Gavin McKenna is poised to make Penn State hockey history Friday, as he's projected to become the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. McKenna, who spent one season playing for the Nittany Lions, would bring those newfound roots in State College to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have the first overall pick of the draft."I can't thank this team enough," McKenna said after the Nittany Lions' final game in the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament. "I can't thank the whole community of Penn State enough for what they've done for me. I’m a Penn Stater for life.”McKenna would become the first No. 1 overall pick of the Penn State men's hockey team and join the Nittany Lions with Michigan in a bit of trivia. Penn State and Michigan would be the only two college programs with No. 1 overall picks in both the NFL and NHL Drafts. Penn State, like Michigan, has had two No. 1 NFL picks: Ki-Jana Carter in 1995 and Courtney Brown in 2000.McKenna will become the 18th player in Penn State hockey history to be drafted dating to 2010. He also will become just the second Nittany Lion drafted in the first round, joining Jackson Smith, who went 14th overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets last season before playing his freshman year at Penn State.Here's what else to know about Penn State and the NHL Draft ahead of Friday's show from Buffalo.Penn State in the NHL Draft"I like to drag my teammates into the fire, whether it's on or off the ice."Gavin McKenna on what he thinks is the most underrated part of his game. pic.twitter.com/0p0ua9SiWc— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 25, 2026Penn State's first player drafted into the NHL was Max Gardiner, a third-round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2010. Gardiner was drafted before he joined the Nittany Lions' revived varsity hockey program in 2012. Gardiner took the first faceoff in Penn State's NCAA hockey history.In June 2013, Penn State freshmen Eamon McAdam and Mike Williamson officially became the first Nittany Lions to be selected in the NHL Draft. McAdam went in the third round to the New York Islanders, and Williamson was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round. Until last year, McAdam was Penn State's highest-drafted player, going 70th overall.Though he wasn't drafted, Casey Bailey in April 2015 became Penn State's first NHL signee. After leading the Big Ten in scoring, Bailey signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played in his first NHL game five days later.Penn State produced its best draft in 2017, when five Nittany Lions were selected: Evan Barratt (third round to Chicago), Clayton Phillips (third round to Pittsburgh), Cole Hults (fifth round to Los Angeles), Denis Smirnov (sixth round to Colorado) and Aarne Talvitie (sixth round to New Jersey).Penn State had players selected in five consecutive NHL Drafts from 2019-23: Kevin Wall (2019 to Carolina), Chase McLane (2020 to Nashville), Arsenii Sergeev (2021 to Calgary), Reese Laubach (2022 to San Jose) and Aiden Fink (2023 to Nashville).Penn State already has had a prolific hockey draft, as seven players from the women's team were selected in the recent PWHL draft. That includes Tessa Janecke, who went No. 3 overall to Las Vegas.Penn State's NHL Draft picksHere's a look at the 17 Nittany Lions who have been drafted. An asterisk indicates that the player was drafted before joining the Penn State roster.PlayerYearRound/PickTeamMax Gardiner*20103/74St. Louis BluesPatrick Koudys*20115/147Washington CapitalsEamon McAdam20133/70New York IslandersMike Williamson20136/175Vancouver CanucksNikita Pavlychev20157/197Pittsburgh PenguinsBrett Murray20164/99Buffalo SabresEvan Barratt20173/90Chicago BlackhawksClayton Phillips*20173/93Pittsburgh PenguinsCole Hults20175/134Los Angeles KingsDenis Smirnov20176/156Colorado AvalancheAarne Talvitie20176/160New Jersey DevilsKevin Wall20196/181Carolina HurricanesChase McLane20207/209Nashville PredatorsArsenii Sergeev*20217/205Calgary FlamesReese Laubach20227/217San Jose SharksAiden Fink20237/218Nashville PredatorsJackson Smith20251/14Columbus Blue Jackets— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) June 24, 2026Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow