Top Prospect Already Impressing For Penn State

The Penn State University Men's Hockey team hasn't begun their regular season yet, but that hasn't stopped their top freshman from already impressing with the Blue and White. Highly-touted freshman and projected top 2026 NHL Draft pick Gavin McKenna, the most noted college recruit in NCAA history, is ready to lead the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions back to the Frozen Four and possibly to a national championship.

Penn State has to wait a few more days to see McKenna's NCAA debut, but the program is thrilled with what their top freshman brings to the group. Penn State head coach Guy Gadowski spoke to reporters ahead of their regular-season opener, and he sang McKenna's praises for how differently and uniquely he interprets and thinks through the game.

"He does think the game differently," he said. "He's a different animal when it comes to that, not only compared to any other freshman, just compared to anybody. He thinks the game in a very unique, quite amazing way. And you can see that when there's drills that are game specific, that have a lot of traffic, he just somehow uses time and space in a very unique, just-make-it-so-easy way. So that's been fun to watch."

Perfect Fit On and Off the Ice

While the play on the ice was a near guarantee from McKenna, how he would fit off the ice was a completely different question. As the semester of school is underway and the team has been practicing together for nearly two months, the consensus from the PSU team is that McKenna has been a seamless fit.

Nittany Lions captain Dane Dowiak made that perfectly clear while speaking to reporters recently. Dowiak, a junior at PSU, is one of the returning members from last year's Frozen Four roster. Adding McKenna's skillset is an exciting addition, but the freshman's chill and easy going mentality has endeared himself to his new teammates.

"He's an unbelievable kid," he said. "There's a lot of hype around him obviously. He's an unbelievable player. But the person he is, it shows a lot about how he was raised, and where he comes from. With all the hype he has, he's just a normal guy."

All eyes are on McKenna this season. The worst teams in the NHL are all hoping that things shake out in their favor and they are able to draft the league's next superstar. Until that happens, Penn State and their hockey team will continue to be wowed, impressed and led by one of the most talented players to ever skate in the NCAA.