The Penn State to NHL pipeline expanded over the weekend as eight Nittany Lions players and commits heard their names called in the draft.
The action began with the first overall pick, when Canadian singer Justin Bieber announced the Toronto Maple Leafs selection of Gavin McKenna, who became the highest drafted hockey player in program history.
McKenna set numerous program records and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year laurels while finishing as the conference’s scoring leader.
The Nittany Lions created a first-round sandwich when forward commit Jaxon Cover was selected No. 32 overall on Friday night by the Ottawa Senators after an impressive campaign in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last year featuring 20 goals and 32 assists in 52. Cover will suit up for Penn State next season to continue development before joining Ottawa.
On Saturday, incoming freshman forward Egor Shilov was taken at No. 43 overall in the second round by the Colorado Avalanche after playing in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League last season, where he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Shilov totaled an impressive 32 goals and 50 assists in 63 games, though the level of competition was lower than the OHL.
Penn State then got on the board in the third round when forward commit Pierce Mbuyi was selected No. 86 overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, keeping him in the Keystone State following his college career. Mbuyi is expected to play one more season in the OHL before joining the Nittany Lions in 2027-28.
The first non-forward with Penn State ties off the board was goaltender commit Ryder Fetterolf, who was selected No. 125 overall in the fourth round by the Carolina Hurricanes. The Pennsylvania native participated in the OHL last season, when he was a recipient of the Jim Rutherford Trophy as the league’s best netminder.
Fetterolf produced a 29-9-3 record with six shutouts and a .923 save percentage in 2025-26 with the Ottawa 67’s.
At No. 180 overall in the sixth round, the Edmonton Oilers made the call to Nittany Lion forward commit Caden Harvey, who participated in the OHL last season.
In the seventh round, defenseman commit Alexander Karmanov was drafted No. 201 overall by the San Jose Sharks. He became the tallest player ever selected at 7-foot-1, crushing the previous record of 6-foot-9 by three players. He also became the first player born in Maldova selected in the draft.
Karmanov played in the OHL last season, totaling two assists and a +/- rating of +6 throughout 20 games.
Rounding out Penn State’s draft class was forward commit Quinn McKenzie, who went to the New Jersey Devils at No. 222 overall. He’s coming off a productive year in the OHL, where he gathered 21 goals and 30 assists in 65 games.
