Gavin McKenna is the consensus No. 1 prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft. He is also, thanks to the advent of NIL and revenue-sharing in college sports, a Penn State Nittany Lion. Now the 17-year-old’s collegiate debut is set to be broadcast nationally on NHL Network and worldwide on NHL YouTube.
Penn State men’s hockey opens its 2025-26 season on Friday in Tempe, Arizona, with two games at No. 14 Arizona State. The Nittany Lions are ranked No. 5 in the country after adding McKenna following last season’s Frozen Four run.
The NHL announced a broadcast partnership with Arizona State University and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, making Gavin McKenna’s NCAA debut available worldwide on NHL YouTube and broadcast on NHL Network in the U.S.
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) October 1, 2025
Full details: https://t.co/CRerP4UXEH pic.twitter.com/ati6bmJ87o
Penn State’s season-opening series vs. Arizona State to be broadcast on NHL Network
While the game is being broadcast nationally on NHL Network, the game feed and call will be courtesy of FOX 10 Phoenix with play-by-play broadcaster Tyler Paley and color analyst Alex Coil, according to the NHL’s official press release. However, the NHL Network is going all out with the production, presenting pre-puck drop and postgame coverage with network studio host Tony Luftman and analyst E.J. Hradek on Friday and Erika Wachter and Kevin Weekes on Saturday.
The NHL is fully invested in developing McKenna into its next big star. It has put forth similar efforts in the past for players like Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard in recent years, but both were junior players, not in college hockey. This will be a unique experiment for the league, McKenna, and for Penn State, which could position itself as an NHL pipeline for future prospects.
Penn State is likely to be the most covered program in college hockey this season, but will it be the best? That remains to be seen. It’s hard to know how big the impact of a young rising star like McKenna will be in the NCAA because players of that caliber don’t typically take the college route.
In 2021, Michigan’s Owen Power became the first No. 1 pick out of college hockey since Rick DiPietro came out of Boston University in 2000. Erick Johnson in 2006 was also the No. 1 overall pick after playing for Minnesota, but was drafted from the US U18 team. In 2024, Macklin Celebrini became the No. 1 pick after playing at Boston University.
None of those players got the coverage that McKenna is expected to this season.