Gavin McKenna has long been viewed as the first overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL draft, as a player that teams at the bottom of the standings dreamed of having the opportunity to land. He dominated the WHL at 15 and 16 years old, drawing comparisons to Nikita Kucherov and Patrick Kane, projecting a game-changing superstar winger who could change a franchise.
Because of that dominance, McKenna opted to go the Penn State college hockey route during his draft year to help prepare for making an immediate jump to the NHL.
While that was certainly the right decision given how easily he cracked the WHL at such a young age, the transition hasn’t been as smooth as he might have hoped, and as a result, McKenna has fallen down the rankings of prospect analysts.
Corey Pronman of The Athletic is one of those analysts, and his updated rankings dropped McKenna all the way to fourth, with Tynan Lawrence (first), Keaton Verhoeff (second) and Ivar Stenberg (third) all surpassing him.
Pronman had his puck skills and hockey sense as high-end, although his skating and competitive skills were listed as average, which is where criticism came in the early stages of his college hockey career.
The 17-year-old McKenna has produced 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in his first 16 games as a Nittany Lion. The production isn’t bad by any means, but it’s a far cry from the numbers he put up in junior hockey, which has raised concerns among scouts and analysts.
Gavin McKenna would be a steal at fourth overall
While McKenna’s draft season has been disappointing thus far, he hasn’t suddenly lost his ability, so if a team manages to draft him outside the top three in the upcoming draft, they should be ecstatic.
Even as he struggles to adapt to the college game, McKenna still scores more than a point per game, which very few other players are capable of.
It was hyped as a generational candidate worth years in the making, so is 16 subpar games really going to erase that from everyone’s memory?
To some, maybe, but it shouldn’t be, and whichever front office is smart enough to remember this kid’s talent will, unlike many others, reap the rewards for years and years to come.
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