PSU Freshman Faces Sky High Expectations

Gavin McKenna is officially joining Penn State University this fall, marking the highest profile freshman to enter NCAA hockey in the history of the sport. The agreement that allowed for CHL players to make the jump to college hockey is paying dividends for the NCAA already, as PSU now has the presumptive number one pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in their program.

There’s no doubting McKenna is a bona fide stud of a prospect and eyes will be on him all year long in Happy Valley. What are the expectations for the soon-to-be 18-year-old forward in his first NCAA season?

The gold standard for freshman seasons in the NCAA was set by Hockey Hall of Famer and Anaheim Ducks legend Paul Kariya. While playing in his first college hockey season at the University of Maine in 1992-1993, he became the first freshman to ever hit 100 points in a season, accomplishing the feat in an astounding 39 games.

Is it too lofty an expectation to place on McKenna to become the second player to accomplish this? Of course it is, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do it. McKenna is truly a special player and there’s a strong chance he’s the next best player in the NHL in a few short years. If that is all true, why wouldn’t he be able to match or exceed Kariya’s production?

To keep things a bit more moderate, there are other more recent freshman seasons to look to. Keep the number "71" at the front of your memory, as it seems to be the ceiling for first-year NCAA players. Take for example just two years ago when San Jose Sharks draft pick Will Smith recorded 71 points in his first and only year with Boston College. A decade prior, Jack Eichel hit the same total at Boston University and now Winnipeg Jets superstar Kyle Connor notched 71 points as a freshman with the University of Michigan.

Aside from Kariya, the last time a freshman hit the 80-point plateau was during the 1970s. George McPhee recorded 88 points with Bowling Green during the 1978-1979 campaign. It would be another 15 years before Kariya would surpass that total, and over 30 years later the NCAA is waiting for someone to break 80 again.

Not only does McKenna have huge personal expectations, the program’s expectations have risen dramatically with his arrival. PSU reached the Frozen Four last season for the first time in school history, and their roster improved in the offseason. In addition to McKenna, Hobey Baker top-10 finalist Mac Gadowsky, a defender from Army, transferred to PSU for the upcoming season. 2025 first-round draft pick Jackson Smith is set to join the Nittany Lions as well. They are a fearsome roster as the season approaches, and should be in the national championship conversation.

All that to say the expectations are sky high for McKenna as he embarks on the most anticipated freshman season in NCAA history. If he succeeds and is as advertised, then the course of the NCAA could be forever changed and the next great NHL superstar will take center stage at Penn State University.