Penn State sends Gavin McKenna off to the Toronto Maple Leafs No. 1 overall

Penn State men's hockey forward Gavin McKenna heard his name called Friday night at the 2026 NHL Draft.

As expected, the Toronto Maple Leafs used their No. 1 overall pick to take McKenna off the board immediately. Despite talks of Toronto going a bit rouge, it couldn't pass up on that kind of talent McKenna possess.

In 2025-26 as a true freshman Nittany Lion, he was honored as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was named a Hobey Baker Award Top-10 Finalist. After finishing the season with 38 points (11 goals, 27 assists) in Big Ten matchups, McKenna also earned the Big Ten Scoring Champion title. He had 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) across all contests.

McKenna's list of accolades and records goes on, so it's clear the left-winger was going to be tough to overtake on draft night.

Toronto Maple Leafs select Penn State men's hockey forward Gavin McKenna No. 1 overall at the 2026 NHL Draft

Already, McKenna is anticipated to be a top-liner for the Maple Leafs alongside center Auston Matthews and right-ringer William Nylander.

"[Matthews is] a special player," McKenna said to ESPN. "It'd mean the world to play with him."

While they didn't technically need a left-wing forward, they certainly went with the best player available and have ways to fit him into their roster as an immediate impact player.

McKenna is now just the sixth player from the NCAA to go first overall in the draft. Center Macklin Celebrini was the most recent No. 1 overall pick prior to McKenna. The San Jose Sharks selected him in the 2024 NHL Draft. McKenna and Celebrini are also joined by Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power, former St. Louis Blues defenseman Erik Johnson, former New York Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro, and former Detroit Red Wings forward Joe Murphy.

"I'm so grateful," McKenna said on the ESPN broadcast. "I have no words."

McKenna is also a Canadian Hockey League product. The Nittany Lions plucked him out of the Western Hockey League's Medicine Hate Tigers squad for his first and only NCAA season. In 133 games, McKenna logged 79 goals and 86 assists (165 total points) in the WHL.

Acquiring McKenna was a huge win for head coach Guy Gadowsky. While Penn State didn't go far in the NCAA Tournament, McKenna and others opened a pipeline from the CHL to Happy Valley. Talented players, ones who end up becoming (or already are) first-round picks, choosing the blue and white speaks volumes to other collegiate prospects.

The Nittany Lions' 2025-26 roster included seven players from the CHL, which is made up of the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League with the WHL. Defenseman Jackson Smith was the No. 14 overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft with the Columbus Blue Jackets picking him up.

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