Two days after 17-year-old hockey star Gavin McKenna announced his intentions to play for Penn State in the fall, the school confirmed the news via press release.
“His arrival to Hockey Valley is extremely significant not only to our hockey program, but to Penn State athletics and to college hockey as a whole,” coach Guy Gadowsky said in the release.
Gadowsky is not exaggerating.
McKenna’s commitment gives Penn State not only one of the most hyped recruits in college hockey history, but maybe also the most ballyhooed recruit in the history of the school’s athletic programs.
Part of that is because of McKenna’s abilities, of course. He’s a 6-foot, 170-pound scoring machine who took his aura to another level when he recorded at least one point in the last 40 games of the regular season and first 14 points of the playoffs for Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League last year.
He ended up with 129 points in 56 regular-season games and 38 more in 16 playoff games.
Please enjoy four and a half minutes of Gavin McKenna highlights after he officially announced his commitment to @PennStateMHKY. ????
The projected 2026 first overall pick is already a star.
(????: @tigershockey & @TheWHL) pic.twitter.com/m3iQaMAXZu
— NHL (@NHL) July 8, 2025
It is also because of a major rule change in 2024. The NCAA ruled that playing Canadian major junior hockey no longer made a player ineligible to play college hockey. McKenna is the first major star to take advantage of the rule change.
Five college players have gone No. 1 overall in the NHL Draft in the past, like McKenna surely will next June, but none was nearly as acclaimed. They are Macklin Celebrini (2024), Owen Power (2021), Erik Johnson (2006), Rick DiPietro (2000) and Joe Murphy (1986).
Penguins…
1984 Mario Lemieux 1st overall.
21 years later…
2005 Sidney Crosby 1st overall.
21 years later…
2026 Gavin McKenna 1st overall??
Could happen. Penguins look like they will be a lottery team.— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) July 8, 2025
It’s also easy to include McKenna on a short list of the most hyped recruits in any sport in Penn State history.
In football, the Nittany Lions have had two players go No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft — Ki-Jana Carter (1995) and Courtney Brown (2000) — but neither was considered a top player in the country coming out of high school.
The highest ranked football recruits in Penn State history — at least since prospect rankings became popular three or four decades ago — are wide receiver Derrick Williams and linebacker Micah Parsons. Williams was the No. 4 recruit in the country in 2005 and Parsons was No. 5 in 2018.
17-year-old hockey phenom Gavin McKenna is heading to Penn State to continue his career ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/qrxxfILu9P
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 8, 2025
The closest thing to McKenna in terms of prospect hype in Penn State sports history might be a classmate of his. Wrestler P.J. Duke will be a freshman with the Nittany Lions next season, and last month, he defeated four-time NCAA champion Yanni Diakomihalis to win a spot on the U.S. national team for the world championships before wrestling his first college match.
Under Cael Sanderson, Penn State has snagged the No. 1 recruit in the country four other times — Morgan McIntosh (2011), Mark Hall (2016), Shayne Van Ness (2021) and Marcus Blaze (2024) — but that’s wrestling. It’s impossible to suggest any of those outstanding grapplers have the name value McKenna does.
Blue-and-white McKenna hockey jerseys are sure to be Happy Valley’s hottest fashion accessory any day now.
“He’s one of the most exciting young talents in the game and reflects the level of student-athletes we’re bringing to Penn State across all sports,” athletic director Pat Kraft said in Thursday’s press release, marking the rare occasion an AD comments on the addition of a single recruit.
“His commitment is a testament to the national reputation Guy Gadowsky and his staff have built, and we know he’ll thrive in the culture of excellence that surrounds our program. We can’t wait to see him compete alongside this incredible group and help push our program to even greater heights.”
With yesterday’s commitment of 5 ⭐️ recruit and the consensus #1 pick for the 2026 NHL Draft, Gavin McKenna, we’ve truly entered a new era in Penn State hockey.
The Nittany Lions recruiting classes are loaded with 5 and 4 star recruits. pic.twitter.com/ghIPu7bzB2
— Puck Preps (@PuckPreps) July 9, 2025
