TORONTO, Ontario, Canada — Former Penn State standout Gavin McKenna put pen to paper on his three-year, entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs over the holiday weekend.

McKenna, the first overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, becomes the fifth different Nittany Lion from the 2025-26 roster to ink an NHL contract as he made his entry-level deal with Toronto official on Friday.

He joins teammates Charlie Cerrato (Carolina), Aiden Fink (Nashville), Matt DiMarsico (Colorado) and Kevin Reidler(Ottawa) who also inked ELC’s following the conclusion of the season, and he is now the 17th Nittany Lion all-time to sign and NHL contract.

In his lone year at Penn State, McKenna was named a Second-Team All-American, a Hobey Baker Top-10 Finalist, a Big Ten All-Freshman Team member and All-Big Ten Second Team selection as well as becoming the first-ever Nittany Lion to win the Big Ten Scoring title and earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors.

McKenna was also twice named the HCA National Rookie of the Month in October and February while earning four Big Ten weekly awards including First Star of the Week on a pair of occasions.

Back in February, McKenna set program records with eight points and seven assists in an 11-4 victory over Ohio State helping the Nittany Lions to their most goals scored in a Big Ten game all-time and tying the overall single-game program record for goals.