Top 2026 NHL Draft Prospect McKenna Visited Michigan State
Michigan State hockey was a wagon already. But can you imagine seeing the consensus top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, Gavin McKenna, suit up with the Spartans?
It’s a real possibility.
Earlier last month, John Buccigross of ESPN sent a cryptic post on X, formerly known as Twitter, with a picture of McKenna right next to Sparty, the Michigan State mascot.
Since then, it was revealed that Michigan State and Penn State were finalists for McKenna’s talent.
Well now, the recruiting process has begun.
According to Elite Prospects' Cam Robinson, McKenna visited Happy Valley on Sunday, while the visit to East Lansing took place on Monday.
Gavin McKenna visited Penn State yesterday and is heading to Michigan State today for his in-person campus visit.
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) June 30, 2025
The red carpet has been fully rolled out.
We can expect a formal decision in the coming days.
Robinson reported that a decision is expected to come sooner rather than later.
No one really knows what’s going on in McKenna’s circle — not even Elliotte Friedman, who’s the NHL’s most notable insider.
Friedman did speculate a few weeks ago on his podcast “32 Thoughts” that Penn State could be the favorite in this race.
"I was asking a few people around hockey what they thought and informal straw poll, I would say Penn State. That's who the favorite is," Friedman said. "Nothing's done until it's done. I was told it would be premature to make any enormous proclamation. But I asked a bunch of people around and said if you had to pick where he's going to play next year, most of them picked Penn State."
After making the Frozen Four last season, Penn State is building its hockey program with force, with four Nittany Lions getting drafted in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Jackson Smith, who McKenna is very familiar with and played with on the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League, committed to Penn State last month and was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round.
On Day 2 of the Draft, Charlie Cerrato, Kieren Dervin, and Kale Dach were each selected.
The difference is, Michigan State is already a powerhouse. While the Spartans didn’t reach the Frozen Four, they won the Big Ten Championship and are building to dominate college hockey.
The first step? Bring in Cayden Lindstrom, the fourth overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and the Blue Jackets’ top prospect.
Oh, and he was McKenna’s teammate with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL.
Lindstrom committing to the Spartans was a huge deal, and not many were expecting it. But with the influx of junior hockey players moving on to the college ranks, it seemed like a great move for his development.
McKenna is and was too good for junior hockey, and with the agreement in place between the CHL and NCAA, him moving on to college hockey would only improve his development arc.
Figuring out what motivates McKenna will be fascinating. Penn State is fresh off a Frozen Four, but Michigan State is loaded with star power like Lindstrom and Isaac Howard.
Will McKenna want to be the main source of offense? Or does he want to team up with his buddy Lindstrom?
We’ll find out in the coming days.
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Greg Liodice is a proud Hofstra University alumnus who brings a wealth of experience to On SI. As a respected sportswriter, Liodice has covered the NHL, college football, and MLB. He currently serves as a college and professional sports writer for SI. Liodice supports an eclectic group of teams: the New York Islanders, New York Mets, Seattle Seahawks, and New Orleans Pelicans.