Gavin McKenna

Biography

Gavin McKenna (born December 20, 2007) is a Canadian college ice hockey player who is a forward for Penn State University of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). He previously played three seasons, from 2022 to 2025, in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Medicine Hat Tigers. He is considered the top prospect eligible for the 2026 NHL entry draft. Mckenna was the first Yukon-born player to be drafted first overall in the Western Hockey League (WHL), being selected in the 2022 bantam draft the the Medicine Hat Tigers. Although he was granted exceptional player status by BC Hockey and Hockey Alberta, he did not receive exceptional player status with the WHL. In his first full WHL season in 2023-24, McKenna was awarded the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s rookie of the year. He also won the CHL Rookie of the Year Award as the best in the three CHL component leagues. In the 2024-25 season, McKenna was named one of Medicine Hat’s alternate captains, also receiving the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL's most valuable player. After missing the third and fourth games of the WHL Finals with an undisclosed injury, McKenna returned for the title-clinching fifth game, where the Tigers defeated the Chiefs to claim the Ed Chynoweth Cup. As WHL champions, the Tigers competed at the 2025 Memorial Cup, where they reached the championship final, but were defeated by the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights. McKenna tied for second in tournament scoring, and scored his team's lone goal in the final. With the postseason at an end, he received the David Branch Player of the Year Award from the CHL. At age 17, he was the third-youngest player ever given the distinction. Following the 2024 decision of the American National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to allow CHL players to be eligible to play in collegiate competition starting with the 2025–26 season, McKenna became the target of significant recruitment campaigns by major American universities. As well, the WHL made what was widely interpreted as a bid to retain him, scheduling two Medicine Hat Tigers pre-season games in McKenna's hometown of Whitehorse.On July 8, 2025, McKenna announced that he had committed to joining the Pennsylvania State University's Nittany Lions for the 2025–26 season, citing a desire to play "against older, heavier, stronger guys" as preparation for a professional career. As part of his recruitment to Penn State, it was reported McKenna will receive up to US$700,000 in name, image and likeness compensation. McKenna made his international debut for the Canadian under-18 team at the 2024 World U18 Championships. In the semifinal against Sweden, McKenna set a new Canadian record for most points at a single under-18 tournament with 16 points. He scored a hat-trick with an additional assist in the gold medal game as Canada secured the title with a 6–4 victory over the United States. Since then, McKenna has represented Canada on the national stage a number of times. Winning gold at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, McKenna went on to play at the 2025 and 2026 World Junior Championships, winning bronze in 2026. McKenna made his film debut in Matthew Chase’s documentary The McKenna Project. Description above from the Wikipedia article Gavin McKenna, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.