It's not every day a No. 1 overall draft pick prepares to sign with your team. For Penn State men's hockey, the potential No. 1 selection of the 2026 NHL Draft is closing in on his college decision and may just be headed to Happy Valley.
Gavin McKenna, a left winger from Whitehorse, Canada, is rumored to sign with the Nittany Lions later in the week of July 6. In the 2026 NHL Draft, he is the clear frontrunner, by far, to be the No. 1 overall pick as well.
Gavin McKenna rumored to sign with Penn State men's hockey
McKenna currently plays in the Western Hockey League of the Canadian Hockey League. Over the 2024-25 season, it became official that CHL players are eligible to play in the NCAA. Penn State is clearly taking advantage of this new development in hopes of building on the Frozen Four-run success in April 2025.
With the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL, McKenna is an alternate captain and totaled 129 points on 41 goals and 88 assists over 56 games. He is also plus 60 on the season. The 17-year-old played in the World Juniors Championship Tournament (U20) in 2024-25 as well. With Team Canada, he scored one goal over five games.
Early on July 7, People's Insider Jordan Schmaltz posted on X about the potential Penn State signing. Schamltz wrote that he'll likely sign and is in close contact with the rest of the team.
Sounds like Gavin McKenna will be signing with Penn State sometime this week. Maybe even as early as today. He was added to the team group chat last night. Big news in the college hockey scene. 👀
— Jordan Schmaltz (@J_Swish24) July 7, 2025
-People’s
Over the weekend McKenna visited his top two schools he's considering: Penn State and Michigan State. This is an intense battle between the two schools.
The Nittany Lions and Spartans are two powerhouse teams. In the 2025 Big Ten Hockey Tournament, Michigan State defeated Ohio State to claim the title. Penn State lost to the Buckeyes before reaching the championship game.
In the NCAA Tournament, though, the Spartans were hugley upset by automatic bid Cornell that needed to win the ECAC conference championship to make the playoffs. Michigan State lost in the final 10 seconds just before the contest headed into overtime.
Penn State, on the other hand, shockingly made it all the way to the Frozen Four in St. Louis, Mo.. Now head coach Guy Gadowsky seeks another strong season and hopefully one that makes it to the Frozen Four Championship Game. He recently signed No. 14 2025 NHL Draft overall pick Jackson Smith.
The Sporting News' Justin Lynch agreed with the recent rumors that the young forward is planning on committing to Penn State. According to ESPN insider and Penn State alum Emily Kaplan, she also believes that McKenna is headed to Happy Valley. During the draft's broadcast when Smith was selected, she said:
"As a Penn State alum, I do think it’s a really exciting time for our program. I do believe we’re going to get [McKenna] as well.”
Each program has its pros and cons, but the Nittany Lions had the upper hand over the Spartans since June. Nothing has been confirmed, though, and McKenna could make a surprising choice and go with Michigan State. However, that seems very unlikely. Penn State definitely has something to look forward to in the coming days.