2026 NHL Prospect Profile: Penn State’s Gavin McKenna
The Game’s Next Generational Talent Takes his Services to Happy Valley
By: Draft Nation Staff · 8mo
Photo: Penn State Athletics
Gavin McKenna is a prodigious offensive talent and perhaps the NHL’s next generational player, being compared by some as having an impact on the league like Pittsburgh Penguins great Sidney Crosby or the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid. McKenna possesses ridiculously dynamic playmaking skills and brings his talent from the junior ranks this year to the NCAA, joining the Penn State Nittany Lions this fall.
McKenna’s journey from the WHL to State College was purposeful, as he’s charting a course to the NHL. In the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers, McKenna posted 97 points in 61 games before his true breakout year during the 2024-25 season. It was then that McKenna scored 129 points in just 56 games, including setting a CHL point streak record at 54 games. In total, McKenna netted 79 goals and 165 assists in 133 regular-season games, setting a pace above a point a game.
Strengths
McKenna is the most heralded prospect to enter the NHL draft since the Chicago Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard several years ago. But McKenna’s route to the pros will be different. His leap to the college game will help him refine his skills against older and better players and will shine a spotlight on his skill set. He has undoubtedly the most accurate shot in the upcoming class of prospects, but he also possesses strong vision on the ice, allowing him to be a next-level playmaker, likened to all-time greats such as Adam Oates and Craig Janney.
He plays a two-way game like Crosby that makes him an equally effective defensive zone asset, and his skating ability is near McDavid-like. Barring injury or some unforeseen circumstance, McKenna will be the first pick in next year’s overall draft. And what’s more is that McKenna is only going to get better.
Weaknesses
There are no real weaknesses in McKenna’s game, but there is room to improve. Taking the big step this year to play at the collegiate level will bring higher levels of competition and challenge him physically. Scouts will watch him closely as he tests his skills against more mature and more physical players. The collegiate defenses are more complex too, and McKenna will need to demonstrate that he can learn to master them before heading to the NHL.
Conclusion
Gavin McKenna is an elite talent with a Hall of Fame ceiling. He will come off the board first next summer, and teams like the Blackhawks, Flyers, Penguins, and Sharks will be hoping the first overall ping pong ball pops in their favor for the next draft lottery. He is hockey’s next superstar, waiting to take the ice. Sit back and enjoy, hockey fans.
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