Hockey Star Gavin McKenna Says, 'I'm a Penn Stater For Life'

ALBANY, New York | An emotional Gavin McKenna spent his last few moments on the MVP Arena ice hugging teammates and scanning the rink. And then, likely for the last time, he held up his stick and pointed to the Penn State hockey fans in the crowd.

“Obviously, my goal is to play in the NHL, and whether that happens next year or not, what Penn State has done for me, I can't thank this team enough," McKenna said late Friday night. "I can't thank the whole community of Penn State enough for what they've done for me. I’m a Penn Stater for life.”

McKenna, the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, joined the Nittany Lions in July with national-title hopes. But on Friday night, those ambitions were dashed when No. 2 seed Minnesota-Duluth defeated Penn State 3-1 in a hard-fought, first-round game of the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament.

While McKenna’s time with the Nittany Lions likely will end after one season, the freshman from Yukon, Whitehorse, Canada, left a lasting impact on the program. That was clear from the warm embrace he received Friday.

All across the stands at MVP Arena, Penn State fans wore Nittany Lions sweaters with the freshman’s name on the backs. Hours before puck drop against the Bulldogs, Penn State fans started a McKenna chant on the concourse.

“[I’m] just super grateful,” McKenna said. “Like I said, Penn State has done a lot for me. These guys in this locker room, they've taught me a lot. I've gone through a lot this year. And honestly, this whole year, I think it's been fun, and there have been a lot of ups and downs, but I'm forever grateful.”

Gauging his future

PICTURE THIS: Gavin McKenna For Hobey Baker! 😤#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/t5VWmHwTAh
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 26, 2026

McKenna is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. After the loss, McKenna left open the door to return to Penn State, depending on what happens with the team that selects him. Asked whether that was his final game with Penn State, McKenna said, “I’m not too sure.”

“My goal is to play in the NHL, and if my team wants me to sign, then that’s my goal,” McKenna said. “So we’ll see what happens after the draft.”

If that was his last game as a Nittany Lion, McKenna left his imprint on the program despite playing just one season. McKenna produced 51 points this season, second all-time in program history and a record among Penn State freshmen. He ranked second nationally in points per game (1.5) and set a Penn State record for assists (36). He set multiple Penn State and Big Ten records with his eight-point game against Ohio State in February.

McKenna became just the second Penn State player to be named a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in college hockey. He is the first Nittany Lion to win the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award and the first to win the conference’s scoring title (38 points in 24 Big Ten games).

“It's just a different game,” McKenna said when asked what he learned from playing college hockey. “There's less time and space, which I think honestly, that's everything I wanted going into this year. And 100 percent, I think looking back at this year, it'll definitely help me make that jump a little bit smoother.”

'An absolute fun, chill guy'

Hang it in the Louvre!! 🏒🖼️ #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/gyjoAzmFsL
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) January 31, 2026

McKenna also spoke emotionally about the bonds he formed during his time at Penn State. McKenna didn’t arrive until last summer but quickly became a locker-room favorite.

“Honestly, man, playing with him was awesome, but just hanging out with him as a guy, he became one of my best boys this year,” senior Dane Dowiak said. “I just turned 24 today, and he just turned 18 a couple months ago, and I would have never thought I would become as close as I am with him. I’m just grateful to step on the ice with him, because he’s going to be a special player for a long time.”

Said McKenna, “I’m an 18-year-old kid hanging out with 24-year-olds, and somehow it just feels normal. Every single guy on this team is so close.”

McKenna formed those bonds early. Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky marveled at how personable McKenna is, dating to his recruiting visit last year.

“He's just an absolute fun, chill guy who just wants to spend as much time with the team on the ice as he can,” Gadowsky said before the tournament. “And this is sort of what it's about. You lose and you go home. He is more motivated to hang with the guys and go play on the ice. That might be his biggest motivation.”

McKenna said he and Gadowsky grew close over the year, noting the intense ping-pong matches they would play. “He's been very trustworthy of me,” McKenna said. “He's trusted me in a lot of situations, and over the year, helped me a lot.”

But the strongest relationships McKenna formed were with his teammates. The freshman group even got tattoos together.

“I was one of the first ones to do it,” he said. “I haven’t told my parents yet, but, yeah, they’ll find out soon.”

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