A Look at Penn State's NHL Draft History Ahead of Gavin McKenna's Historic Night

Gavin McKenna is poised to make Penn State hockey history Friday, as he's projected to become the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. McKenna, who spent one season playing for the Nittany Lions, would bring those newfound roots in State College to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have the first overall pick of the draft.

"I can't thank this team enough," McKenna said after the Nittany Lions' final game in the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament. "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 would become the first No. 1 overall pick of the Penn State men's hockey team and join the Nittany Lions with Michigan in a bit of trivia. Penn State and Michigan would be the only two college programs with No. 1 overall picks in both the NFL and NHL Drafts. Penn State, like Michigan, has had two No. 1 NFL picks: Ki-Jana Carter in 1995 and Courtney Brown in 2000.

McKenna will become the 18th player in Penn State hockey history to be drafted dating to 2010. He also will become just the second Nittany Lion drafted in the first round, joining Jackson Smith, who went 14th overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets last season before playing his freshman year at Penn State.

Here's what else to know about Penn State and the NHL Draft ahead of Friday's show from Buffalo.

Penn State in the NHL Draft

"I like to drag my teammates into the fire, whether it's on or off the ice."

Gavin McKenna on what he thinks is the most underrated part of his game. pic.twitter.com/0p0ua9SiWc
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 25, 2026

Penn State's first player drafted into the NHL was Max Gardiner, a third-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2010. Gardiner was drafted before he joined the Nittany Lions' revived varsity hockey program in 2012. Gardiner took the first faceoff in Penn State's NCAA hockey history.

In June 2013, Penn State freshmen Eamon McAdam and Mike Williamson officially became the first Nittany Lions to be selected in the NHL Draft. McAdam went in the third round to the New York Islanders, and Williamson was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round. Until last year, McAdam was Penn State's highest-drafted player, going 70th overall.

Though he wasn't drafted, Casey Bailey in April 2015 became Penn State's first NHL signee. After leading the Big Ten in scoring, Bailey signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played in his first NHL game five days later.

Penn State produced its best draft in 2017, when five Nittany Lions were selected: Evan Barratt (third round to Chicago), Clayton Phillips (third round to Pittsburgh), Cole Hults (fifth round to Los Angeles), Denis Smirnov (sixth round to Colorado) and Aarne Talvitie (sixth round to New Jersey).

Penn State had players selected in five consecutive NHL Drafts from 2019-23: Kevin Wall (2019 to Carolina), Chase McLane (2020 to Nashville), Arsenii Sergeev (2021 to Calgary), Reese Laubach (2022 to San Jose) and Aiden Fink (2023 to Nashville).

Penn State already has had a prolific hockey draft, as seven players from the women's team were selected in the recent PWHL draft. That includes Tessa Janecke, who went No. 3 overall to Las Vegas.

Penn State's NHL Draft picks

Here's a look at the 17 Nittany Lions who have been drafted. An asterisk indicates that the player was drafted before joining the Penn State roster.

Player	Year	Round/Pick	Team
Max Gardiner*	2010	3/74	St. Louis Blues
Patrick Koudys*	2011	5/147	Washington Capitals
Eamon McAdam	2013	3/70	New York Islanders
Mike Williamson	2013	6/175	Vancouver Canucks
Nikita Pavlychev	2015	7/197	Pittsburgh Penguins
Brett Murray	2016	4/99	Buffalo Sabres
Evan Barratt	2017	3/90	Chicago Blackhawks
Clayton Phillips*	2017	3/93	Pittsburgh Penguins
Cole Hults	2017	5/134	Los Angeles Kings
Denis Smirnov	2017	6/156	Colorado Avalanche
Aarne Talvitie	2017	6/160	New Jersey Devils
Kevin Wall	2019	6/181	Carolina Hurricanes
Chase McLane	2020	7/209	Nashville Predators
Arsenii Sergeev*	2021	7/205	Calgary Flames
Reese Laubach	2022	7/217	San Jose Sharks
Aiden Fink	2023	7/218	Nashville Predators
Jackson Smith	2025	1/14	Columbus Blue Jackets

Humble. Confident. Magical. 😤

Mic'd Up with Gavin McKenna 🏒🎙️

Tune in to the 2026 NHL Draft this Friday night on @espn at 7 p.m. to see where the "Wizard of Whitehorse" lands! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/YSn7DLmHCF
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) June 24, 2026

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