No. 1 Overall Pick Gavin McKenna Set for NHL Debut Tuesday NightNo. 1 Overall Pick Gavin McKenna Set for NHL Debut Tuesday Night

No. 1 Overall Pick Gavin McKenna Set for NHL Debut Tuesday Night

Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, is set to become the fifth Nittany Lion to compete in an NHL game when his Toronto Maple Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night

TORONTO, Ontario, Canada – Former Nittany Lion Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, is set to make his NHL debut when the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m. on Tuesday Night at Scotiabank Arena.

McKenna inked his three-year, entry-level contract on July 3 following his lone season in Hockey Valley and is the first Nittany Lion to make an NHL Opening Night roster and will become the fifth to appear in an NHL contest. He joins Casey Bailey, who also debuted for the Maple Leafs during the 2014-15 season, Brett Murray, Brandon Biro and Arsenii Sergeev. Sergeev is the most recent Nittany Lion to appear in an NHL game as he backstopped the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 victory over the LA Kings on April 16.

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McKenna was voted Team MVP and Freshman of the Year, along with being the Nittany Lions’ top scorer while also setting nine Penn State records last season. The Yukon native finished the year as just the third Nittany Lion all-time to hit the 50-point mark in a single season as he set the freshman single-season record with 51 points, the second-most all-time, on 15 goals and another single-season record 36 assists.

McKenna finished the season third in the Big Ten and tied for fifth nationally with his 51 points while his 36 assists were good for second nationally only behind Michigan’s Michael Hage. The rookie also set the Penn State record by averaging 1.46 points per game, a mark good for tops in the Big Ten and second in the nation.

The Whitehorse, Alberta native was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year along with landing on the All-Big Ten Second Team and being unanimously voted to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. He was also Penn State’s second Hobey Baker Top-10 Finalist and just the fourth All-American in program history.

McKenna was also twice named the HCA National Rookie of the Month in October and February while earning four Big Ten weekly awards including First Star of the Week on a pair of occasions.

Back in February, McKenna set program records with eight points and seven assists in an 11-4 victory over Ohio State helping the Nittany Lions to their most goals scored in a Big Ten game all-time and tying the overall single-game program record for goals.

Five of McKenna’s seven assists were primary assists while the eight points were the most in an NCAA Division I game in 39 years. His seven assists that night were also the most in a game since 1983 and the most-ever by an individual on a Big Ten team both pre and post league inception.

The eight points and seven assists were each the most in a single-game all-time in the 13 years of the Big Ten Conference.