Where Penn State's Gavin McKenna ranks entering NHL draft lottery

The hockey world may get a good glimpse at what is coming next for Penn State star freshman Gavin McKenna on Tuesday evening. The NHL will hold its draft lottery to determine the draft order for teams that did not make the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff, and the team drawing the first pick will be first in line to bring McKenna to their organization.

McKenna has been viewed as the NHL's top draft prospect since his arrival in Happy Valley, and that remains the case as the draft lottery is set to play out. ESPN's updated ranking of draft prospects has McKenna ranked as the top prospect in the draft pool, as he is the player with the most certainty of being an NHL player. But will he be the top pick?

"There is no consensus on any player except Gavin McKenna, and even he has scouts questioning whether he should be the first player off the board," Rachel Kryshak of ESPN says. "If your team needs a high-end defenseman, this is the year. There are a handful of prospects projected to become foundational pieces on the top pair."

So if the team with the top pick has a need to bolster its defense, McKenna could potentially have to wait to hear his name. But regardless, McKenna will not be waiting long before getting his call to the NHL.

McKenna played in 35 games with 15 goals and 36 assists during his freshman season at Penn State, giving him the Big Ten scoring championship and earning conference honors as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, All-Big Ten Second Team, and All-Big Ten Freshman Team. McKenna also earned AHCA West Second Team All-American accolades.

In addition to being a star forward for Penn State in the 2025-26 season, McKenna was part of gold medal teams for Canada in the 2024 world U18 championships and Hilinka Gretzky Cup. He is coming off a bronze medal performance for Canada in the World Junior Championships.

Kevin McGuire is the lead writer for Nittany Lions Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on BlueSky,