Inside 2026 NHL Draft sensation Gavin McKenna's path to Penn State, and his big season ahead

On a warm Wednesday summer evening in late July, Gavin McKenna is in Calgary.

After announcing his groundbreaking commitment to play at Penn State University on ESPNs SportsCenter earlier this month, he had just spent a week at home in Whitehorse, Yukon, where the 2026 NHL Drafts No.

1 prospect pitched in at a hockey camp for First Nations youth.

Advertisement His older sister, Madison, helps organize the camp through her work at Council of Yukon First Nations, and McKenna says he gave a little speech and helped out on the ice.

This is my first time this year getting home and itll be my last probably, McKenna said in a one-on-one interview with The Athletic .

He misses home his parents, Willy and Krystal, Madison and his 14-year-old sister, Kasey and wishes the stay hadnt been so short.

I love being up north and kind of away from everything.

And when Im there, I love dirt biking, I love fishing, I love golfing.

It helps me get away from the game and resets me in the summertime, he said.

But in whats already been a busy summer schedule for McKenna, hes chosen to squeeze in some skates and workouts in Calgary.

Hes there for his first summer of training with DASH (Dynamic Athletic Strength & Hockey), skating and working out with the likes of Cale Makar.

Hes staying with his girlfriend (who is from Calgary) and her family for the time being.

Then, on Saturday, hell join Hockey Canada in Minnesota for the World Junior Summer Showcase.

After a week in Minneapolis, hell return to Calgary for a couple more weeks of training before heading to Penn State on Aug.

15 to begin prep for his freshman year in college a freshman year that may be the most hotly anticipated in NCAA hockey history.

All eyes were always going to be on him.

He knows that.

But in choosing Penn State, a program that has only played at the Division I level since 2011, and that only made its first appearance in the Frozen Four a few months ago, all eyes will be on the Nittany Lions, really for the first time in the programs history, as well.

He says that he just felt a pull toward Hockey Valley, and that hes ready for all of the bright lights.

Advertisement From the start of this whole entire process, I got the feeling that it was going to be Penn State that I was going to go to, McKenna said.

And then once I toured the area and I got to see the facilities and meet some of the people there and some of the guys, it was just a place that I knew right away I could call home and then on top of that they have a great team and they have a chance of winning it, and obviously thats the goal next year.

He admits that he was nervous for the SportsCenter announcement a first for a college hockey player.

It was a little bit more pressure and higher stakes than even he was used to, he said.

When he arrives on campus, hell jump right into university classes as well.

Though itll be a for-one-year-only situation, the school part comes with it and Ive got to take some course, McKenna said.

Its all part of the college experience, so Im looking forward to it, he added.

He knows new teammates Jackson Smith, Shea Van Olm and Aiden Fink a little, which he hopes will help with the transition.

Once he pulls on a Nittany Lions jersey and the puck drops on the season, the hockey part will come much easier.

It always has.

McKenna registered 174 in 123 games (1.41 points per game) in his age 15-16 seasons in the CHL, better than Connor McDavids 165 points in 119 games (1.39 points per game) in his same seasons (their birthdays are less than a month apart).

He registered 20 points in seven games as a double underager at U18 worlds, the most points ever by a U17 player in the tournaments history, surpassing Alex Ovechkins 18 points in eight games (at the same age, McDavid had 14 points in seven games).

In the gold medal game, he scored a hat trick in a come-from-behind win for Canada.

Last year, he registered 129 points in 56 games, 30 more than the 99 that McDavid registered in the exact same number of games at that age.

Advertisement Hes the reigning CHL Player of the Year and was the reigning CHL Rookie of the Year before that.

Last season, though he only turned 17 on Dec.

20, he led the WHL in assists (88) and plus-minus (plus-60).

And hes only just beginning.

In stepping into the next chapter of his career in college hockey, McKenna closed his last chapter with Medicine Hat in the WHL.

The WHL, or Dub as he calls it, was a great league for me, he says.

I loved my time there and it was a lot of fun in Med Hat, McKenna said.

It was a great spot for me, and obviously having a coach like Willie (Desjardins) that has been through it all to guide me and mentor me through my Dub career, it for sure prepared me for this next step.

And he has already coached in the NHL, so he knows the next step after that, too.

Desjardins talks about McKenna as a great kid (who) wants to be a great player.

On the ice, his greatness starts with his vision, according to Desjardins.

Hes got incredible vision, and he can see plays before they develop and when they develop, Desjardins said.

He sees plays really, really early.

He remembers spotting that the very first time he saw him play on a trip to Nashville.

Hed already drafted him by then, but he went down to watch him at a spring hockey showcase and he couldnt believe what he could see.

Once he got to coach him, he noticed his developing leadership qualities and that he has an incredible stick both defensively and offensively.

He turns a lot of pucks over and generates a lot of takeaways with his stick.

And then all of a sudden he has a chance for offense because of it, Desjardins said.

I think hes grown in being a leader.

I think he wants to win.

Hell do things for the team.

Desjardins favorite McKenna story is from the 2023-24 season.

It was Christmastime, and though he was first in his age group in scoring, he wasnt first among all rookies, and he showed up unannounced in Desjardins office.

Advertisement This isnt good enough, McKenna told his head coach.

Ive got to be better than this.

From that point on, Desjardins said he watched video and started skating himself after practice every day.

He skated himself hard.

And that translated from 1.3 points, which is what he was averaging, to I think 2.6 in January.

That was a player that wasnt satisfied with being good, he wanted to be elite.

You forget how young he is.

You always forget.

But hes way faster than people think, Desjardins said.

At times Im surprised by how fast he is.

Hes pretty athletic, and he pushes himself, but things also just come to him.

Predators first-rounder Tanner Molendyk played against McKenna with the Saskatoon Blades and then with him at the 2025 World Juniors and in Medicine Hat following the trade deadline.

He saw him register 38 points in 16 WHL playoff games en route to a WHL title and a 54-game point streak.

Hes also been on the other end of it.

Seeing it first person, Ive probably been a victim of him walking me sometimes.

Its pretty special, Molendyk said.

One longtime scout said, his hockey IQ is off the charts.

He sees plays that others dont see and he can make passes that other players cant make so hes got a combo pack of being able to read, see situations, and at an elite level know whos open and when theyre open and then hes got the puck skills to move the puck to those people before sometimes theyre even ready for it.

His vision and his creativity are high, high-end, the scout said.

And hes a lot more competitive than people would expect without the puck.

Hes a guy that angles and picks peoples pockets when theyre not expecting it because hes got such a quick stick.

He defends not like most people think of defending, where you knock other players off the puck or you run people through the boards, but hes always got his stick in lanes deflecting pucks and picking peoples pockets by lifting blades and being in good spots to intercept pucks.

So hes an elite offensive mind and then a good defensive player as well.

Advertisement Alan Millar, the new general manager of Canadas 2026 World Junior team , saw it in his previous role as general manager of the Regina Pats, too.

He uses the same word Molendyk did: special.

You just look at his talent level, you look at his offensive abilities, you look at what he did in the WHL as a 17-year-old, really impressive young man, really special player.

Hes going to be a real important player for us, and I think Gavins the kind of kid who, along with a Porter Martone, those guys are going to be real motivated through this process based on the results a year ago (a quarterfinal defeat at the 2025 World Juniors in Ottawa).

Well look for Gavin to be a focal point for us.

Hes exciting, hes dynamic, its obviously a big year for him with the change that he has made, but we look forward to him being a big part of our team, Millar said.

McKenna looks forward to that challenge, and to all the others that will come in his draft year under the microscope and his career beyond that.

Theres a lot of things to be excited about next season, he said.

Heading to college, playing my first game.

Thatll be pretty amazing.

And then with the World Juniors, last year wasnt the best way to go out, and I know a lot of us will have a big chip on our shoulders this year, and thats going to be exciting.

And then for us, I know theres a lot of talk around Penn State and how good the teams going to be, and hopefully we can win a national championship.

Thats on the bucket list, and I know with my draft year theres going to be a lot of attention, but itll be fun.

(Photo: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images).

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