As the NHL and American Hockey League (AHL) prepare to start their seasons in the next week or so, the NCAA and Canadian Hockey League (CHL) have already played their first games of 2025-26. That means there’s finally something to talk about in the world of prospects. Throughout the season, this column will highlight some of the top performers in the NCAA, CHL, AHL, and overseas. In this edition, we focus mainly on the 2026 Draft, with Gavin McKenna making his NCAA debut, J.P. Hurlbert’s early dominance in Kamloops, and finally, two prospects that are trying to fill some big shoes in Saginaw.
Gavin McKenna Hits the Ground Running With Penn State
McKenna made his much-anticipated debut with Penn State on Friday and quickly showed everyone why he’s the favorite to go first overall next June. One of the youngest players in the NCAA this season, the 17-year-old had his first two-point game (two assists) on Friday in 22:09 of ice time and then blasted home his first goal on Saturday. Penn State won both games against Arizona State, 6-3 on Friday, and 4-2 on Saturday, and McKenna was front and center in both victories.
McKenna ended the two-game set with three points and nine shots on goal, impressing both head coaches with his poise, skill and hockey IQ.
“He’s a different animal,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said. “He sees the game in a really unique way, and he’s extremely quick. Really fun to watch.”
“He’s special, right?” Arizona State coach Greg Powers said. “You can see it. It was his first college game, and if he touches the puck in the ‘O’ zone, you’re holding your breath. He’s special. He’s young. He’s going to get better and better every game…”
Related: No. 5 Penn State Sweeps No. 14 Arizona State Behind 4–2 Win
McKenna is coming off a dominant season in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers, where he had 41 goals and 129 points in 56 games, and it doesn’t look like the extra challenge of the NCAA is going to slow him down.
J.P. Hurlbert Is a Rising Star in Kamloops
While McKenna will be the main attraction all season ahead of the 2026 Draft, there are other prospects wowing scouts early on. One of them did the opposite of McKenna and decided to play in the WHL instead of joining the NCAA. Yes, he is committed to the University of Michigan for 2026-27, but for this season at least, Hurlbert will be making his home in Kamloops. He’s doing McKenna-like things, too, with an eye-popping nine goals and 14 points in five games so far.
Hurlbert started his WHL career with a bang on Sept. 20 against the Spokane Chiefs, scoring a hat trick. He then proceeded to score another six goals in his next four games, and has not been held off the scoresheet yet this season. In fact, no team has been able to stop him from scoring, as he has goals in all five games, including three multi-goal efforts. He also has two four-point nights and only one game where he was held to a single point.
The Blazers are off to a 3-2-0 start, and Hurlbert currently leads the WHL in goals and points, two ahead of the Victoria Royals’ Ryan Woodward in both categories. He is only ranked by two outlets so far, 29th by Daily Faceoff and 30th by The Hockey News‘ Ryan Kennedy, but if he keeps this production up, he should be in the 20s in no time.
Nikita Klepov & Egor Barabanov Becoming Early Leaders in Saginaw
The Saginaw Spirit might have to go all season without two of their offensive leaders from 2024-25, Zayne Parekh (107 points) and Michael Misa (134 points). While both of them could return at some point, they might also stay with the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks, respectively, leaving them with a big hole up front and on the back end. Good thing for the Spirit, Nikita Klepov and Egor Barabanov are looking like early candidates to fill those holes, at least in the forward group.
Klepov, who is eligible for the 2026 Draft, leads the Spirit with seven goals in six games, while Barabanov leads the way in points with 12. Those seven goals also co-lead the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) at the moment with the Soo Greyhounds’ Jordan Charron. Both of them are newcomers to the Spirit after Klepov was selected 35th overall in the CHL Import Draft and Barabanov was signed out of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in the offseason.
Described by Spirit general manager Dave Drinkillas as a “player who makes fast, confident decisions when the puck is on his stick,” Barabanov spent the last three seasons in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede and Madison Capitols. Last season, he scored 14 goals and 38 points in 53 games after being acquired by the Capitols from the Stampede early in the season.
As for Klepov, while his last name is Russian, he was born in Deerfield Beach, Florida and holds dual citizenship in the United States and Russia. He played some U15 and U16 hockey in Russia in 2022-23, but came over to North America in 2023-24 to play AAA for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights. He then joined the Sioux City Musketeers last season and scored 12 goals and 31 points in 59 games before joining the Spirit for this season. Klepov also starred at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup for Team USA, scoring a goal and six points in five games en route to a gold medal over Team Sweden.
Klepov is currently ranked by only three outlets: 17th by Elite Prospects, 18th by The Hockey Writers’ own Peter Baracchini, and 32nd by The Hockey News’ Ryan Kennedy. Here is what Peter had to say about him in his latest draft rankings: “He displays endless energy and skill, constantly pushing the pace of play and putting defenders on their heels. He can cut through defenders with ease, shows quick movement and executes plays with his timing and strong puck skills in tight spaces. No matter how many players stand in his way, he always finds a way to get around them and create a dangerous scoring chance.”
All in all, it appears the Spirit have hit the jackpot this season with the additions of Barabanov and Klepov. We will see if they can keep up their production as the campaign rolls on and make Spirit fans feel a little better about Misa and Parekh not being in the lineup anymore.
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