Gavin McKenna sets Penn State record as NHL decision-makers take notice
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Daniel Lucente
Feb 23, 2026 (12:22)
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Photo credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
Gavin McKenna’s Penn State record eruption just rocked the 2026 NHL Draft, and it sharpens the Vancouver Canucks’ No. 1 question.
Friday night, McKenna hung eight points on Ohio State in an 11-4 Penn State win.
It was 1 goal and 7 assists, with five of those helpers coming as primaries.
He fired seven shots on goal too, like he was trying to rip the net off its pegs.
Penn State hasn’t seen a single-game night like that, and now nobody can pretend the hype is only hype.
McKenna is 18, draft-eligible in 2026, and tracking as a first-rounder who could go first overall.
That matters for every NHL front office, including the one in Vancouver, because games like this become scouting shorthand.
Here’s the link that lit up timelines.
The numbers pop, but the “how” is what makes decision-makers lean in.
He creates time for linemates, then steals it back with pace, hands, and that head-up patience on the man advantage.
Gavin McKenna raises the Vancouver Canucks stakes
Canucks fans can feel it, that mix of excitement and dread, because this is the kind of prospect you only get a swing at once.
If Vancouver ever lands No. 1 in a draft like this, you do not get to miss.
This is the pick that can define a rebuild, or define the regret that follows one.
McKenna’s record night is a reminder that “best player available” is not a slogan, it’s survival.
If you take him, you are betting on a future top-six driver who tilts the ice and drags a power play into the modern era.
If you pass, you better be right forever.
And right now, McKenna is making “forever” feel uncomfortably close.
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