2026 NHL Draft Diary: Gavin McKenna

Gavin McKenna of Penn State University in the Big Ten will file a draft diary for NHL.com this season leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft. The 17-year-old freshman left wing (5-foot-11, 170 pounds), who was born in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, received an A rating on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list and is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The fourth youngest player in men's college hockey, he has 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) and 59 shots on goal in 16 games. He was second in the Western Hockey League last season with 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games with Medicine Hat and was named player of the year in the WHL and the Canadian Hockey League.

Hello hockey fans!

We're back from Thanksgiving break and getting some work in, on and off the ice. The past few weeks were big tests against Big Ten competition. We're 4-4 in conference play with every single game in the Big Ten having the intensity of a Game 7. The games are very competitive, very high-paced. You don't really get a shift off and there isn't a lot of time and space. It's been an adjustment, but I'm starting to get more comfortable.

I've been getting chances and that's a good sign. But in terms of production, I don't think I'm where I want to be. Just in terms of college hockey, coach Guy Gadowsky has me out there in all situations, 5-on-5, power play, penalty kill, and 6-on-5 situations when we are trying trying to hold the lead. I'm learning a lot and growing as a player, and playing in all different situations is helping me out. Hopefully over the second half of the college season I can put up some bigger numbers and keep growing both on and off the ice.

I feel confident in battles along the boards. I don't think that's really a flaw in my game. I do well spinning off defenders and have a pretty good first step and I think that's something that's big in college hockey. I think the game is along the wall, so being able to get off the wall and find the middle of the ice is a good thing. I'll keep working at it, but I think I've been doing well in that area.

I feel I started to add more physicality to my game recently as well. When we played Michigan (Nov. 14-15), we lost the first game (7-1 on Nov. 14), and there was a big mental shift within the room. I'm not known as a super physical guy, but I think if I can get the boys fired up by throwing the body around a bit, I will. It was just about helping the team out. I think when they see that, the bench gets fired up and it gets the team going a little bit. It's something I've wanted to add to my game, and I think it's helping the team out as well. It might be one of the reasons we won the second game (4-2 on Nov. 15).

I was asked to provide two players who I feel aren't getting enough credit for what they do for Penn State and the first player I thought of was junior forward and our captain, Dane Dowiak. He works so hard in the weight room and on the ice, he's always getting in the dirty areas of the ice where guys don't really want to be, and that's the kind of guy you want on a team. You want a guy to lead like that.

I think freshman forward Lev Katzin has also played really well as a young guy playing a difficult role. I think he's done a great job staying positive and working hard every day, being asked to shut down each opposing team's No. 1 line. I think some of the stuff he does goes unnoticed, but I see that stuff and it's a guy like that that you want to have on your team.

I was able to get back home recently during Thanksgiving break. It was fun to hang out with my family. I usually don't get to go home much during the year, so it was a nice opportunity. We went into the mountains a little bit, had a bonfire and got on the Ski-Doo's to rip around. Just hanging out with my family, having a couple family dinners, seeing the grandparents, the aunts and uncles, it was great. I used it as a little bit of a mental reset.

Canadian Thanksgiving was always pretty big in my household growing up. We'd have a big family dinner every year and I have some good memories from that. We had dinners at my uncle's house, my grandparents, our house ... I'd say my favorite food is probably stuffing.

Next for me is heading to Canada's World Junior selection camp in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Dec. 12. I'm excited to get to play with a pretty special group there, see some players I haven't played with for a while and play with some new players, hopefully. We should have a good squad this year. This is a year we want to bounce back (after back-to-back fifth-place finishes). It's pretty much do or die, and we're excited. We're all pretty pumped up and looking forward to it.

I know I'll have to leave Penn State for a few weeks if I am fortunate to earn a spot on the Canadian National Junior Team. I'll miss two games for Penn State in January, but if anyone was in my shoes, they'd understand that playing for your country is a huge deal. When it's Christmas in Canada, most families are sitting in front of the TV watching World Juniors on Boxing Day (Dec. 26). So it's a huge deal in Canada and I don't think anyone would want to miss that if given the opportunity. I'm excited to represent my country, hopefully, and hopefully bring home a gold medal.

Thanks for checking in this month. Have a Merry Christmas everyone.