No. 10/10 Penn State men's hockey forward Gavin McKenna had a standout season for the Nittany Lions as a true freshman.
Gavin McKenna continues making history as first-ever freshman to earn Big Ten honor
McKenna was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year earlier in the week and earned a spot on the All-Big Second Team. He also won the Big Ten scoring title. Adding to his accolades, the anticipated No. 1 overall 2026 NHL Draft prospect was named a top 10 finalist for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award.
On Wednesday, the group of finalists was announced. These 10 were voted in by all 63 Division I men's college hockey head coaches and a fan ballot.
McKenna stands alongside Michigan State goaltender Trey Augustine, Boston College forward James Hagens, Michigan forward TJ Hughes, Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante, Denver defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, Dartmouth foward Hayden Stavroff, Spartans forward Charlie Stramel, Sacred Heart forward Felix Trudeau, and Quinnipiac forward Ethan Wyttenbach
And the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award Top Ten are...
— Hobey Baker Award (@HobeyBakerAward) March 18, 2026
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Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is named top 10 finalist for Hobey Baker Award
McKenna logged 38 points over 24 games on 11 goals and 27 assists. While he wasn't the star player people expected from the jump of his collegiate career back in October, he quickly adapted. In the second half of the year, McKenna's game sparked.
He is only the second freshman that made the list of finalists. Wyttenbach is the other first year collegiate player. McKenna is also one of four finalists from the Big Ten. The Nittany Lion is joined by Augustine, Hughes, and Stramel.
McKenna joins forward Aiden Fink as the sole Nittany Lions to be named finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. Fink was a 2024-25 finalist for his standpoint sophomore campaign.
The 10-player pool will be narrowed down by a selection committee of 30 members. The "Hobey Hat Trick," or final three nominees for the award, will be announced April 2 as a result of the selection committee's evaluation.
At the Frozen Four in Las Vegas on April 10, the winner will be announced. This is the day before the national championship game.