Getty
Team Canada’s Gavin McKenna.
For those expecting to get a glimpse of projected 2026 NHL Draft No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna playing for Team Canada in this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy, you’re just going to have to wait.
McKenna, 18 years old, has been a star for Team Canada on the junior level but with NHL players allowed to play in the Winter Olympics in 2026 for the first time since 2014, he’ll have to wait until the 2030 games in the French Alps before he gets his shot at chasing a gold medal.
For now, McKenna, who currently stars for Penn State, will have to stay home and watch NHL superstars like Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Connor McDavid take the ice for Team Canada.
Finland is the reigning Olympic champion — Team Canada won the last 2 Olympic gold medals in which NHL players were allowed to compete.
From NHL.com: “The tournament, the first with NHL players since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, will feature all 12 teams playing three preliminary games in their respective groups, then all 12 moving on to a single-elimination playoff that will conclude with the gold medal game Feb. 22.”
McKenna’s Future in Doubt After Shocking Arrest
The hockey world got thrown into a tizzy on Wednesday when news broke that McKenna had been arrested for felony assault in State College, Pennsylvania, after allegedly breaking a man’s jaw in a fight outside a bar.
“McKenna, an 18-year-old native of Canada, was charged with first-degree felony aggravated assault, which is defined as ‘attempts to cause serious bodily injury or causes injury with extreme indifference’; misdemeanor simple assault; and two summary counts of disorderly conduct for harassment and engaging in a fight,” ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski wrote. “The maximum penalty for first-degree felony aggravated assault in Pennsylvania is 20 years in prison and/or a $25,000 fine.”
McKenna has starred for Penn State this season after the NCAA changed its rules to allow players to play for both Canadian junior hockey teams and in Division I — a move that reportedly netted McKenna an NIL deal worth approximately $700,000.
The incident surrounding the arrest came just hours after McKenna scored 1 goal and had 2 assists in a 5-4 loss to Michigan State in front of 74,000 fans at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. McKenna has 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) through 24 games.
McKenna’s Unlimited Pro Potential on Display
McKenna just got a chance to show off why he’s projected as the No. 1 overall pick on the international stage at the World Junior Championships in January in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he led Team Canada to a Bronze medal.
“I think what we’re seeing at this tournament for him is that among his age group, he is the best offensive player in the world,” TSN hockey and World Juniors analyst Mike Johnson told NHL.com. “I think that is the truth. The way he sees the play, the way he can stick-handle, his vision, his passing, even his ability to shoot, which he is sometimes hesitant to do, he can do it all.”
As of February, the Vancouver Canucks have the inside track to obtain the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft, which will be held on June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York — home of the Buffalo Sabres.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
More Heavy on Olympics
Loading more stories