NCAA Stock Watch: Gavin McKenna’s improved details launch him into scoring race
Buckle your seatbelts, because the NCAA just keeps ramping up the intensity and drama with the postseason underway. From the reinvigoration of the 2026 first overall debate to a pair of first-round picks catapulting Michigan State atop the power rankings, the past month of college action had it all.
We’re under two weeks away from the 16-team NCAA playoff bracket being announced on March 22, which depends on the six winners of the league tournaments and the following ten top-rated teams on the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI).
In other words, it’s go time. And the nation’s biggest stars haven’t missed the memo.
Stock Rising 📈
Gavin McKenna, LW, Penn State University (2026 NHL Draft)
It’s been a roller coaster of a season in more ways than one for Gavin McKenna, and he hit his hottest form in February, highlighted by a ludicrous eight-point outing against Ohio State featuring a viral Conor McGregor celebration:
Despite the record-breaking performance, his two-point game the following night, including the overtime winner, took the cake as his most dynamic and dominant of the season. Though most of his points have come off quarterbacking the power play and creating from the perimeter, his methods of creation are evolving.
McKenna is using his anticipation, handling, and explosiveness to more regularly draw defenders into his orbit and burst past them with a quick move before either powering his way through sticks to the net-front or pulling the puck back to target defenders’ triangle with either a pass or a shot. He’s executing plays at higher pace, hesitating less, and learning vital contact habits to create more from congested spaces.
The pride of Whitehorse, YT now sits second in college scoring and first in assists, with 48 and 34, respectively, but the uptick in production reflects the improvements in his process and pace rather than a greater focus on creating chances. The volume of his attempts may even have regressed a bit, but his selection and the spots from which he attempts the killer pass have noticeably improved. The most dynamic talent in the 2026 NHL Draft is starting to build a more cohesive game, brick by brick, elevating his own offence and projectability in the process.
Porter Martone, RW, Michigan State University (Philadelphia Flyers)
Arguably the most dominant player in all of college since the new year, Porter Martone has been a man on a mission, driving the bus offensively for the top program in the nation. He has 26 points in 16 games since returning from the World Juniors and 18 in his last 10.
The playmaking gift, shooting threat, and power game have always been there, but our group has long had some concerns about his ability to blend them at a high level and support them with pace and proactive physicality. Where in the past, Martone lost individual battles only to explode in fury, taking misconduct penalties galore in the OHL, he has channelled his intensity much more effectively this season, pushing himself to set the tone without crossing the line so frequently.
With increased pace, a more streamlined style, and the impressive ascension of his power game, Martone is giving Flyer fans more reasons every day to get excited. Crossover Scout Kareem Elshafey encapsulated the promising trend in Martone’s development in a February 7 game report.
Martone has the chance to be a foundational identity player. The mix of power, playmaking, and peskiness was on full display against rival Michigan. Early in the game, he crushed a defender going back for a retrieval, and throughout the contest, he was causing havoc at the top of the crease and was the instigator both during and after the play[...] It wouldn't be a surprise to see Martone turn pro after his freshman year, and it's on the table that he becomes a top-line winger who brings offensive production, power, and annoyance to opponents.
Oscar Hemming, LW, Boston College (2026 Draft)
A riser on our board for the second consecutive month, Oscar Hemming has been grinding out intense and pace-pushing performances despite the lack of points stacking up in the box score.
Hemming’s involvement in all three zones, constant defensive pressure, rampant physicality, and pacy reading of the play have earned him glowing reviews from multiple members of our scouting staff, including USA Regional Scout Whittaker Heart, who wrote in a game report about Hemming’s Beanpot final display:
This was another excellent game for Oscar Hemming, contributing strongly in Boston College’s first Beanpot championship in 10 years. His physical game remains ridiculous. There was a shift where he ran over 3 guys consecutively, forcing turnovers just by buzzing around and putting opponents through the glass. The passing ability is so strong, too. He made a brilliant play from the wall to the middle for a medium danger, slipped a return pass at pace on a 2-on-1, and even went behind the back to get an exit. He hit a crossbar and continues to create chances. In the third period, he accessed the middle lane with a slick handling move on the entry to get a dangerous shot. Hemming looks like a top-10 pick.
NHL teams move heaven and earth to acquire skilled and violent power forwards like Hemming on the trade market, and he’s right on pace to earn a high-end selection on draft day.
Hank Cleaves, C, Dartmouth College (Free Agent)
Shifting our focus from past and future first-round selections to an undrafted free agent making some waves, Hank Cleaves has been a driving force behind Dartmouth’s success this season. The 6-foot-4 centre has won 54% of his draws this season (according to InStat data) and connected on some of the most absurd backhand stretch passes the NCAA has seen this year.
On Cleaves’ active six-game point streak, he’s racked up eight points, including a pair of goals against each Princeton and Brown. He’s deftly skilled, with projectable vision and playmaking touch, and has the strength to hold off opponents and speed to get past them.
He’s our second-ranked college Free Agent this season, on the back of his status as the toolsiest forward in the class capable of pushing the pace and supporting in all three zones. Though just a sophomore, there’s a good chance he signs an ELC at season’s end, and would be found money for an NHL organization with a chance of reaching a bottom-six role.
Stock Steady ↔️
Ryker Lee, RW, Michigan State University (Nashville Predators)
The goals really started coming for Ryker Lee this past month, as he has potted five in his last five games since February 20. Though his shot has always been a very good tool, its quickness and precision have taken a step in the back-half. His catch-and-release has become a real weapon, but it’s notable that he finds the back of the net against slightly weaker programs in blowout wins. Four of his goals came in two games against Minnesota and Notre Dame, which the Spartans won by a combined score of 15-3.
Lee’s handling skill, inventive creativity, and dual-threat scoring are, individually, already among the most dynamic in college hockey, but he’s struggled at times to create when space and time are more restricted by the best NCAA defences. The path forward in his development is clear: continue developing skating mechanics and explosiveness, execute on plays more quickly, and play inside contact more effectively.
Apart from the skating, Lee possesses each and every offensive tool you want to see in a top-end forward prospect, and he has the makings of a top-six creative force in the NHL if the pace, details, and mechanics can take a half step or so.
Stock Falling 📉
Tynan Lawrence, C, Boston University (2026 Draft)
Tynan Lawrence’s midseason transfer to college hockey was spurred on by the goal of competing for first-overall consideration in a stronger league, but the returns haven’t come just yet. Ever the detailed two-way centre, Lawrence has played his minutes responsibly, and keeping up with the NCAA speed and pace haven’t been issues, but our scouting team’s early-season concerns surrounding his creative and play-driving ceiling have only been exacerbated.
In a draft class lacking in top-end centre talent, Lawrence came into the season as the far-and-away favourite to be the first pivot selected, but that gap hasn’t only shrunk. He’s been leapfrogged by OHLer Caleb Malhotra, who has diversified and expanded his game in ways the former Muskegon captain simply hasn’t this season. Still, there are moments where his intelligence, anticipation, and skating elevate his entire line. Consistency has been harder to come by than it was in the USHL.
As Senior Crossover Scout Cam Robinson wrote in a game report on the February 9 Beanpot final:
He’s clearly still young and a bit over his head in spots, but he’s treading water rather than sinking. The size, speed, confidence, and foundational habits are still there, which keep the projection intact. Long-term, he still looks like a potential top-six centre. Short-term, he’s learning how to survive before trying to impose himself.