Penn State men's hockey forward Gavin McKenna made the top 10 for the Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the best collegiate hockey player every year.
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On Thursday, April 2, the three finalists for the award were announced. McKenna was not included in the Hobey Hat Trick, which was Michigan forward T.J. Hughes, Minnesota-Duluth forward Max Plante, and Denver defenseman Eric Pohlkamp.
McKenna finished the 2025-26 season with 51 points on 15 goals and 36 assists over 34 contests. He ranked third in the country in shots with 150, per his Hobey Baker profile. McKenna also averaged 1.5 points per game, which was good for second in the country. His number of assists and total points also ranked second in the college hockey.
Against Ohio State, McKenna logged eight points on one goal and seven assists. This made Penn State history as well as NCAA history, totaling the most points in one game in 39 years across the league.
McKenna's accolades didn't stop there.
He was the first Nittany Lion to win the Big ten Freshman of the Year award, also making the All-Big Freshman Team and All-Big Second Team.
Hobey Baker Award snubs aren't new, especially given the pool of candidates starts with over 90 players across the NCAA and must be narrowed down to 10. Making the top 10 is already a huge accomplishment, especially for a true freshman who started his collegiate career before he even turned 18 years old.
As he has yet to be drafted as the expected No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, it's uncertain if McKenna will return to Pegula Ice Arena for the 2026-27 season.
He shared a message after the Nittany Lions' loss to the Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Hockey Tournament, stating he is "a Penn Stater for life."
This hints at the possibility that he will not return, but there's also a chance thst head coach Guy Gadowsky and his staff can convince him to stay for developmental purposes for one more year. If McKenna comes back for his sophomore season, it will most definitely be Penn State's last opportunity to take advantage of generational talent in its locker room.