(Editor's Note: This is another installment about Gavin McKenna's draft status heading into the 2026 NHL draft. He was the No. 1 ranked player at the start of the NHL season.)
Sunday’s NCAA Tournament Drawing placed McKenna’s Penn State team in the Albany, N.Y. regional as a No. 3 seed taking on No. 2 seed Minnesota-Duluth Friday at 9 p.m. The winner of that game plays the winner of No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Bentley in the regional final. Undoubtedly, NHL scouts would love to see McKenna put on a show in this tournament.
This Season: The Nittany Lions expanded their national hockey footprint by recruiting McKenna to their school. With freshman McKenna leading the team in points, Penn State finished with a 21-13-2 record (12-10-2 in Big Ten play) and are currently ranked 10th in the country, according to USCHO polling. Coach Guy Gadowsky’s team was 14-6 at home but struggled to a 7-7-2 mark on the road.
Penn State vs. Minnesota-Duluth: The two schools did not play this season. In the most recent USCHO poll, Minnesota-Duluth was ranked No. 6 in the country. Minnesota-Duluth's top player is Detroit Red Wings draft pick Max Plante, the son of former NHL player Derek Plante. The young Plante (24 goals, 25 assists) ranks fifth nationally with 49 points.
Penn State Tournament History: The Nittany Lions qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time last season and beat UConn in its opening game.
McKenna Ranking: Elite Prospects Consolidated 100 has McKenna ranking No. 2 behind Swedish Hockey League winger Ivar Stenberg of the Frolunda Hockey Club. Craig Button's TSN ranking has McKenna at No. 1, and Stenberg No. 2. Dobber Prospects also has McKenna No. 1. Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino ranks Stenberg No. 1.
McKenna Numbers: The Whitehorse, Yukon Territories left wing has 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 34 games. That places him third in the country among college scorers. He trails second place T.J. Hughes of Michigan (20 goals, 33 assists) by two points and is seven points behind Ethan Wyttenbach of Quinnipiac (24 goals, 34 assists).
Just the Facts: McKenna carries a nine-game points streak into the tournament. That's two short two of Evan Barrett’s program record of 11 games in 2018-19. He also has a chance of setting a new school record for points in a season. His 51 points are only two short of Aiden Fink’s school record set last season. McKenna’s 15 goals on the season also tie him with Fink and Charlie Cerrato for the fifth-most in a single-season by a Penn State freshman.
Season Highlight: McKenna's one goal and seven assists in an 11-4 win Feb. 20 against Ohio State allowed him to set a new Penn State record for points and a Big Ten mark for assists.
Future: Currently, the Vancouver Canucks (25.1%) have the best odds of picking No. 1 overall. Since the draft lottery was introduced in 1995, the team with the worst record has won the lottery 52% of the time. Holding the best odds after Vancouver this season: Chicago, New York Rangers and Calgary. Over the holidays and into January, the NHL rumor mill had McKenna perhaps dropping to No. 2 on many teams' draft boards. But with his impressive effort down the stretch, that talk has ceased. Since Jan. 16, McKenna shows 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 13 games. He has been prolific with his shots on goal this season. He has produced seven or more in a game five times. Even after he was charged with simple assault after a post-game confrontation with another man at a parking structure near a bar, his elite production continued. T It's impossible to know for sure, but we believe most teams rank McKenna No. 1. But not all of them, meaning Stenberg could go first if the right team wins the lottery.