Penn State's McKenna nominated for prestigious award
Penn State's Gavin McKenna is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, capping a remarkable freshman season for the NHL prospect.
Gavin McKenna has truly turned into on of the biggest stars on Penn State 's campus. Perhaps one of college hockey's most recognizable players, he ahas live up to every expectation. Now, he could end up being rewarded for it after being named on the shortlist for college hockey's most prestigious honor.
The shortlist has just come for the Hobey Baker Award , and McKenna is amongst the top 10 names to have made it as a finalist. This caps off a remarkable regular season for the true freshman and the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in this year's NHL draft.
After winning the Big Ten scoring title, being named to the All-Big Ten second team, and being named Freshman of the Week in the conference, McKenna could end up with one of the best college hockey seasons for a freshman not just for the Nittany Lions , but of all time. While McKenna took a while to show off his elite talents, he truly grew into the season, tallying 38 points over just 24 games. As a result, he is one of only two freshmen to have made the shortlist, along with Ethan Wytttenbach of Quinnipiac.
He also made somewhat of his own history as he became just the second Nittany Lion ever to be nominated for the award after Aiden Fink in 2024-25. On April 2nd, McKenna will find out if he has made the top three, and then the day after the Frozen Four, the winner will be announced. If is McKenna, he will be the first Nittany Lions to ever win the prestigious honor.