Canadian junior hockey phenom Gavin McKenna announces commitment to Penn State

CBC News

· Posted: Jul 08, 2025 3:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Gavin McKenna is astir surely NHL-bound, but first, he's making a halt successful the NCAA. 

The 17-year-old Yukoner has announced he's committing to the Penn State Nittany Lions, to play collegiate hockey.

McKenna made the authoritative announcement connected ESPN's SportsCenter Tuesday afternoon.

Widely expected to beryllium the No. 1 wide prime successful adjacent year's NHL draft, McKenna leaves the Western Hockey League's Medicine Hat Tigers to articulation the United States assemblage ranks.

McKenna had 41 goals and 88 assists successful 56 regular-season games past play and helped Medicine Hat triumph its archetypal WHL rubric since 2007 and scope the Memorial Cup final.

In June, the six-foot winger became the third-youngest Canadian Hockey League subordinate of the year, lone Sidney Crosby and John Tavares were younger.

The NCAA lifted a long-standing prohibition successful November, allowing CHL players to vie astatine U.S. colleges starting adjacent season.