Penn State men's hockey forward Gavin McKenna is headed back to represent Canada following the 2025-26 NCAA season.
The Nittany Lion is slated to play in the IIHF World Championships for Team Canada in May. The tournament begins May 15 and runs through the end of the month in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland.
Being added to the Team Canada roster is just another notch in McKenna's belt. He joins four current NHL players on the roster, which is still being finalized ahead of May 15. Over the season, he added Big Ten Freshman of the Year, second-team All-Big Ten honors, Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection, All-American honors, and Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist to his stacked resume as well.
Penn State forward Gavin McKenna makes IIHF World Championships Team Canada roster
Just as it's a monumental moment for McKenna, it's historic for Penn State as well. McKenna is the first Nittany Lion to represent Happy Valley at the World Championships. Penn State has not had a player on a senior world roster in program history, despite having decorated athletes from All-Americans to high draft picks.
McKenna finished his true freshman season with 51 points on 15 goals and 36 assists over 35 regular season games. He set freshman records for the program in points and assists while logging the second-highest single-season point total in Nittany Lion history as well. He also played in the World Juniors Championship in the middle of the season. The forward had 14 points on four goals and 10 assists in seven contests.
Team Canada first faces Team Sweden in the preliminary round in Fribourg, Switzlerand to open its World Championship journey. The game is scheduled for a 10:20 a.m. puck drop on Friday, May 15. Canada also plays the following matchups in the preliminary round:
- Team Italy: Saturday, May 16 at 10:20 a.m. EDT
- Team Denmark: Monday, May 18 at 10:20 a.m. EDT
- Team Norway: Thursday, May 21 at 10:20 a.m. EDT
- Team Slovenia: Friday, May 22 at 10:20 a.m. EDT
- Team Slovakia: Sunday, May 24 at 2:20 p.m. EDT
- Team Czechia: Tuesday, May 26 at 2:20 p.m. EDT
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