Penn State prodigy Gavin McKenna may only be 17, but has still generated enough hype that quite a few veterans might be jealous of. The projected top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft recently addressed the mounting criticism that he habitually receives.
McKenna claimed that instead of discouraging him, he tends to feel motivated due to the criticism, per New Haven Register.
“I don’t mind it at all. Sometimes getting people pumping your tires all the time isn’t the best thing for you. People have been waiting for me to fail … it fires me up,” McKenna told press on Monday at Canada’s world junior training camp in Niagara Falls, per The Score.
The comment encapsulated McKenna’s mindset during a season in which he has received constant attention. McKenna entered the year widely viewed as the runaway favorite to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, and that status has not changed inside scouting circles.
However, scrutiny increased after the 17-year-old forward left the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers to join Penn State. Through 16 games with the Nittany Lions, McKenna has recorded 18 points, including four goals, a noticeable drop from the offensive explosion that defined his junior season.
Last year, McKenna dominated the WHL, posting 41 goals and 88 assists for 129 points in 56 games while compiling a 40-game point streak and leading Medicine Hat to a championship. The contrast between that output and his current scoring pace has fueled criticism from observers focused on numbers rather than context. McKenna dismissed that approach, emphasizing that his game remains intact despite fewer pucks finding the net.
“I just try to take it with a grain of salt. Where my game’s at, if people are watching and if people are smart at hockey and are actually watching the game, not just looking at the numbers, they’d know. I’m confident,” he said.
The decision to move to the NCAA was deliberate. McKenna described the season as a “building year,” one intended to challenge him in ways junior hockey could not.
Canada is counting on that development to translate quickly on the international stage. McKenna is expected to play a central offensive role at the upcoming World Junior Championship, where the national team is looking to rebound from a disappointing fifth-place finish in Ottawa last year.
