McKenna among top performers in fitness testing at NHL Scouting Combine

BUFFALO -- Gavin McKenna showed he could be just as impressive off the ice as he was on it.

The Penn State forward, the favorite to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft, ranked among the top 20 in seven events during fitness testing Friday and Saturday at the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine presented by Fanatics.

McKenna declined an opportunity to play for Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in order to prepare for the combine, and it looks like that decision paid off.

"I wanted to prepare hard for this, and I think sometimes my frame's not the biggest, so just wanted to show that I can compete out there and I can work hard off the ice," said McKenna, who measured in Saturday at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds. "I think that's a big key to carry through the next level. So I think when you can take care of your body and are physical and body strong, I think that's the key to a long career."

Among McKenna's best performances was on the Vo2 Max bike test on Friday, which measures endurance and recovery. He lasted 14:19, seventh among the prospects.

"That's one that guys are always dreading to do, so to get through that, and I think I got a pretty good score from it, I think," he said. "Those long shifts have helped me through my career."

He was fourth on isokinetic squat test Friday at 3.40, which equates to squatting 3.40 times his body weight. His 14 pullups tied for sixth; in the pro agility shuttle run he tied for eighth starting to his left (4.4 seconds) and tied for 14th starting to his right (4.5 seconds); his no-arm vertical jump was eighth at 19.5 inches; and his peak power output of 15.8 watts of energy per kilogram of body weight was tied for 19th.

McKenna, No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, wasn't the only top prospect to stand out during fitness testing.

North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, No. 5 on Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters, finished in the top 10 in three categories.

In the pro agility shuttle run, he finished tied for third starting to the right (4.27 seconds), and tied for eighth starting to the left (4.4 seconds). He also tied for ninth in left-hand grip at 168 pounds of force.

Verhoeff, who measured 6-4, 215 pounds, tied for 15th with 12 pullups and had the 18th longest wingspan at 77.5 inches.

"I was excited, ready to get going in this," Verhoeff said. "I'm pretty confident in my physical abilities. I believe that I put the work in off the ice. Still so much to go, and so much room for improvement, but I was excited to be out here competing with myself, competing with my peers. It's fun."

Center Caleb Malhotra of Brampton of the Ontario Hockey League, No. 6 in the North American rankings, finished in the top 10 in four categories. He was 10th at 14:09 on the Vo2 Max bike test on Friday, then Saturday his vertical jump of 22.8 inches was tied for fifth, and in the pro agility shuttle run he was tied for eighth starting to the left (4.4 seconds) and tied for 10th starting to the right (4.4 seconds).

Malhotra also finished 18th in peak power output on the Wingate ergometer bike test at 15.9 watts of energy per kilogram of body weight. The 30-second full-out sprint with resistance usually requires some extra recovery time for the prospects.

"It's just kind of sucking the soul out of you at the end there," Malhotra said. "You're just going until they call you off the bike, so you're sprinting the whole time and it's not that enjoyable when you're in it. First couple of seconds are pretty easy, you're just sprinting, and at the end you're just grinding to make sure you don't drop off into a cliff."

Among the other top performers were forward Mathis Preston of Vancouver of the Western Hockey League, No. 32 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters. He finished in the top 10 in seven events, including tied for second on the Wingate test at 17.2 watts per kilogram of body weight, and tied for third in the 10-meter sprint at 2.04 seconds.

Boston College forward Oscar Hemming and Prince Albert (WHL) goalie Michal Orsulak lasted a combine-best 14:43 on the Vo2 Max test, and Hemming had the longest wingspan at 80.3 inches. Peterborough (OHL) forward Adam Novotny topped all prospects with 18 pullups, tied for the second-most at the combine since 2015.

The strength and conditioning coaches will analyze the testing data, but for NHL general managers like Mike Grier of the San Jose Sharks, they're watching for something else.

"It's the competitiveness of it all," Grier said. "... Kind of how they're willing to kind of push themselves a little bit to get the last pull-up, or the Wingate when they're dead tired. Are they going to push through that last 10 seconds? So just try and see their competitiveness and their athleticism." 

Ivar Stenberg, No. 1 on Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters, declined to test because of an illness. The forward with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League said he hasn't been feeling well since completing play with Sweden at the 2026 IIHF World Championship on May 28.

"Been sick pretty much lately so after Worlds, I talked to my agents, my off-ice coach, and we decided that this is the best for me, and to not do it," Stenberg said. "It's going to maybe (not) look too good, but it's dangerous to do it when you're sick, so that's why."

To see the top 25 finishers in each test, click here.

NHL.com independent correspondent Heather Engel contributed to this report.