College Sports

NBA Finals Game 7 ratings prediction: How will Pacers-Thunder fare?

It is no secret that the Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals has been something less than a ratings bonanza. The first five games averaged 9.18 million viewers, the worst five-game average for the Finals in the Nielsen people meter era (1988-present), save for Lakers-Heat in the fall 2020 “bubble” — a months-delayed, fanless, neutral site series that […]

Published

2 weeks ago

June 22, 2025

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Pacers-Thunder has thus far averaged about the same audience as the 2023 Rangers-Diamondbacks World Series — an infamously low-rated matchup that averaged 9.11 million for its full five-game run — and that is despite Nielsen expanding its out-of-home viewership sample earlier this year.

What has been particularly notable about this NBA Finals has been the lack of any meaningful growth from game to game. Most championship series start out at a certain level for the first four games before picking up in Game 5. Last year’s NBA Finals grew 27 percent from Game 4 (9.62M) to Game 5 (12.22M). Two years ago, it was a 26 percent jump (from 10.41 to 13.08M). Three years ago, a more modest eight percent bump (from 12.06 to 13.03M).

This year? Try one percent, from 9.41 to 9.54 million.

The growth in viewership from Game 1 to Game 5 has been seven percent, the lowest since — of all years — 2016. That, of course, was the last NBA Finals to go the full seven games until this year.

Seventh Heaven

Where can you go when the world don’t treat you right? The answer is Game 7.

There are plenty of examples in recent history of a Game 7 salvaging an otherwise low-rated series. Just look at last year’s Stanley Cup Final, which went from averaging 3.6 million through six games to 7.7 million in the seventh. Or the World Series, which in both 2014 and 2019 avoided record lows because of a seventh game. In the NBA, one could go back to Spurs-Pistons in 2005, a series that was barely outpacing Spurs-Nets two years earlier until it went the distance — or Rockets-Knicks in 1994, which was overshadowed by O.J. Simpson and the impetus for a Sports Illustrated cover pronouncing the NBA “not” hot.

In none of these cases did Game 7 transform the series into a ratings hit, but it provided a positive note on which to end the season — and made the overall average look a bit more respectable.

But it should be noted that those game sevens took place in a different era of television. Can one be certain that a Game 7 will attract the kind of casual audience that has thus far spurned this series? Certainly, last year’s Stanley Cup Game 7 seems to point in that direction, growing its audience by more than 80 percent over Game 6. Assuming viewership for this year’s NBA Game 6 finished around the same level as Game 5 (those figures will not be out until Monday), an 80 percent increase would mean an audience of about 17.5 million, which to be frank seems a touch out of reach for this series — and the NBA generally in 2025.

Since 2019 — and really more accurately since March 11, 2020 — the NBA has been unable to hit the heights that had been commonplace throughout the 2010s. In an era of seven different NBA champions in as many years, there was never any chance that the NBA would be able to sustain the audience it attracted during LeBron James’ run of eight-straight NBA Finals (half of which were against Stephen Curry). Nevertheless, even a pessimist in 2019 would not have predicted that the league would go through the first half of the decade without a single game getting to the 14 million mark. (Warriors-Celtics Game 6 in 2022 came to within a hair with 13.99 million.)

Even before getting its golden Yankees-Dodgers World Series last year, Major League Baseball had gotten to the 14 million mark once with Game 6 of Braves-Astros in 2021 — a matchup that sounds like an NLDS rather than a World Series. Four of the five least-watched NCAA men’s basketball national title games have occurred this decade, but they all topped 14 million. The Kentucky Derby gets to that level with relative ease, and while it has the advantage of a shorter runtime than an NBA game, few would argue that horse racing is in the same neighborhood as the NBA in terms of popularity.

To be clear, 14 million is not some kind of milestone figure. There is no real ring to it. That it would mark a meaningful superlative for the league — its largest audience in six years — is more an indication of just how difficult it has been for it to hit the high notes in this decade.

There are some milestones that could be in reach. 18.2 million would be the largest men’s basketball audience of this decade. 18.4 million would be the largest pro sports audience, outside of the NFL, in this decade. Nineteen million would be the largest sports audience period — outside of the NFL and Olympics — in this decade. (Go back in time and tell someone in 2019 that a women’s basketball game — Caitlin Clark’s final collegiate contest — holds the top spot.)

It would take an unusually large lift for Game 7 to reach those levels. While Spurs-Pistons in 2005 got to 19 million for its Game 7, no game of that series averaged under ten million — a figure that this year’s series has yet to reach (pending results for Game 6).

If Game 7 is unlikely to give the NBA a leg up on the competition, is a six-year high really all the league can hope for? Not necessarily. Game 7, regardless of the viewership figure, will likely guarantee that this year’s playoff audience surpasses last year, a result that reinforces the importance of series length. Considering the viewership for the series to this point, that is more than a small victory.

Ultimately, there is little Game 7 is going to change about the perception of this series, and of the NBA, as a ratings draw. Even a larger-than-expected Game 7 audience is going to pale in comparison to the halcyon days of LeBron vs. Steph in 2016 (31M), or even to the most recent World Series Game 7 between the Nationals and Astros in 2019 (23M). Simply put, no amount of out-of-home viewing can change the trajectory of linear television viewership, and the young-skewing NBA is perhaps particularly exposed to that erosion.

If one is to believe that the long-term ratings trend matters — and the NBA has 77 billion reasons to cast a skeptical eye toward that argument — this year’s NBA Finals will ultimately be a negative data point. There is no era of the NBA where a Finals matchup of Indiana and Oklahoma City was going to be a ratings hit, but one would have thought going into this series that a well-played, unpredictable matchup could at least get to the ten million mark once in five games.

The counterargument is that the ratings matter less than ever given the state of television, that the league is set for the next 11 years with an unprecedented financial windfall, and that making sure small market teams can compete for a championship is more important than the Finals averaging 20 million viewers again — a viewership figure that, it should be noted, provides no tangible financial benefit for the league or its players.

All true, but it is perhaps meaningful that high-quality basketball involving Oklahoma City and Indiana is trailing a dreadful slog like last year’s Boston-Dallas by double-digits and needs a Game 7 just to get in range of Milwaukee-Phoenix — in July — four years ago. That may not say anything about the financial health of the NBA; it may not be a threat to the league’s business or impact the on-court product; it may not even be the most accurate gauge of popularity in 2025. But it is not insignificant. And it cannot be totally hand-waved away by noting the accelerating decline of television viewership (down 13 percent during the Finals, compared to 6-8 percent a year ago).

As for Game 7, expect the largest NBA audience since 2019. That is not an entirely confident prediction, because the lack of lift throughout this series cannot be completely discounted. An audience in the 13 million range would not be a shock — especially if world events lure viewers to cable news channels — but the expectation here is something in the 14-15 million range.

For each of the other NBA Finals game sevens in the Nielsen people-meter era, viewership rose substantially over Game 6 — 50 percent in 2016 (from 20.7 to 31.0 million), a modest 28 percent in 2013 (from 20.6 to 26.3 million), 57 percent in 2010 (from 18.0 to 28.2 million), 41 percent in 2005 (from 13.5 to 19.0 million) and 53 percent in 1994 (from 17.0 to 26.1 million).

Assuming a Game 6 audience in line with Game 5 (9.5M) and a 50 percent increase, that would put Game 7 just over 14 million.

NBA Finals Game 7: Indiana Pacers at Oklahoma City Thunder (8p Sun ABC, ESPN+): Prediction: 14.97M.

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College Sports

Running a Baseball League Sparked Sarah Dunkel-Jackson to Start the Hockey Challenge Camp

Sarah Dunkel-Jackson and her husband, Jim, started a baseball league in Michigan for kids with unique medical and learning needs five years ago. Intertwined with her work as a researcher and professor at Michigan State University, Dunkel-Jackson conducted a formal program evaluation of the league, which involved talking with players, parents and coaches about how […]

Published

2 hours ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Sarah Dunkel-Jackson and her husband, Jim, started a baseball league in Michigan for kids with unique medical and learning needs five years ago.

Intertwined with her work as a researcher and professor at Michigan State University, Dunkel-Jackson conducted a formal program evaluation of the league, which involved talking with players, parents and coaches about how it could be improved.

“Overwhelmingly it was positive, but the thing to improve baseball was to add more sports,” Dunkel-Jackson said. “I was reviewing it with my son, and he said, ‘Mom, can we do hockey?’

“And I said, ‘You know what? Let’s do it.’”

That’s how the Hockey Challenge Camp was born. The camp is open to younger kids all the way up through young adults, some who’ve played hockey before on organized teams and others who are new to playing the sport. The camp takes players of all abilities and ages.

Dunkel-Jackson recently won the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award for her work founding the camp. The annual award is given to someone who has positively affected their community, culture or society all through the sport of hockey.

The nomination itself excited Dunkel-Jackson because it gave her a chance to highlight the importance of accessible sports and a community coming together to run a program like Hockey Challenge Camp.

“It doesn’t have to be this scary, really difficult thing to do,” Dunkel-Jackson said. “You just get some really good community members together and some good organizations who share those values and who can run a program like this.”

She was also excited about the award because of the “incredible story” of O’Ree. Dunkel-Jackson recalled reading the chapter about him in Wayne Gretzky’s book, “99: Stories of the Game.”

“That was really cool to see that, somebody who’s already overcome barriers to accessing sports like hockey,” Dunkel-Jackson said. “Just to be said in the same sentence as him was kind of, ‘Wow,’ humbling and a big honor.”

Sports have always been a big part of Dunkel-Jackson’s life. She grew up right outside East Lansing, Michigan, and loved watching her little brother play hockey. However, she didn’t play because there weren’t girls teams when she was a kid.

Dunkel-Jackson ran track, played basketball, won a softball state championship her senior year of high school and played lacrosse in college.

After grad school, she and her husband moved to Ontario and worked with kids with disabilities. They later moved back to Michigan and Dunkel-Jackson got her job at MSU. She’s part of the Research in Autism and Developmental Disabilities Lab and the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

As coaches for softball and baseball in the community program, the couple saw kids who’d stop coming to practices because they weren’t quite at the skill level. That sparked the need to start the Baseball Challenge League, finding a way to make the sport work for kids no matter their ability level.

“Being part of a team is something all kids should get a chance to do,” she said. “When we saw that not a lot of kids had the opportunity to participate in a sport because they just weren’t being able to adapt to their needs, I just wanted to do something about that. Every kid should have a chance to play.”

Dunkel-Jackson is also the guardian for her older cousin, Stephanie, who’s participated in the Special Olympics, plays a variety of sports and is a bocce ball state champion.

This year’s Hockey Challenge Camp will be held mornings in the first week of August. Every participant gets one or two hockey buddies who play hockey on house or travel teams. Buddies help campers learn to skate and spend time on the ice together.

The camp includes various on-ice and off-ice sessions. The first is for the hockey buddies as an orientation to educate them about questions such as: What is a disability? What are invisible and visible disabilities? How can they help campers and meet them with their specific needs? They also teach them a Stay, Play, Talk strategy where hockey buddies stay with their buddy, play hockey with their buddy and talk to their buddy in the best way that works for them.

They end camp with a morning scrimmage and a pizza party before a night game at Munn Ice Arena on Michigan State’s campus the following day.

In its third year in 2025, the camp has grown from 12 players and about 20 buddies the first year to more than 90 people registered for this year’s camp.

“It’s grown a ton,” Dunkel-Jackson said. “Half of them are buddies this year, but we have a bunch of new players. We’re really excited to adapt to their needs.”

Funding from winning the Willie O’Ree Award went towards purchasing new sleds and equipment for the camp.

It brings Dunkel-Jackson a lot of joy to see the campers happy playing hockey.

“They just love to play hockey,” she said. “And that’s what it’s about. It’s just kids playing hockey, that’s all.

“Because no, not everybody’s going to be a (Tier I) hockey player… but everybody can love participating in a sport in some way. Just finding opportunities for them and seeing that they’re having a blast and hanging out with their friend, I just love that. I’m glad we get the opportunity to do that.”

Dunkel-Jackson appreciated the chance to share the story of the Hockey Challenge Camp, with the hope the other communities will see it and say: “‘Yeah, we can do something like that.’ That’s just what I hope,” she said.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

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College Sports

University of New Hampshire

GLOUCESTER, Mass. – Six student-athletes on the 2024-25 University of New Hampshire women’s hockey team have been named American Hockey Coaches Association Krampade All-American Scnolars. Senior forward and two-time captain Kira Juodikis (Windsor, Ontario) received this accolade for the fourth consecutive year as she earned a Business Administration: Management degree with a 3.97 cumulative GPA. Sophomore forward Julia […]

Published

3 hours ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

GLOUCESTER, Mass. – Six student-athletes on the 2024-25 University of New Hampshire women’s hockey team have been named American Hockey Coaches Association Krampade All-American Scnolars.

Senior forward and two-time captain Kira Juodikis (Windsor, Ontario) received this accolade for the fourth consecutive year as she earned a Business Administration: Management degree with a 3.97 cumulative GPA.

Sophomore forward Julia Cabral (Lee, N.H.) and sophomore goaltender Noemi Martinez (Glen Ridge, N.J.) both earned Scholar All-American recognition for the second time in as many years.

Senior defender Marina Alvarez (Center Moriches, N.Y.), senior forward Brooke Hammer (Commerce Township, Mich.) and junior forward Hannah Rodgers (Wilmington, N.C.) are all first-time honorees.

To earn recognition on this ninth annual list, a student-athlete had to attain a 3.75 or higher GPA in each semester of the 2024-25 academic year and had to play in 40 percent of the team’s games; exceptions were granted for injuries and backup goaltenders. The school is also required to be an ACHA member.

A total of 349 Division I women were named to the ninth annual Krampade All-American Schoalars list.

All six Wildcats were named to the 2024-25 Hockey East All-Academic Team with Juodikis and Martinez also earning Top Scholar-Athlete recognition for recording a perfect. 4.0 GPA in the academic year.

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College Sports

Isaac Howard traded to Edmonton, signs to begin pro career

Michigan State forward Isaac Howard will start his pro hockey career rather than return to the Spartans. Howard signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 8 after being traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward prospect Sam O’Reilly. Howard, who won the 2025 Hobey Baker Award given to the best […]

Published

3 hours ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Michigan State forward Isaac Howard will start his pro hockey career rather than return to the Spartans.

Howard signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 8 after being traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward prospect Sam O’Reilly.

Howard, who won the 2025 Hobey Baker Award given to the best player in college hockey last season as a junior, was set to return to East Lansing after contract negotiations with the Lightning broke down following MSU’s season. Instead, he’ll start his career in the Edmonton organization.

Howard was the 31st overall pick by the Lightning in the 2022 NHL Draft and had 26 goals with 26 assists in 37 games for the Spartans last season, including the double-overtime game-winning goal against Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament championship game.

Howard is now set to join the Oilers, who have reached the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Florida Panthers in each of the past two seasons.

The Spartans now have two open roster spots to fill ahead of the 2025-26 campaign following Howard’s departure. Earlier on July 8, top prospect and likely No. 1 overall 2026 draft pick Gavin McKenna committed to play at Penn State next season over the Spartans, who were the other finalist to land him.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott

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College Sports

Gavin McKenna officially commits to Penn State

Gavin McKenna’s next trip is to the Big Ten. To State College, Pennsylvania, to be exact. The projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft has committed to Penn State after deciding between the Nittany Lions and Michigan State. After the news was reported Monday that the 17-year-old was likely going to don the […]

Published

3 hours ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Gavin McKenna’s next trip is to the Big Ten.

To State College, Pennsylvania, to be exact.

The projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft has committed to Penn State after deciding between the Nittany Lions and Michigan State.

Gavin McKenna of Team Canada celebrats his empty net goal during the 2024 IIHF ice hockey U18 world championships. — Gavin McKenna of Team Canada celebrates his empty net goal during the 2024 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. AP

Canada's Gavin McKenna (9) skates with the puck as United States' Drew Fortescue (5) defends during the second period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament game in Ottawa, Ontario, Dec. 31, 2024. — Gavin McKenna of Team Canada celebrates his empty net goal during the 2024 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. AP

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College Sports

ISCO Championship: Odds to win this week’s PGA TOUR stop in Kentucky

Golf fans, you can find the PGA TOUR in Kentucky this week for the 2025 ISCO Championship, the TOUR’s annual stop in the Bluegrass. This year, however, Louisville’s Hustbourne Country Club takes over hosting duties from Nicholasville’s Keene Trace Golf Club, which had been the site of Kentucky’s summer PGA event since 2018. Competition for […]

Published

4 hours ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Golf fans, you can find the PGA TOUR in Kentucky this week for the 2025 ISCO Championship, the TOUR’s annual stop in the Bluegrass. This year, however, Louisville’s Hustbourne Country Club takes over hosting duties from Nicholasville’s Keene Trace Golf Club, which had been the site of Kentucky’s summer PGA event since 2018.

Competition for the ISCO Championship, formerly known as the Barbasol Championship, will begin on Thursday, with a spot in next week’s Open Championship and 300 FedEx points up for grabs to the winner. It is an alternate event on the tour schedule, played the same week as the Scottish Open, but still carries a $4 million purse and the title of PGA TOUR winner to the lowest scorer.

Before the ISCO begins, let’s meet the field of golfers and their gambling odds to win, starting with the most familiar names.

J.B. Holmes (+60000)

University of Kentucky graduate J.B. Holmes will make his ISCO debut this year, playing in his first PGA event since October 2024. The Campbellsville native is a five-time winner on TOUR and a two-time Ryder Cup winner.

Josh Teater (+17000)

Jul 7, 2022; Nicholasville, Kentucky, USA; Josh Teater walks off the third tee during the first round of the Barbasol Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Teater didn’t attend the University of Kentucky, but the Henry Clay High School grad bleeds blue. Even in Louisville, he’ll be one of the fan favorites at the ISCO this week as he plays to revive his career at 46.

Earlier this year, Teater won the Korn Ferry Tour’s Panama Championship for his second career Korn Ferry victory. Teater, who has 246 PGA starts, currently sits in eighth on the Korn Ferry’s points list for the season. The top 20 earn their PGA TOUR cards for next year.

Stephen Stallings Jr. (+60000)

Stephen Stallings Jr. is a Louisville native and former Wildcat in the ISCO field for the sixth time. Stallings’ golf career began at Saint Xavier High School and continued at the University of Kentucky from 2013 to 2017.

Cooper Musselman and three more St. X alums (N/A)

A teammate of Stallings Jr. at St. X and Kentucky, Cooper Musselman Monday qualified for the ISCO. St. X also had Drew Doyle take up one of the four qualifying spots, giving St. X five golf alums in this week’s field in Louisville.

Saint Xavier graduates make up 3.2% of the starting 156 at the ISCO…

Daniel Iceman
Brendon Doyle
Drew Doyle
Stephen Stallings, Jr.
Cooper Musselman

We could do a 5 count 4 if anyone is interested.

Good luck, boys! pic.twitter.com/KItKCb7Jlg

— Tiger Golf (@StXTigersGolf) July 8, 2025

2025 ISCO Championship Field and Odds To Win

Michael Thorbjornsen (+1600)
Emiliano Grillo (+1800)
Kevin Roy (+1800)
Jackson Koivun (+2200)
Rico Hoey (+2200)
Vince Whaley (+2500)
Cameron Champ (+2500)
Patrick Fishburn (+2800)
Mark Hubbard (+2800)
Beau Hossler (+3000)
Seamus Power (+3500)
Chandler Phillips (+4500)
Carson Young (+4500)
Sam Ryder (+4500)
S.H. Kim (+4500)
Quade Cummins (+4500)
Steven Fisk (+5000)
Ricky Castillo (+5000)
Kris Ventura (+5000)
Joseph Bramlett (+5000)
Hayden Springer (+5500)
Chan Kim (+5500)
Angel Ayora (+5500)
Luke List (+6000)
William Mouw (+6500)
Takumi Kanaya (+6500)
Adam Svensson (+6500)
Jeremy Paul (+6500)
Jackson Suber (+7000)
Chad Ramey (+7000)
Adam Schenk (+7000)
Will Gordon (+7500)
Nick Hardy (+7500)
Adam Hadwin (+7500)
Mac Meissner (+7500)
Lanto Griffin (+7500)
Justin Lower (+7500)
Harry Higgs (+8000)
Greyson Sigg (+8000)
Gordon Sargent (+8000)
Dylan Wu (+8000)
Thomas Rosenmueller (+8000)
S.Y. Noh (+8000)
Ben Kohles (+8000)
Wenyi Ding (+9000)
Taylor Montgomery (+9000)
Brice Garnett (+9000)
Brandon Robinson Thompson (+9000)
Trevor Cone (+10000)
David Lipsky (+10000)
Ben Silverman (+10000)
Ben Martin (+10000)
Martin Laird (+10000)
Kazuma Kobori (+10000)
Ivan Cantero Gutierrez (+11000)
David Skinns (+11000)
Marcus Armitage (+11000)
Zac Blair (+12000)
Tyler Duncan (+12000)
Fabrizio Zanotti (+12000)
Tim Widing (+12000)
Davis Bryant (+12000)
Patton Kizzire (+12000)
Noah Goodwin (+12000)
Andrea Pavan (+12000)
Maximilian Kieffer (+12000)
Kiradech Aphibarnrat (+12000)
Gavin Green (+15000)
Scott Piercy (+15000)
Scott Jamieson (+15000)
Callum Shinkwin (+15000)
Andreas Halvorsen (+15000)
Kevin Velo (+15000)
John Pak (+15000)
Jason Scrivener (+17000)
Hayden Buckley (+17000)
Tom Vaillant (+17000)
Cristobal Del Solar (+17000)
Casey Jarvis (+17000)
Callum Tarren (+17000)
Ricardo Gouveia (+17000)
Manuel Elvira (+17000)
M.J. Daffue (+17000)
Josh Teater (+17000)
Jack Senior (+20000)
Hamish Brown (+20000)
Troy Merritt (+20000)
Carl Yuan (+20000)
Robin Williams (+20000)
Paul Peterson (+20000)
Matthew Riedel (+20000)
Matt NeSmith (+20000)
Marcus Kinhult (+20000)
Jens Dantorp (+20000)
Frankie Capan III (+25000)
Taylor Dickson (+25000)
Conor Purcell (+25000)
Bronson Burgoon (+25000)
Rafael Campos (+25000)
Rafa Cabrera Bello (+25000)
Peter Malnati (+25000)
Andrew Wilson (+25000)
Kaito Onishi (+25000)
Will Chandler (+30000)
Chez Reavie (+30000)
Brandon Wu (+30000)
Mikael Lindberg (+30000)
Marcus Byrd (+30000)
Kevin Chappell (+3000)
Braden Thornberry (+35000)
Mason Andersen (+35000)
Jonathan Byrd (+35000)
Jason Dufner (+40000)
James Hahn (+40000)
Shubhankar Sharma (+40000)
Sean O’Hair (+40000)
Richard Sterne (+40000)
Anders Albertson (+40000)
Aaron Baddeley (+40000)
Joel Girrbach (+40000)
Jannik De Bruyn (+50000)
Cody Gribble (+50000)
Brendon Doyle (+50000)
Nick Watney (+50000)
Alfredo Garcia-Heredia (+50000)
Alexander Levy (+50000)
Kevin Kisner (+50000)
Jimmy Walker (+50000)
Jeong Weon Ko (+50000)
J.B. Holmes (+60000)
Stephen Stallings Jr. (+60000)
Bill Haas (+60000)
Matthew Baldwin (+60000)
Julien Brun (+60000)
Tommy Gainey (+70000)
Thomas Aiken (+70000)
Ryan Brehm (+70000)
Brian Stuard (+70000)
Bjorn Akesson (+70000)
Austin Cook (+70000)
Zihao Jin (+100000)
George McNeill (+100000)
Joel Moscatel (+100000)
Matthias Schwab (+150000)
Alexander Knappe (+150000)
Daniel Iceman (+250000)
Jim Herman (+250000)
Erik Barnes (+500000)
Martin Trainer (+500000)

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College Sports

Top Canadian junior hockey star says picking PSU was the best choice for him | News, Sports, Jobs

McKenna Gavin McKenna said he is committing to Penn State, leaving the Canadian Hockey League for the U.S. college ranks in a long-anticipated decision by one of the sport’s most anticipated prospects since Connor McDavid. McKenna’s jump highlights how much the junior developmental hockey landscape has changed in North America since the NCAA’s landmark decision […]

Published

4 hours ago

July 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

McKenna

Gavin McKenna said he is committing to Penn State, leaving the Canadian Hockey League for the U.S. college ranks in a long-anticipated decision by one of the sport’s most anticipated prospects since Connor McDavid.

McKenna’s jump highlights how much the junior developmental hockey landscape has changed in North America since the NCAA’s landmark decision in November to lift its ban on CHL player participation.

After word of McKenna’s destination leaked Monday, he made the announcement on “SportsCenter” on Tuesday. It coincidentally came 15 years to the day after “The Decision” when LeBron James revealed on ESPN he was leaving Cleveland for Miami.

“It was a super tough decision,” McKenna said before donning a Penn State hat. “Obviously there was a lot of great options out there, but I think me, my family and everyone that’s kind of a part of my circle, we all decided that the best spot for me next year will be Penn State University.”

McKenna, who turns 18 in December, is regarded a generational talent and has for the past two years been projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

“The (Western Hockey League) was a great spot, and I’m very grateful for what it did for me and my family,” McKenna said, adding he believes facing bigger, older competition will help make the leap to the NHL easier. “Both options were great, but I just think going to college, being in such a great conference, it’ll really challenge me and prepare me.”

Leaving the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers after two-plus seasons, McKenna joining Nittany Lions makes them an immediate contender to win a Frozen Four title. He had narrowed his choices to Penn State, coming off losing its Frozen Four debut in April, and Michigan State.

“You saw what Penn State did this year making the Frozen Four,” McKenna said. “They’ve come a long ways, and I think next year when I go there, obviously that’s the goal is to win a championship with them.”

The NCAA rule change coincides with schools being allowed to lure recruits with name, image, likeness (NIL) endorsement money, further tipping the scales toward CHL players making the jump. Previously, CHL players were barred from competing in college because they were deemed professionals for receiving a stipend of up to $600 per month for living expenses.

The lifting of the ban led to college hockey officials envisioning the NCAA replacing the CHL as North America’s top producer of NHL draft-ready talent.

From Whitehorse, Yukon, McKenna is coming off his second full season with Medicine Hat in which he finished second in the WHL with 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists), behind 20-year Andrew Cristall’s 132. McKenna’s point total was third among all CHL players, rounded out by OHL’s Michael Misa’s 134. Misa is a year older and was selected second by San Jose in this year’s draft.

McKenna most notably closed this season with a 45-game point streak in which he combined for 32 goals and 100 points, and finished the playoffs with nine goals and 38 points in 16 games. Including playoffs, he failed to register a point just four times.

McKenna’s potential has already caused a ripple effect among NHL teams, who have been guarded about trading their 2026 first-round selections in fear of potentially missing out on a chance to select him.

McKenna’s name even caused a buzz at the Frozen Four in St. Louis, where there was already speculation of him being lured south.

Counting the regular season and playoffs, McKenna combined for 91 goals and 198 assists for 289 points in 158 career games in the WHL.

He already has NHL ties in being a cousin by marriage to Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. McKenna grew up in Whitehorse befriending the family of Dylan Cozens, the Ottawa Senators forward who was selected seventh overall by Buffalo in the 2019 draft.

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