McKenna looks 'special' in college debut with Penn State

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona State students stood in one of the end zones at Mullett Arena on Friday night, and they often booed when a particular freshman forward from Penn State touched the puck.

This wasn’t just any freshman. This was Gavin McKenna, the most coveted recruit in NCAA hockey history and the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The 17-year-old was making his collegiate debut, and it was such a big deal that the game was being broadcast on NHL Network and streamed on the NHL YouTube channel.

McKenna made an immediate impact. He started at left wing on the first line and earned primary assists on the first two goals as Penn State opened the season with a 6-3 win. Playing in all situations, he displayed his poise, skill and hockey sense.

“I heard the boos when I got to touch the puck, and yeah, it was fun,” McKenna said. “I think playing in [front of] a crowd like that, it’s easy to get up for a game like this.”

McKenna made it look easy.

On the power play, McKenna kept the puck in at the blue line, skated into the slot and looked like he might shoot, freezing the goalie and the defenseman. He slipped a pass into the right circle for forward Aiden Fink, who scored into an open net and gave Penn State a 1-0 lead at 10:55 of the first period.

Then, at even strength, the puck was on McKenna’s stick for only a split-second in the slot, but he still spotted center Charlie Cerrato in the right circle. McKenna one-touched a pass, and Cerrato scored to make it 2-0 with 33.7 seconds left in the first.

“He's special, right?” Arizona State coach Greg Powers said. “You can see it. It was his first college game, and if he touches the puck in the ‘O’ zone, you’re holding your breath. He’s special. He’s young. He’s going to get better and better every game. I think we’re going to see an even better effort out of him tomorrow.”

McKenna and the Nittany Lions will play the Sun Devils again here Saturday (8 p.m. ET). That game will be on NHL Network and NHL YouTube too.

“He’s a different animal,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said. “He sees the game in a really unique way, and he’s extremely quick. Really fun to watch.”

McKenna seems unfazed on and off the ice.

He said he chose to play in college because he wanted to challenge himself against older, stronger opponents, preparing to play potentially in the NHL next season.

But he has already represented Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship, and he’s the reigning player of the year in the Western Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League. He had 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games for Medicine Hat last season, plus 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 16 playoff games.

Asked what he learned about the college level in his first game, well, he didn’t make it sound like much of a challenge.

“There’s not a lot of time and space out there,” he said. “I think it’s quicker. I don’t know. There’s not a whole lot different. You’re playing with some good players and playing against good players. I think I’ve played against good players in my life. Playing at world juniors and stuff, I think that kind of prepared me for this.”

McKenna looked calm with the puck, carrying the puck up the ice, stick-handling in traffic, whipping passes through seams.

“I haven’t seen him frantic -- ever,” Gadowsky said. “Everything he does has a purpose. He’s always dictating. It doesn’t really look like he’s reacting; he’s dictating.”

Gadowsky said McKenna was good without the puck as well.

“Like, really good,” Gadowsky said. “He had some excellent backchecks. He played his position extremely well in the ‘D’ zone. I was actually really impressed with that.”

The attention doesn’t bother McKenna. Gadowsky called him "the chillest dude."

“Gavin is really good for our team in that way,” Gadowsky said. “You don’t often say that about a freshman. But he’s just so chill, that actually is a really calming influence. Like, there’s a lot of noise around this. … Emotions run a little bit higher because of it, but he is able just to take everything in stride and stay very calm, and I think it’s actually very good for the team.”

After the game, the press conference room was packed. Not only were there reporters, but there was a camera crew with a boom mic. Cerrato sat next to McKenna and gave up the spotlight, even though he led the Nittany Lions with five points (two goals, three assists). At one point, he even interrupted McKenna to praise him.

“Obviously, he’s Gavin McKenna,” Cerrato said. “He’s the guy. But I don’t think you guys see the amount of outside noise there is. Like, I mean, we’ve got people coming to the hotel after [the team] bus, after dinner. It’s crazy. He’s 17, and he handling it like that. It’s incredible.”