Arrival of top prospect for 2026 NHL Draft has students lining up, merchandise selling out
© Adam Kimelman
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Jeff Warren stood outside Gate A at Pegula Ice Arena, waiting for just the right time.
At exactly 4 p.m., he bellowed “Line up!” and from behind bushes and park benches and hidden corners of buildings, dozens of Penn State students sprinted for the grand prize of a small notecard with a number on it.
The number indicated the order of admission into the Roar Zone, the raucous, two-tiered Penn State student section, for the Nittany Lions home opener against Clarkson University on Thursday.
That number has taken on even more value this season, with the arrival of forward Gavin McKenna, the expected No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft.
“The only rule [with Lineup] is you can’t be seen,” said Zack McCasland, a sophomore. “And once they call Lineup, everybody runs up towards the door, and first one there gets the first spot.”
McCasland and his friends Dylan Friedman, Trevor Lavelle and Owen Livingston spent more than 30 minutes hiding in bushes across a courtyard from Pegula waiting for their time.
© Adam Kimelman
Dylan Friedman, Zack McCasland, Trevor Lavelle, Owen Livingston (left to right) spent more than 30 minutes hiding in bushes to be the first four to get Roar Zone seats in Lineup.
And when Warren, the Roar Zone president, made his call, it was McCasland who exploded out from behind the bushes and won the race for the No. 1 card.
“Ever since last year … end up making it all the way to the Frozen Four, it was such an awesome season, so much hype around the team,” McCasland said. “And then bringing in these transfers and these recruits, it couldn’t be more exciting. I’m so excited to watch these guys.”
The McKenna excitement already has spread to all corners of Penn State’s campus.
“I know so many people who have never talked about hockey in my life that are now talking about hockey and saying, ‘I want to go to these games,'” said Grace Hughes, a sophomore and Roar Zone social media coordinator.
See Penn State students flock to the Roar Zone to secure seating for home opener
Among the signs lining the glass in the Roar Zone was a mustang wearing a No. 72 McKenna jersey, and labeling him the “Whitehorse Warrior,” a nod to McKenna’s hometown of Whitehorse, Yukon.
“Having him here is huge,” said Roar Zone vice president Dillan Hirschberg, a senior who designed the poster. “This is probably the most hyped hockey season we’ve had, especially coming off of a Frozen Four berth, which is something we’ve never done before. And then having somebody like him join the program is especially huge for us.”
© Adam Kimelman
Dillan Hirschberg and the poster she drew for freshman sensation Gavin McKenna.
McKenna gave a preview for what the season could be like during Penn State’s season-opening sweep at Arizona State last weekend. The 17-year-old had two first-period assists in a 6-3 win Oct. 3, and then one night later he scored the game-winning power-play goal with 1:53 left in the third period of a 4-2 victory.
The attention was so great the games were televised on NHL Network and the NHL YouTube channel.
“I feel like McKenna brought a whole bunch of media and attention to the school, just because he’s the No. 1 pick and everyone’s seeing if he’s NHL-worthy,” said Livingston, who got the No. 2 card at Lineup.
Fans already are wearing No. 72 McKenna jerseys, which went on sale around the start of the season, and more were buying them at the Hockey Valley Team Shop in the arena.
“We’re selling them as fast as we’re getting them in right now, which has been amazing,” said Caroline Gummo, chief operating officer at The Family Clothesline, an official Penn State apparel retailer located on campus. “… We have another batch coming in tomorrow, they’ll probably be sold out by time we get through the weekend.”
© Adam Kimelman
Gavin McKenna’s No. 72 hockey jersey on display at The Family Clothesline next to the Penn State football jersey of Nittany Lions alum and Super Bowl champion Saquon Barkley.
Connor McChrystal, a sophomore, wasn’t going to wait to get his.
“I went to The Family Clothesline and got it,” he said. “I was in the middle class, I saw the Instagram post and I’m like, [forget] it, let’s go get it. So I did.”
McLanahan’s, another on-campus clothing store, has a McKenna T-shirt on display in the window, and is selling shirts and sweatshirts with his name and number.
“We put them online for preorder, and within a day we had 20, 30 orders for the shirts,” said Hanna Fornicola, McLanahan’s assistant buyer. “And then today, I haven’t even gotten to get everything up and people have already been asking if we have them in, if we’re getting more, if this is it, if we have other designs. People are already looking for it and excited about it.”
© Adam Kimelman
Gavin McKenna shirts on display at McLanahan’s.
The hype likely won’t be slowing any time soon. Even though Penn State lost 6-4 Thursday, McKenna had two assists and three shots on goal, and he’s tied for third on the team with five points (one goal, four assists) in three games.
With McKenna’s popularity driving them, Hockey Valley is beginning to surpass the school’s traditional nickname of Happy Valley.
“I saw his first goal on Saturday, his celebration, forks down, that was really cool,” Livingston said. “I think he’s definitely fitting in with the team well. Can’t wait to see the rest of the season and see how well he does.”
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