Gavin McKenna, Penn State to play outdoor stadium game

Potential 2026 first-overall pick Gavin McKenna will have an opportunity on the big stage in his first year of NCAA hockey.

McKenna’s Penn State Nittany Lions will play an outdoor game at the school’s Beaver Stadium on Jan. 31, 2026, against their rival Michigan State Spartans.

The stadium has a capacity of 106,572.

The doubleheader will also feature the Penn State women’s team as they take on Robert Morris.

“To bring the excitement of college hockey to Beaver Stadium is truly special,” vice president for intercollegiate athletics Robert Kraft said in a statement. “Having our men’s program face a premier Big Ten opponent in Michigan State and our women’s program face Robert Morris on this stage reflects the incredible growth and national profile of Penn State Hockey and provides an unforgettable experience for our student-athletes, alumni and fans.”

McKenna, a native of Whitehorse, officially committed to the Big Ten squad in July after spending parts of the past three seasons with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

The NCAA and CHL reached an agreement late last year that allows Canadian major junior players to play U.S. college hockey.

McKenna was second in WHL scoring last year, potting 129 points in 56 games while adding 38 points in 16 playoff games before his Tigers fell to the London Knights in the Memorial Cup championship game. The 17-year-old won the David Branch Player of the Year award, given to the most outstanding CHL player.

Penn State, whose men’s Division I program began in 2012, is rising in the NCAA and reached its first Frozen Four in program history last season.