For ten days, junior hockey players from ten different countries competed for national pride in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.

Among the roughly 250 athletes aged 18 and under was Penn State’s very own Gavin McKenna, the Canadian native from Whitehorse, Yukon. Jackson Smith also took part in the preliminary stages of the competition, but was released from the roster at training camp.

While McKenna and his teammates from up north didn’t come home with the ultimate prize, it was a tournament to remember for the Nittany Lion freshman. Let’s take a look back at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Canada’s first matchup came against Czechia, the team that had eliminated Canada in the two previous World Juniors tournaments. Seven minutes into the action, McKenna registered his first point of the competition, recording a primary assist on the pass to Brady Martin. Martin was a fifth round selection by the Nashville Predators in the 2025 NHL Draft. The goal gave Canada an early 1-0 lead.

In the third period, McKenna found the scoresheet again, helping break the 3-3 tie with a primary assist on the Zayne Parekh goal, a defenseman from the Calgary Flames. The goal would propel Canada to a strong 20 minutes, as it would go on to win the game 7-5.

The next day, Canada faced Latvia. McKenna would put up a two-assist performance, tallying primaries on a goal by Flames 2025 draft pick Cole Reschny, along with Michael Hage’s overtime game winner. Hage currently plays in the Big Ten with McKenna, at the University of Michigan, and was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. His goal in extra time gave Team Canada a 2-1 victory. 

Canada’s and McKenna’s most dominant performance came following a rest day, as the 17-year-old notched a hat trick en route to his team’s commanding 9-1 win over Denmark. He found the back of the net in each period, with his final goal showcasing his impeccable stickhandling abilities and awareness on the ice. His effort earned him a spot on SportsCenter’s Top-10 plays. 

GAVIN MCKENNA, BEHAVE

THAT'S THE HAT-TRICK, AND IT'S 7-1 CANADA #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/xwtP3Ko0P9

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 30, 2025

Canada kept on winning, and McKenna continued to find his way onto the scoresheet night in and night out. During the team’s New Year’s Eve matchup with Finland, McKenna recorded a secondary assist on a Martin goal in the second period. They would prevail 7-4 in that contest.

The quarterfinals were equally as dominant. Canada rolled to another win, once again putting up seven goals in a 7-1 triumph over Slovakia. McKenna assisted on yet another Martin goal, something that became a trend over the course of the tournament.

Simultaneously in the quarterfinal round, the United States was defeated by Finland in overtime, sending the defending champions home early. Sweden defeated Latvia 6-3, and Czechia dominated Switzerland 6-2, setting up Canada’s rematch against Czechia in the semifinals.

With just four teams remaining, Czechia got the best of Canada for the third year in a row, winning by a score of 6-4 and dashing McKenna’s hopes of taking home gold. His secondary assist on a Reschny goal in the third period temporarily tied the score at three apiece, but the team effort would ultimately fall short. 

In the late stages of that game, McKenna was handed a game misconduct penalty for abuse of officials. The call came after multiple Canadian players expressed their frustration to the referee crew following a call on Reschny and an empty net dagger shortly thereafter. McKenna was guilty of 14 penalty minutes in the contest.

While the lone Penn Stater in the tournament would no longer be able to compete for gold, Canada was still slated to take on Finland in the Bronze Medal Game. 

McKenna shined. His four-point evening included two secondary assists, one primary assist, and a third period goal. Two of the apples came on Sam O’Reilly scores, with McKenna registering the third on a Parekh goal. His strong outing capped off a relatively successful stretch for the young forward, despite coming up shy of the coveted top spot on the podium.

MCKENNA MAKES IT A 6-3 GAME

That's a four point night for him and Michael Hage.#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/CVTa0ZiGI5

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 5, 2026

In the Gold Medal Game, Sweden took down Czechia 4-2, giving the country its first World Juniors title since 2012.

Along with McKenna’s hardware, he also became just the third Nittany Lion to take home a medal at World Juniors. Aarne Talvitie won gold as the captain of Finland in 2019, with Evan Barratt earning silver for the United States the same year.

McKenna was also awarded Player of the Game honors on two occasions, following both his hat-trick performance against Denmark and his impressive showing in the Bronze Medal Game.

His 14-point tournament puts him in a tie for seventh all-time when it comes to points by a draft-eligible player at World Juniors, and fourth place for Canadians in the same category.

McKenna is slated to return to Hockey Valley for the team’s upcoming series with Minnesota, where he will be a welcome addition to the lineup.