic offensive centerpiece and giving the college game one of its most electric players.
The honors followed.
McKenna was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, captured the league’s scoring championship, earned All-Big Ten Second Team 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.
For a program still building its national identity, McKenna’s season will forever endure.
Penn State has had stars before. It has had NHL prospects before. It has had breakthrough teams and memorable moments. But McKenna brought a different kind of attention. He brought a spotlight that followed him from Whitehorse, Yukon, to State College and now to Buffalo.
He also brought expectations.
Those expectations could have been heavy. Instead, McKenna embraced the challenge, even if the transition was not always easy.
During McKenna’s media availability at the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine, I asked him what Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky meant to him during his time with the program.
“Yeah, ‘Gads’ was awesome to me,” McKenna said. “He’s a good coach and a great guy. We had some good ping-pong battles when I was there.
“He was one of those coaches all the guys loved and wanted to get it done for. Obviously, I hope I left my legacy there.”
That legacy is secure.
McKenna did not spend four years at Penn State. He did not have the traditional college arc of arriving as a freshman, growing into a veteran and leaving as a senior leader. His stay was shorter and more unique than that.
But impact is not always measured in time.
Sometimes, it is measured in what a player represents.
McKenna represented a new possibility for Penn State hockey. He showed that a high-end prospect could choose the NCAA route, come to State College, play meaningful games, face older competition, develop physically and still maintain his standing as an elite NHL Draft prospect.
McKenna took a different route to the NHL, opting against staying in the CHL and instead challenging himself at the NCAA level, where many players were several years older and physically more mature.
The experience proved valuable.
“Yeah, it was a good season,” McKenna said. “In college, the guys were bigger, stronger and faster, and the game itself is a little different than junior. It’s more straightforward hockey.
“I found out early on that things weren’t just going to happen easy. Once I got to World Juniors, I kind of got my confidence back and figured out the game a little bit more. I started working harder off the ice and on the ice, getting into the dirty areas a little bit more, and I think that’s why I started producing more.”
That may be the most important part of McKenna’s Penn State story.
The points were obvious. The skill was obvious. The draft stock was obvious. But the adjustment was the real story.
McKenna had to learn that he could not simply rely on talent. He had to fight through tighter checking. He had to adjust to heavier bodies. He had to learn how to manufacture offense when time and space disappeared.
That is the kind of lesson a player can take with him into professional hockey.
McKenna was later asked what advice he would give to other players making the jump from the CHL to the NCAA. His answer was honest and measured.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“Everyone’s path is different,” McKenna said. “Some guys are going to thrive in that environment, and for some guys, maybe another year of junior would be better.
“For me, what I learned is that it’s a big jump. It’s a different style of hockey, and you play a lot fewer games, so you spend a lot more time in the gym. That was key for me, and I’m sure there are guys out there who need the same thing.
That maturity was visible as the season progressed.
McKenna’s game became more direct. He became more comfortable attacking hard areas. He became more willing to play through contact rather than around it. His offensive instincts never disappeared, but the rest of his game started to catch up to the demands of college hockey.
Penn State benefited from that growth. McKenna did, too.
There has also been plenty of discussion about name, image and likeness opportunities and how much they could factor into a player’s college decision. McKenna was asked how much NIL played into his choice to leave the CHL path for the NCAA.
His answer was direct.
“With the NIL stuff, it comes with it, but at the end of the day, I think we’re both confident in our abilities to be making money in the future,” McKenna said.
“We both wanted what was best for our careers, and the money is kind of just a side piece. Like I said, we both know we’re going to be getting money in the future, so it didn’t really play a factor.”
That answer reinforces what McKenna’s Penn State season always appeared to be about: development first.
The money, attention and draft conversation were all part of the backdrop. But McKenna’s decision to come to Penn State was rooted in finding the best place to get better.
Now, he is on the doorstep of the NHL.
With McKenna projected as a potential No. 1 overall pick, the Toronto Maple Leafs have an opportunity to land the Whitehorse, Yukon, native. The possibility of going first overall and playing in his native Canada clearly means something to him.
“Obviously, it would be an honor,” McKenna said. “As a kid, that’s what you dream of. If that was the case, I’d be pretty pumped.
“Being a Canadian kid, going to a Canadian market would be pretty special. The situation the Leafs are in right now is pretty crazy, that they got the first overall pick. Their team is probably going to be fighting for the playoffs next year, so I’d be pretty fortunate to go there.
“Whether I do go there or not, I’m going to get drafted to the NHL, so it would be pretty cool.”
With the draft now just weeks away, the moment is starting to become real for McKenna.
“Yeah, it’s very exciting,” McKenna said. “This year has kind of flown by. During the year, I wasn’t really thinking about it too much, but as you get to go home and reset a little bit, you start to reflect on the year.
“You only get to live this year once. For me to be going through it has been pretty special. If I was a kid looking at this year and telling my younger self this is where I’d be, I’d be pretty pumped. I’m trying to take it all in and make the most out of it.”
McKenna has already envisioned what draft night could feel like.
“Obviously, I would be super excited,” McKenna said. “Getting to sit beside my family and hopefully hear my name called, then give them some big hugs, would be pretty special.
“To walk up on that stage and put that jersey on would be pretty amazing. It would be a moment where you know all the hard work and dedication paid off. For my family to be there and witness it would be a special moment for sure.”
That moment is coming quickly.
When McKenna walks across the stage in Buffalo, he will do so as one of the most gifted players in the draft and one of the most important players Penn State hockey has ever had.
His stay in State College was brief. His impact was not.
McKenna gave Penn State a record-breaking season, national relevance and a glimpse of what the program can be when elite talent sees the NCAA path as the right path.
For McKenna, Penn State was a stop on the way to the NHL.
For Penn State, McKenna was proof that the program can be a destination for players with the highest possible ambitions.
And for both sides, it was exactly what McKenna called it.
A pretty fun ride.
