The 2026 projected number one overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft Gavin McKenna is lighting up the CHL this year, and with his performances through the roof at such a young age, would a move to the NCAA under the new CHL-NCAA agreement take his game to the next level?
McKenna, who has been the franchise guy for the Medicine Hat Tigers for the last two years, has stepped his game up to another level this year, putting up 129 points, with 41 goals in 56 games, with an astonishing highlight reel to go along with it. McKenna’s performances in the WHL this year has put his name amongst the likes of Connor Bedard and Connor McDavid in terms of his draft hype, and is quite possibly one of the best prospects of the last 10 years. But with McKenna carrying Medicine Hat on his shoulders at only 17, and a 22 point playoff run in only nine games, McKenna should definitely consider a new chapter.
It is without a doubt that McKenna is one of the CHL's best players, and has put up insane numbers, and played immaculately over the course of the year, but with the CHL, and the WHL in general being a junior league with a pretty low ceiling for talent like McKenna, a move to the NCAA to compete with some of the hottest prospects in the world could be a perfect way for McKenna to prove he can do it in any environment. Some would argue it would be a silly move for McKenna to leave Medicine Hat where he is having the best time of his life, and the playing the best hockey of his life, but with one year left before his draft eligibility, McKenna could make the jump to senior hockey, and test himself, and give himself a taste of the pace of the NHL.
Had McKenna decide to make the move down to the US and compete in the NCAA, it is no question big 10 teams will target McKenna, and will probably be the most sought after player possibly in NCAA hockey history. With teams like the Wolverines, Terriers, and the Pioneers all floating around the potential McKenna move, any programme lucky to have McKenna will have the best prospect north of the border. Had McKenna decide to follow in his teammate Cayden Lindstrom's footsteps and move to the NCAA to test out a fresh perspective on senior hockey, McKenna could fully cement himself as the best prospect there has been for a long time, and had he prove he can put up ridiculous number in the NCAA, and score elite goals like he did for the Tigers, McKenna will be all anybody can talk about.
With potential rumours of high level prospects like Michael Misa, and the already confirmed commitment of Henry Mews, McKenna’s move to the NCAA would elevate the league's reputation to another level, and would be the perfect gigantic step college hockey needs to attract the hottest prospects.
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