Gavin McKenna, Other Top CHL Stars To Make 2025-26 NCAA Hockey Debuts
The post Gavin McKenna, Other Top CHL Stars To Make 2025-26 NCAA Hockey Debuts appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. At 17, top 2026 NHL draft prospect Gavin McKenna will suit up for the NCAA’s Penn State University in the 2025-26 season. (Photo by Leila Devlin/Getty Images) Getty Images Last November, when the door was opened for players from the Canadian Hockey League to make the jump to NCAA hockey, the CHL did its best to paint the change in a positive light. “We believe this is a positive development that will provide our players with more opportunities to continue their hockey and academic careers following their time in the CHL,” said media relations manager Christopher Seguin at the time. But older players aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the new landscape. With training camps in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League set to open over the next week or so, a number of top stars with remaining CHL eligibility have chosen to commit to NCAA programs. The biggest news was Gavin McKenna’s decision to commit to Penn State University at just 17 years old. Named player of the year in both the CHL and the WHL in the 2024-25 season, McKenna is the top-ranked prospect for the 2026 NHL draft. In what will likely be his final season before he turns pro, he’ll be skating with a Nittany Lions program which joined the NCAA’s Division I in 2012 and reached the Frozen Four for the first time last spring. Coach Guy Gadowsky has been at the helm since 2011 and this year, his son Mac Gadowsky joins the team after being named a top 10 finalist for the 2025 Hobey Baker Award as a sophomore at Army. Losing McKenna is a massive blow to the star power of the WHL for the upcoming season, and he’s not the only top prospect…
The post Gavin McKenna, Other Top CHL Stars To Make 2025-26 NCAA Hockey Debuts appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
At 17, top 2026 NHL draft prospect Gavin McKenna will suit up for the NCAA’s Penn State University in the 2025-26 season. (Photo by Leila Devlin/Getty Images) Getty Images Last November, when the door was opened for players from the Canadian Hockey League to make the jump to NCAA hockey, the CHL did its best to paint the change in a positive light. “We believe this is a positive development that will provide our players with more opportunities to continue their hockey and academic careers following their time in the CHL,” said media relations manager Christopher Seguin at the time. But older players aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the new landscape. With training camps in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League set to open over the next week or so, a number of top stars with remaining CHL eligibility have chosen to commit to NCAA programs. The biggest news was Gavin McKenna’s decision to commit to Penn State University at just 17 years old. Named player of the year in both the CHL and the WHL in the 2024-25 season, McKenna is the top-ranked prospect for the 2026 NHL draft. In what will likely be his final season before he turns pro, he’ll be skating with a Nittany Lions program which joined the NCAA’s Division I in 2012 and reached the Frozen Four for the first time last spring. Coach Guy Gadowsky has been at the helm since 2011 and this year, his son Mac Gadowsky joins the team after being named a top 10 finalist for the 2025 Hobey Baker Award as a sophomore at Army. Losing McKenna is a massive blow to the star power of the WHL for the upcoming season, and he’s not the only top prospect…
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