There hasn't been a hockey program bigger and hotter than Penn State, and it's all because of superstar winger Gavin McKenna.
One of the biggest storrylines to come out of the hockey world over the summer was which college was going to acquire superstar forward Gavin McKenna’s services?
For a while, it was a contentious battle between Penn State and Michigan State, but McKenna ultimately decided to call Happy Valley his home for his 18-year old season before he inevitably moves onto the NHL.
McKenna is the ultimate superstar, and some say that he’s the most skilled draft prospect since Connor McDavid – and we all know how he turned out.
Last season while playing with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League, McKenna averaged a staggering 129 points in 56 games, or 2.3 points per game – which is the third best 17-year old season in junior hockey.
Now with the Nittany Lions, McKenna has turned Penn State into a hockey hotbed. It started its season in Tempe where it swept the Arizona State Sun Devils, and then in its second series, split two games against Clarkson.
McKenna’s collegiate debut sent so many waves in hockey that in the Nittany Lions first game against the Sun Devils, there were a total of 57 scouts present at Mullett Arena.
But McKenna’s point per game performance has shown that the next level is just a breeze for him.
In four games, he’s already averaging 22 minutes of ice time, lining up primarily with Aiden Fink and Dane Dowiak.
Coach Guy Gadowsky has essentially been playing with house money, putting McKenna in every situation possible. So far in the four games, McKenna has managed to average up to eight minutes on the power play, while seeing the ice for a minute per game on the penalty kill.
But what makes him so special is his ability to turn nothing into something. Jason Bukala of SportsNet described him as a “free-wheeling winger” who works best when he’s in constant motion with his elite speed.
He’s one of the few players that the play revolves around him, not the other way around.
But it’ll be interesting to see how much his game continues to translate to the collegiate level, as opposed to dominating junior hockey, where he skated circles around high schoolers.
It didn’t seem to affect McDavid when he transitioned to the NHL. Usually the best players stand out in the best way, and playing in college is only going to help McKenna’s progression into the next level.