Gavin McKenna dethroned as the projected No. 1 overall pick in 2026 NHL entry draft

Gavin McKenna has committed to the Penn State Nittany Lions to play for in the NCAA in the 2025-26 hockey season.

The former 129-point forward (41-88) in the WHL has found his star rising from the start to the finish of the junior hockey cycle.

McKenna was projected to be the #1 OA pick in 2026, like his cousin, Connor Bedard, was in 2023.

And yet, unlike Bedard, he's already experienced his stock dropping as of today, with Elliotte Friedman mentioning forward Keaton Verhoeff.

Keaton Verhoeff is a defenseman who played for the WHL's Victoria Royals.

Though to us, it seems premature considering Verhoeff isn't an elite producer, scoring only 45 points (21-24) in 63 games with the Royals this season.

He was ranked third among WHL rookie defenseman in points this year.

According to Dobber Prospects, he's a true #1 defenseman:

Considering the value of right-handed defensemen in the NHL, he should be in high demand (as a right-handed defenseman) by the time 2026 rolls around. But we haven't seen the kind of elite production from him, as we've seen in Gavin McKenna.

Regardless, if McKenna does slide, this could work out in the Blackhawks' favor should they not win the Draft Lottery once again.

This could turn out to be another situation where teams will have to put their beliefs to the test and decide whether to choose from Michael Misa or Matthew Schaefer, if we're putting this in the proper context.

It'll be interesting to see if McKenna's fortunes change after a year of Big Ten Hockey.