McKenna, projected No. 1 pick in 2026 NHL Draft, quickly wowing Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Gavin McKenna has fit so smoothly into life on and off the ice at Penn State University that coach Guy Gadowsky used the same phrase to describe the freshman forward seven times during a 29-minute press conference Monday.

"He's an extremely easy hang," Gadowsky said during Penn State's media day at Pegula Ice Arena. "He's a really chill, easy hang. Great player. Very respectful. You automatically like him because he's just such an easy hang. He's a really cool kid."

McKenna has been just as cool on the ice. The 17-year-old already has stood out during preseason practices and has had little problem showing why he is considered a generational player and the favorite to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft.

"His work ethic is excellent," Gadowsky said. "He fits into our locker room extremely well. He's extremely quick. He's extremely fast. He's also in great shape. Doing the skating drills, he's right at the front. So he's not just a cerebral player, he's got excellent conditioning and excellent speed.

"He does think the game differently. He's a different animal when it comes to that, not only compared to any other freshman, just compared to anybody. He thinks the game in a very unique, quite amazing way. And you can see that when there's drills that are game specific, that have a lot of traffic, he just somehow uses time and space in a very unique, just-make-it-so-easy way. So that's been fun to watch."

McKenna dominated the Canadian Hockey League last season, winning player of the year in the CHL and the Western Hockey League after he was second in the WHL with 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games with Medicine Hat.

He said the biggest difference he's noticed so far between the WHL and NCAA hockey is the age and size of the players he's playing with and against.

"I think there's a lot less time and space," McKenna said. "The guys are bigger, faster, older. It's not too different in terms of skill and stuff. Obviously both leagues are very skilled, and guys can make plays and stuff. But in terms of speed and size, I think that's the biggest difference."

There's also the number of games that McKenna (5-foot-11, 162 pounds) will play this season. Penn State's 34-game regular-season schedule starts at Arizona State on Friday. The Nittany Lions also could play up to seven postseason games based on how the team does in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament.

For an admitted rink rat, it will be tough to wait for games only on Fridays and Saturdays. But the extra time he'll have in the gym and at practice was what made NCAA hockey appealing in the first place.

"I think where I'm going to be challenged is probably just the little amount of games, going from 68 games in a year to 33," he said. "That's going to be obviously a challenge. I love the game, and itch to play games. With that, though, the reason I came here is because [of] less games, more time in the gym. I'm not a big guy, so I want to put on weight, and that was part of the reason I came here."

What has stood out to Gadowsky so far hasn't been how McKenna has adjusted to any change in the pace of play, but how easily he's already evolved to set his own pace during drills and scrimmages.

"He manipulates the pace," Gadowsky said. "I was surprised to see how fast and quick he was. He's very, very quick, and his conditioning is excellent as well. That I did know. ... It's not that he picked up the pace, he manipulates the pace. That's, I think, the most amazing thing about him. Obviously his puck skills are elite, the skating is elite, his edges. But I really enjoy, and I think the other players on the team have really enjoyed, watching his mind work. When normally you think you're out of time and space, he manipulates it, and that's what's really amazing to watch."

That level of skill has made him an easy teammate to like. But McKenna's "easy hang" sensibility has been just as impressive.

"He's an unbelievable kid," Penn State captain Dane Dowiak said. "There's a lot of hype around him obviously. He's an unbelievable player. But the person he is, it shows a lot about how he was raised, and where he comes from. With all the hype he has, he's just a normal guy."

A normal guy with preternatural skill on the ice.

The pingpong table, however, tells a different story.

During McKenna's recruiting visit, he lost a game to Gadowsky. McKenna told NHL.com in July that he would be asking for a rematch once he moved onto campus.

He got it, but it didn't go so well.

"He did get his rematch and I won again," Gadowsky said. "You can print that."

That McKenna can laugh that off speaks to how easily he's taken all the attention that surrounds him, the glare of the 2026 draft spotlight, the hype of being the biggest recruit in NCAA history, and already fit seamlessly into a team that reached the Frozen Four last season and returns its four leading scorers.

"Obviously there's a lot of pressure, but I think over the years I've kind of learned to deal with it," he said. "Especially with our team this year, there's a lot of hype, and obviously with that comes a lot of pressure. I've been on teams where there's been a lot of hype around us and we've been able to pull through. Big thing is just not getting complacent. I think with the group we've got, it's very competitive in practices and everything, so I can't see complacency coming into our locker room."