What Does a Consensus 1st Overall Pick in the NHL Draft Make In The NCAA?
Penn State forward Gavin McKenna has been considered the consensus 1st-overall pick in this year's upcoming NHL Draft. The forward made the jump from the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers to the NCAA and Big Ten, to play for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Since he arrived in the Big Ten, he's played against a tougher crop of opponents, and despite that, has managed to perform above a point-per-game pace (1.45 PPG), scoring 51 points (16-35) in 35 games in Happy Valley.
GAVIN MCKENNA IS 2ND IN POINTS (50) & PPG (1.52) IN THE ENTIRE NCAA AS A FRESHMAN.
— The Prospect Don (@TheProspectDon) March 12, 2026
Only Ethan Wyttenbach has more. He leads in both categories with 57P in 36GP + 1.57 PPGpic.twitter.com/UFZ5kJLGuH
McKenna is not only related to Connor Bedard, but his junior hockey career also proved that he may have a higher ceiling than Bedard himself.
"Offensively, he's a driver in all situations, producing 5-on-5 and having a clear impact on the power play," Campbell said. "For me, he's the top-rated draft pick in North America by a considerable margin."
He's found a way to put himself in the headlines this season, earning the Big Ten Freshman Of The Year award, two-time National Rookie of the Month, four-time Big Ten All-Star Of The Week, and a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Gavin McKenna's NCAA Payday: Not Chump Change
His accolades speak highly of his abilities, from junior hockey to translate to a higher level of play in the NCAA. How handsomely has he been rewarded?
How much has the freshman forward earned this season in NIL cash as a member of the Nittany Lions? He hasn't even signed an entry-level contract with an NHL team, but has already pocketed a nice chunk of change.
With that said, we are in the midst of tremendous structural changes to college sports in how athletes are getting paid. So I know we're going to talk about Gavin McKenna a little bit here, but McKenna reportedly signed right this $700,000ish contract to play for Penn State. That is reflective of what I like to call NIL 1.0.
As of Apr. 16th, per DailyFaceOff, the Vancouver Canucks have the best odds of winning the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery.
Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
