McKenna, projected No. 1 pick in 2026 Draft, among those moving from CHL to college ranks this season
© Mark Selders – Penn State Athletics
It was a moment the hockey world was waiting for, and it was there for the entire sports world to see.
At 6:30 p.m. ET on July 8, Gavin McKenna appeared on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” from his home in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, and gave a 45-word statement that would change the face of NCAA hockey forever.
“It was a super-tough decision,” he said on the national broadcast. “Obviously there’s a lot of great options out there, but I think me, my family and everyone that was kind of part of my circle, we all decided the best spot for me next year will be Penn State University.”
The decision by McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft who is considered by many to be a generational talent, was clearly a boon for Penn State, but it also represented a sea change that will impact the NHL and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Western Hockey League, the three leagues that comprise the Canadian Hockey League.
After finishing second in the WHL last season with 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games with Medicine Hat and being named the player of the year in the WHL and the CHL, the 17-year-old forward became a pioneer of CHL migration to the NCAA ranks.
“I always want to pave my own path,” McKenna said. “I don’t want to be a follower. I want to do my own thing and go with my own heart. From the start, I had people telling me that Penn State was a new and upcoming school and might not get you pro-ready. But I want to stick with my gut and go with what I want to do, and kind of block out whatever everyone else says, and just go with my heart.”
© Mark Selders – Penn State Athletics
Gavin McKenna’s decision to attend Penn State University sent shockwaves through the hockey world.
An NCAA rule change in November made CHL players eligible this season to play NCAA hockey for the first time. They previously were barred and considered professionals because they were competing against players who had signed NHL entry-level contracts.
That change was another in a string of adjustments redefining the model of NCAA sports, including college players being allowed to monetize their name, image and likeness, either by colleges themselves or third-party collectives. But it’s also the largest change to the junior hockey development model in decades.
“With the rule change, all of a sudden you’ve got 1,500 more players that are eligible to play college hockey now,” Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale said.
Does college hockey now become the preeminent path to the NHL? Can the CHL maintain its place as the best route to an NHL roster spot?
Can they work on parallel paths to reach the same goal?
“I would honestly say the dust is still settling,” CHL president Dan MacKenzie said. “I think from where we sit, we’ve seen some things, but I think we really need to see what’s going to happen this year.”
What’s already happening is several prominent players making the move from the CHL to the NCAA. McKenna may be the biggest name, but he’s not alone.
Joining him at Penn State will be defenseman Jackson Smith, who was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round (No. 14) of the 2025 NHL Draft and spent the past three seasons with Tri-City of the WHL; and forward Luke Misa, a fifth-round pick (No. 150) by the Calgary Flames in the 2024 NHL Draft who played four seasons with Brampton of the OHL.
© Mark Selders – Penn State Athletics
Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Jackson Smith (l.) and Calgary Flames draft pick Luke Misa will be playing with Gavin McKenna at Penn State this season.
Forward Cayden Lindstrom, selected by the Blue Jackets with the No. 4 pick of the 2024 draft, is at Michigan State after playing three seasons with Medicine Hat. Joining him this fall will be forward Porter Martone, who was taken by the Philadelphia Flyers with the No. 6 pick of the 2025 draft and is leaving Brampton, where he was captain last season.
Flames forward prospect Cole Reschny, a first-round pick (No. 18) in the 2025 draft, will attend the University of North Dakota along with defenseman Keaton Verhoeff, one of the top prospects for the 2026 draft, after each played last season with Victoria of the WHL.
Forward Roger McQueen, selected No. 10 by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2025 draft, will attend Providence College after playing with Brandon of the WHL the past four seasons.
Then there are forward Malcolm Spence (New York Rangers), defenseman Henry Mews (Flames) and goalie Jack Ivankovic (Nashville Predators), who are leaving their CHL teams to play at the University of Michigan. Spence (No. 43) and Ivankovic (No. 58) were second-round picks in the 2025 draft, and Mews was a third-round selection (No. 74) in the 2024 draft.
© Michigan Photography
New York Rangers prospect Malcolm Spence left his CHL team to play for the University of Michigan this season.
Thirteen of the first 15 picks of the 2025 draft were CHL players. Of that group, seven have signed NHL deals and three have chosen the NCAA route.
Now all eyes are on 18-year-old forward Michael Misa (Saginaw, OHL), who was selected by the San Jose Sharks with the No. 2 pick this year. Could he decide to follow older brother Luke, 19, and play NCAA hockey this season?
Also unsigned are forward Caleb Desnoyers (Moncton, QMJHL), chosen No. 4 by the Utah Mammoth, and forward Jack Nesbitt (Windsor, OHL), selected by the Flyers at No. 12.
Could some or all of them sign before training camps open next month and stay in the CHL, if they’re not in the NHL? Or could more choose the NCAA option?
“It’s definitely something I’ve got to figure out with my agent, what San Jose wants me to do,” Michael Misa said during the World Junior Summer Showcase in July. “It’s kind of up to them and up to me to make that decision.”
McKenna said he made his not long after Medicine Hat lost in the championship game of the Memorial Cup on June 1, and it was based on what would be best for his long-term success in the NHL.
“My agency, they were talking to me, and honestly, it all kind of excited me,” he said. “I think it’s the best route for me to go to be a pro next year.
“I think [college] honestly just makes the jump [to the NHL] easier. Going against older, heavier, stronger guys, I think it really prepares you. I think even in the locker room, hanging around older guys and being around more mature guys, I think that will help me a lot in my first season. Obviously, the [WHL] was a great spot, and I’m very grateful for what it did for me and my family. I think both options are great, but I just think that going to college and being in such a great conference, it’ll really challenge me and prepare me.”
Martone waited until July 21 to make his decision after attending Flyers development camp. But his reasons echoed those of McKenna.
“For me, the decision ended up coming down to what’s going to make me the best hockey player in 5-10 years to help Philly capture the Stanley Cup,” he said. “I sat down with my camp and Philly, and they were supporting my decision either way. I think I’m going to a great organization in Michigan State and I can’t wait to be a Flyer when it does come to that time.”
© Matthew Mitchell/Michigan State Athletics
Porter Martone, selected No. 6 by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2025 NHL Draft, left Brampton, where he was captain last season, to play for Michigan State.
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Though college is the right choice for some players, it’s not always the best path for others.
Matthew Schaefer, selected by the New York Islanders with the No. 1 pick of the 2025 draft, signed his entry-level contract Aug. 4, saying college hockey didn’t interest him. Because of his age, the options for the defenseman, who turned 18 on Friday, now will be playing for the Islanders or returning to Erie of the OHL.
“I want to play in the NHL,” Schaefer said. “And obviously, other people would always ask me, ‘You know, where do you want to go?’ But for me, I was so dialed in on wanting to play in the NHL. And when I set goals for myself, I work as hard as I can so I can get to that point.”
Forward Carter Bear, selected by the Detroit Red Wings with the No. 13 pick of the 2025 draft, signed his entry-level contract July 16 after telling Detroit management he wanted to stay with Everett of the WHL despite NCAA overtures.
“It’s up to the player in our view, and Carter was pretty adamant about going back to junior hockey,” Red Wings assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff said. “And we’re completely fine with that. The player, first off, has to be happy. He’s got to want to do it, and I think time will tell if it works out for that individual player.”
There are advantages to each path. The CHL has a 68-game schedule, followed by potentially four playoff rounds and then the Memorial Cup, all of which aligns closer to an 82-game NHL season and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And while school is required for all players in the QMJHL, there are no education requirements for players in the OHL or WHL beyond attending high school.
NCAA players are considered student-athletes, required to attend classes and maintain a certain grade-point average. The college hockey season can range from 35-42 games, including the NCAA Tournament. Most regular-season games are played on the weekend, giving players a greater opportunity to get into the gym or work on their skills during the early part of the week.
“College hockey is beneficial in some ways because of the training,” St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “You get to get bigger, stronger, more days in the gym, less games. … Junior hockey to me has a lot of benefits too. If you’re on a good team, you get seven-game playoff series. In college, it’s one and done.”
For a player like Ryder Ritchie (6-foot, 175 pounds), the schedule was a selling point when it came to his choice to play at Boston University this season. Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the second round (No. 45) of the 2024 draft, the forward played three seasons in the WHL with Prince Albert and Medicine Hat. But getting stronger is something he feels is a necessity before he turns pro, and in his view it’s a lot harder to get in the gym when you’re taking 15-hour bus rides around the Canadian prairies.
“The college schedule with only playing on Fridays and Saturdays, it gives you more time for development, especially in the gym Monday through Wednesday,” he said. “You’re getting those hard lifts in and I think getting bigger and stronger in that scenario. That’s where I really need improving.”
Several of the players mentioned the NCAA facilities, including more modern weight rooms, recovery areas and shooting rooms, as selling points. Colleges and universities with larger endowments and alumni bases have access to more money and more experience in creating appealing environments for athletes.
Reschny said he was sold on North Dakota after getting a tour of Ralph Engelstad Arena.
“It’s as good as it gets,” he said. “I’ve heard some NHL guys that played at the school, and they say it’s better than lots of NHL rinks. It’s something special there.”
© Leighton Chamblee, UND Athletics
Calgary Flames forward prospect Cole Reschny, a first-round pick (No. 18) in the 2025 NHL Draft, will play for North Dakota this season.
McKenna said the facilities in Pegula Ice Arena are a large part of what sold him on Penn State.
“You have all the tools to be at your best with all the recovery stuff they’ve got, the shooting stuff, and then the biggest thing for me was the amount of ice time they have,” he said. “I love being on the ice, and I love working on my stuff, and they give you all the opportunities to do that. So it was just an easy choice.”
The one-upmanship when it comes to facilities has led to a bit of an arms race for college programs as they compete for top players.
“We’re lucky we just had a $30 million renovation that just went in,” Nightingale said. “Our rink (Munn Ice Arena), we’re the sole tenant, so our guys can skate whenever they want. We have a full-time strength coach (Will Morlock) that I brought with me from the [USA Hockey National Team Development Program]. … Not that we’re perfect, we have a lot to keep growing. But that side of it, the momentum of our program, people are excited. The nutrition side, the amount of money we spend on our guys on food to help them make good decisions. It’s that holistic approach to their development.”
That approach certainly stood out to Martone.
“The facility is unbelievable. They’ve got everything they need,” he said. “But at the end of the day that’s not why I chose it. I chose it because [of] the staff they have there, the culture they have there. I think Adam is great for me to really develop me into a pro-style player. The facility and everything is great, but at the end of the day, I think it’s the personnel that kind of attracted my decision to go there.”
Morlock’s reputation is what sold Lindstrom on Michigan State. After Lindstrom missed most of the past two seasons because of back issues, hearing current Columbus players Zach Werenski and Adam Fantilli praise Morlock was just what he needed.
“What separated them is just the way they treated their players,” Lindstrom said. “Obviously all the other schools that I talked to treat their players very well, but I thought Michigan State was very, very professional in the way they run their practices. They run them like an NHL team, and they do everything very professionally. And I love the weight room too. So that was really big for me. And also Will Morlock there, he trains the guys really well there, and he helps guys have a long career as well.”
© Matthew Mitchell/Michigan State Athletics
Forward Cayden Lindstrom, selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets with the No. 4 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, is at Michigan State after playing three seasons with Medicine Hat.
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MacKenzie said he’s spoken with several of the 61 CHL teams about improving what they can offer players, from new buildings to increasing off-ice staffing. He mentioned three new arenas in the works (Ottawa, Brantford and Sudbury in the OHL) and eight others being renovated.
“I think this kind of competition helps raise everyone’s level,” he said. “If you talk to any of our (league) commissioners about their priorities in the offseason as we go forward in the short term, especially in this area, a lot of it is, you’re going to hear a lot about raising of standards. … When you talk about raising standards that we can do and move a bit more quickly, is on noncapital types of improvements. So that would be staff, that would be things like making sure the teams have strength and conditioning coaches and nutrition and mental performance coaches and all those kinds of things that aren’t so capital intensive. I think you’ll see a real push from our leagues to raise the standards there so our teams are continuing to be places where these players can get the best training.”
The NCAA route also allows CHL players the opportunity to test themselves against older competition. Brampton, where Martone, Ivankovic and Luke Misa played last season, had a roster with an average age of 18.84, according to EliteProspects.com.
Michigan State’s roster had an average age of 21.58 years, Michigan 21.82 years and Penn State 21.96 years.
“Eventually when you play pro one day, it’s all against men,” said Spence, who played the past three seasons with Erie. “So to kind of have that transition to when you’re playing against men [in the NHL], the NCAA, I think the size and kind of that aspect of just the strength allows a smoother runway to play pro one day.”
It could be an even bigger benefit to Ivankovic as a goalie.
© Michigan Photography
Jack Ivankovic, selected in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators, will play for Michigan this season.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for him,” Predators assistant GM Jeff Kealty said. “Kids are a little bit older, little bit stronger, can shoot the puck a little bit better. It’s going to be more of a challenge for him and a good step for him.”
A potential reorganization of the North American development model could result in players age 16-18 opting for the CHL and then spending their age 19 and 20 seasons playing NCAA hockey. To that point, MacKenzie said the majority of the approximately 220 new players entering the CHL this season are in that 16-18 age range, with a large component coming from the United States because those players now can maintain NCAA eligibility.
However, the age range also could begin to skew older in the CHL as players get squeezed out of NCAA programs prior to their 20th birthday. In previous seasons, NCAA-bound players might spend their age 19 season in the United States Hockey League and then start college at age 20. Now that roster spot might not be there because an 18-year-old from the CHL is coming in as a true freshman, and that older prospect would then go to the CHL at age 20 as an “over-ager.”
There’s also an additional import player slot, allowing each CHL team to carry three players (up from two) from Europe, including potentially 19- or 20-year-olds who otherwise would have stayed in their domestic leagues.
As for whether the CHL will look younger or older moving forward, MacKenzie said, “I think it’s too early to tell. There’s so many other parts to this, in terms of what the rules around it are, in terms of player movement. I think we’re going to have to wait and see. And I think we’ve got to be careful we don’t make too many assumptions based on six months of data.”
The new model also has brought about a new approach to finding players. Each of the three CHL leagues has bantam drafts of 15- and 16-year-olds separated by regions in Canada and the U.S., as well as the CHL import draft.
NCAA teams with an ocean of new players to pick from are devising new ways to find the right players for their systems.
When Dane Jackson took over as coach at North Dakota in April, one of his first moves was to hire Bryn Chyzyk as general manager to help oversee recruiting.
“I think there has been some teams that didn’t call them a GM, but they had guys more and more on the road, watching more and more,” Jackson said. “It is something that we were kind of talking about as a staff, and that just kind of pushed it over the edge when we saw the CHL open up.
“Recruiting is such a big part of building your team in college. You can coach your butt off, but you still need good players to win. I think along the way, we just knew that we had to allocate more time to the pure recruiting. Bryn Chyzyk is going to be out there a lot. … Having Bryn being the main guy out there, and really kind of directing and focusing our approach, is an important element. We knew we had to make that move.”
Players say the jump from junior hockey to pro, especially the American Hockey League, can be more difficult than the jump from the AHL to the NHL. Having that NCAA stopover for 18- and 19-year-olds could ease that challenge.
“They’re just playing against bigger and stronger players,” said Horcoff, who also is GM of Grand Rapids, the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate. “The game is faster, playing against older players; there are some 24-year-olds in college. So I just think for some of these kids that aren’t quite strong enough for pro hockey yet, it’s a nice buffer. It’s a nice place to go as kind of a stopover, to play at a level that’s a little faster, a little bit bigger and a little stronger.”
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Though NCAA hockey is in the headlines in part because of the McKenna move, MacKenzie said the future of the CHL remains bright.
Besides McKenna and Verhoeff, most of the top talent for the 2026 NHL Draft will play in the CHL this season, a group that includes Niagara (OHL) forward Ryan Roobroeck, Windsor (OHL) forward Ethan Belchetz, Spokane (WHL) forward Mathis Preston and Vancouver (WHL) defenseman Ryan Lin.
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup, an annual elite international summer under-18 tournament that includes some of the best players entering their NHL draft season, featured 60 CHL players across the eight teams this year. That included all 24 players with Canada and 13 with the U.S., the most since 2000.
“I think our philosophy has been, and will continue to be, the CHL develops players to play professional hockey,” MacKenzie said. “That’s what we develop for. We’re seeing a significant amount come in, and then when they’re getting to be older and making decisions on how they think the best way to get to pro hockey is going to be … I think we have to sort of see where that goes and see how it plays out for those players. I think we feel pretty confident that we have a proven track record of, if you play in your 19-year-old year, your post draft years, with the CHL, that you’re going to continue to develop.”
There’s so much unanswered that could start to come into focus this season.
“It’ll be very interesting to see how it shakes out in the next few years, whether [NCAA hockey] will be a normal path for a lot of top players, or if it’ll still be kind of mixed,” Boston College coach Greg Brown said. “I think with the group that’s coming this first year, if there are a lot of success stories, they do well in college and transition right into pro hockey successfully, then I think it’ll become a normal path. I’m excited to see how it turns out.”
NHL.com senior draft writer Mike G. Morreale and independent correspondents Stefen Rosner and Lou Korac contributed to this report
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