The Green Bay Gamblers have signed Oliver McKinney to a United States Hockey League (USHL) tender agreement for the 2025-26 season.
McKinney is a product of the Chicago Mission, where the 5-foot-9, 154-pound right-shot forward had 30 goals and 57 assists in 53 games playing at 15O.
The Chicago, Ill. native has played the last three seasons with the Mission.
What can the Gamblers expect from McKinney?
“We are extremely excited to welcome Oliver McKinney and his family to the Green Bay Gamblers organization,” Gamblers Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel Kirk Luedeke said. “Oliver is a cerebral forward who makes the players around him better. The combination of his playmaking ability along with his scoring touch make him a special player. When meeting with Oliver, it became evident to our staff that he was the type of person with a high character level that we want to build our future with. We look forward to the start of his journey with us next fall.”
McKinney’s brother, Cole McKinney, is a right-shooting center playing NCAA hockey at the University of Michigan. He previously played in the USHL with USA Hockey’s NTDP squad.
The USHL tender process allows teams to sign up to two 2009 birth year players in exchange for their first and second-round picks in the 2025 USHL Phase I Draft. As a result of their tender signing of Gunnar Conboy and McKinney this year, the Gamblers forfeit their first and second-round picks in Phase I of the USHL Draft.
Each tendered player will join their respective team’s roster the next season and play at least 55% of the team’s regular-season games.
The Gamblers are back in action on Friday night against the Sioux Falls Stampede, with puck drop set for 7:05 Pm CT.