Steinke: it's hard for CHL teams to compete against NIL money
 |
| Gavin McKenna jets up ice for the Tigers in the WHL final last May. |
A year ago at this time, superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna was envisioned as the face of the WHL and the CHL for the 2025-26 campaign. Due to the fact his birthday is December 20, 2007, McKenna wasn’t eligible for the NHL Entry Draft held this past June 27 to 28 in Los Angeles, California.
In what appeared originally to be a bonus for hockey’s major junior ranks, McKenna was going to play an 18-year-old season as a member of the Medicine Hat Tigers. The phenom helped the Tigers win the WHL championship last season and appear in the Memorial Cup tournament’s title game falling to the OHL’s London Knights.
He is tabbed as the consensus pick to be selected first overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. When his draft selection happens, he will not be announced as a member of the storied Tigers but the NCAA’s Penn State University Nittany Lions Men’s Hockey Team.
McKenna officially committed to joining the Nittany Lions on July 8. Had McKenna turned 18-years-old on or before September 15, he would have been eligible for the NHL Entry Draft held this past June. He would have been selected first overall and would be playing in the NHL this coming season.
This column of mine appeared in the Prince Albert Daily Herald. To read the full article, feel free to click right here.
