6 players to watch in the NCAA Hockey Tournament, including Gavin McKenna

The NHL draft is an interesting combination of the MLB and NBA drafts, in that some of the most intriguing players aren't playing in college. They might be planning to play in junior leagues out of high school like MLB players or coming from abroad like the NBA. Indeed, top 2026 NHL entry draft prospect Ivar Stenberg is projected to be drafted in the top two out of Sweden, while Gavin McKenna is poised to join him from Penn State.

This year's Men's NCAA Hockey Tournament is poised to field a lot of the usual suspects. Western Michigan is back in the field after winning its first national championship in last year's Frozen Four, while Michigan and Michigan State join their in-state brethren. Minnesota-Duluth is also in the bracket, alongside Connecticut's Quinnipiac and UConn.

North Dakota and Cornell are also making appearances, with the former looking for its first championship in 10 years and the latter since 1970. The Beanpot bracketeers are notably absent this year, with Northeastern, Harvard, Boston and Boston College all missing the cut. While many of the players on these rosters are spoken for, having had their professional rights already picked, others are still looking to be picked.

Here are three players to look for in the tournament, including McKenna, the most compelling prospect in hockey. 3 players to watch in Men's NCAA Hockey Tournament 1. Gavin McKenna, Penn State LW, 18 years old The player everyone will want to tune in for, this list would incomplete with Gavin McKenna, who eschewed some of the more traditional college hockey powers to play his lone college season at Penn State.