BREAKING: ‘Game-changing’ prospect Gavin McKenna officially commits to Penn State

After months of rumors, top 2026 prospect Gavin McKenna announced on Tuesday that he will commit to the Penn State hockey program for the 2025-26 season. McKenna is widely regarded as the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and has drawn comparisons to current pro stars Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, and Connor Bedard. To further highlight his elite hockey pedigree, McKenna and Bedard are cousins.

The 17-year-old star prospect announced his decision on Tuesday evening’s edition of SportsCenter.

McKenna will join the Nittany Lions from the Medicine Hat Tigers of Canada’s Western Hockey League. There, he put up video game numbers, scoring an absurd 129 points in just 56 games. The Whitehorse, Canada, native added an additional 38 points in 16 playoff games, leading the Tigers to a WHL Championship. He won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as WHL Rookie of the Year.

Penn State won a long recruiting battle with Michigan State for McKenna. Michigan and Denver were also mentioned as potential landing spots for the generational prospect who has been described as a “game-changer“ for Guy Gadowsky and the Nittany Lions.

McKenna’s announcement comes on the heels of what has already been a remarkably successful 2025 for the Penn State hockey program. On the ice, the Nittany Lions made their first Frozen Four appearance in April. Earlier in the offseason, another top prospect, Jackson Smith, committed to the program. The defenseman was selected No. 14 overall by Columbus in June, making him the first-ever Nittany Lion to be picked in the first round of the NHL Draft.

Slotting in with current Nittany Lion stars like Aiden Fink and Charlie Cerrato, these new additions make Penn State among the early top contenders to win the national title next spring.

Penn State Hockey is now the favorite to win the 2026 NCAA Championship with future #1 Overall NHL draft pick Gavin McKenna expected to make his commitment to the Nittany Lions later this week! 👀 #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/XmmhBMsKJl

— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) July 7, 2025

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