Gavin McKenna, the phenom and top prospect for the 2026 NHL draft, is committing to Penn State. He made the announcement on ESPN on Tuesday.

The incredibly talented left winger is leaving WHL Medicine Hat, where he led the Tigers in scoring with a mind-bending 129 points in 56 games.

It goes without saying that McKenna is the biggest recruit the Nittany Lions have ever landed, but it is not hyperbole to say that he is also one of the biggest recruits college hockey has ever had. 

McKenna joins a program coming off its first-ever appearance in the Frozen Four (Penn State went Div. I in 2012), one with excellent facilities, an experienced and well-respected coach in Guy Gadowsky and a sizzling-hot recruiting class that also includes Columbus Blue Jackets first-rounder Jackson Smith and Calgary Flames pick Luke Misa.

But this is bigger than simply a great player committing to a program. This is a huge blow for major junior and the newest chapter in a recruiting saga that has just begun, thanks to the recent change in NCAA eligibility rules that allow players to suit up for major junior teams before they go to college, as long as they haven't signed pro contracts. 

So, what does it all mean?

Nothing Is Impossible For NCAA Schools

When the rule change first came into place, the majority of new college recruits were players whose major junior careers were about to end anyway – veteran 20-year-olds who weren't going to get pro contracts but could still play at a high level and perhaps earn themselves a deal after a good showing in the NCAA. 

With McKenna committing to Penn State, NCAA schools now know that they can shoot for the moon. We had seen younger CHL players commit to college schools before McKenna (Keaton Verhoeff, another potential lottery pick in 2026, was the previous shocker when he signed with North Dakota), but McKenna is the most coveted talent there is right now. Could we see others follow suit? What happens to top-10 2025 NHL draft picks such as Michael Misa (SJ) or Porter Martone (PHI) if they don't jump straight to the NHL this fall?

The CHL Has A Challenge On Its Hands

Major junior teams now have a rival on even footing in the NCAA. 

If anything, they're at a disadvantage now: players are drafted in the CHL, whereas they get to choose their college team themselves.

Penn State, like a lot of major college schools, has a state-of-the-art weight room and training facility; the vast majority of CHL franchises don't have anything close to that. Investing in those types of facilities may have to become the new reality in major junior. 

And what is the No. 1 thing that young players say they need to improve on? I need to get bigger and stronger. The NCAA schedule, with just two games on the weekend, allows for maximum gym and practice time during the week. Not only that, but some college players are upwards of 23 or 24 years old. If you're a top NHL prospect looking to hone your game against older, stronger competition, the NCAA is a perfect stepping stone before either the AHL or NHL.

The CHL Will Likely Get Younger

Major junior still has one structural advantage on the NCAA: you can't play in college until you've finished high school. But you can play in the CHL when you're 16 and in some cases, 15.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see more players granted exceptional status from here on out to play major junior at 15. I know the CHL itself doesn't determine exceptional status - it's determined by Hockey Canada authorities - but I'm guessing that's what we see happen.

The CHL has also benefitted from the new NCAA rules, as players who normally would have been in Jr. A or the United States League before college have already begun migrating to major junior to face better competition before heading off to school. Haoxi 'Simon' Wang (SJ), the 2025 second-rounder, is one prominent example - he left the OJHL for the OHL this season but is still committed to Boston University for the future.

The CHL Needs To Be A Goalie Factory

One advantage of its heavier pro-style schedule is that the CHL can offer goaltenders a better opportunity in their formative years. Goalies need starts, and even if you're the backup in major junior, you can get decent ice time.

Alexei Medvedev, a Vancouver Canucks second-rounder in 2025, made 34 starts for the OHL's London Knights this past year, for example. He backed up veteran Austin Elliott, who was added from the WHL early in the season.

Trey Augustine, the Detroit Red Wings prospect and one of the top goalies in all of college, played 30 games for Michigan State this year.

If I'm running a CHL team, I'm going heavy on goalie recruiting. While we have seen Jack Ivankovic (NSH) leave OHL Brampton for the University of Michigan, we've also seen excellent NTDP goalie and 2026 draft prospect Harrison Boettiger sign on with WHL Kelowna for next year before he heads to NCAA Denver. Meanwhile, another Red Wings pick, Rudy Guimond, is sticking with QMJHL Moncton for next season instead of going to Yale (though Yale's lack of full-ride scholarships played a financial role in the decision), as he had previously planned.

That position would be my focus if I ran a major junior squad right now.

How Junior Hockey Star Gavin McKenna Will Benefit – And Benefit From – Penn State The hype around Gavin McKenna has been growing for quite some time.

The Money Is Getting Big

Reports of how much money McKenna will be getting for his Penn State commitment are pretty wild, but with the advent of NIL and all sorts of other avenues opening up, we've hit a new frontier in developmental hockey.

One of the next big questions is how major junior will respond. Is it going to get a lot more expensive to ice a top-notch CHL roster in the future? Will major junior become two-tiered when some franchises can spend a bunch to shore up their roster, while others cannot? That may be the next horizon.

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