Craig’s List: McKenna reigns at No. 1, Ruck twins make rapid rise

It has been a very eventful season for Penn State winger Gavin McKenna.

For McKenna, who continues his reign as TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s No. 1 prospect on his March draft ranking, it has been a tale of two seasons as a freshman in the NCAA.

In the first half of the 2025-26 season, McKenna had four goals and 18 points in his first 16 games.

He then departed for the World Juniors, where the 18-year-old finished second in tournament scoring with four goals and 14 points in seven games as he helped Canada capture the bronze medal.

On the ice, McKenna has rediscovered the scoring touch that made him a scoring star the previous two seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers since returning from the World Juniors.

From January onward, McKenna had 11 goals and 33 points in 18 games, including an eight-point performance over Ohio State on Feb. 20.

He ended the regular season on a nine-game points streak and was named one of the 10 candidates for the Hobey Baker Award as the top player in men’s college hockey. McKenna and Penn State will face Minnesota-Duluth in the first round of the NCAA Division I playoffs on Friday.

“He couldn’t have had the second half without the first half,” said Button of McKenna. “The first half was the on-ice adjustment, the growing, the challenges of so many different things in the college game. Being a student-athlete, his off-ice and during-the-week training, the challenges of playing against bigger, stronger players. He had never had that.

“He wasn’t looking for an easy path. He was looking for the best development path.”

Off the ice, McKenna was charged with aggravated assault by the State College Police Department along with misdemeanour simple assault, disorderly conduct, engaging in fighting, and harassment for allegedly punching a 21-year-old man twice in the face outside of a bar on Jan. 31.

McKenna was arraigned and released on $20,000 bail, and the felony assault charge was withdrawn two days later. The district attorney’s office said there was insufficient evidence that there was intent by McKenna to cause bodily harm after reviewing video footage.

There is no indication that the alleged incident has impacted McKenna’s standing among scouts.

Coming in at No. 2 on Button’s list is Prince George Cougars defenceman Carson Carels.

Carels, 17, had 20 goals and 73 points in 58 games this season and finished fourth in the WHL in defensive scoring.

He also made Canada’s World Junior roster as an underager, where he had one assist in five games.

Button draws some parallels, stylistically, between Carels and Detroit Red Wings legend Nicklas Lidstrom.

“Carson Carels, the way he commands and controls the game, there’s no way anybody’s ever going to be Nick Lidstrom, but the manner in which he plays, in every single regard, the big minutes, the hard minutes, the offensive and defensive play and the timely play, he’s got all those elements,” said Button.

At No. 3 is Soo Greyhounds defenceman Chase Reid, who recently returned from a 17-game absence after suffering an upper-body injury against Brantford on Feb. 1.

The 18-year-old had 18 goals and 48 points in 45 games this season. He also had four points in five games at the World Juniors for Team USA.

“His calendar year is just seeing him grasp every new challenge and not just show that he can handle it, but he can excel in those spots,” said Button of Reid. “I still think there is a lot of untapped potential there. I still think he’s learning about his capabilities and his own abilities to control the game and be an impact player.

“Chase isn’t hesitant and he has that initiative in his game. He has that confidence in his game and I think that confidence is only going to grow.”

The No. 4 ranked player is Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg, and Button believes he rounds out a top four on this list that are a cut above the rest.

Stenberg scored 11 goals with 33 points in 43 games this season with Frolunda in the SHL and helped them win the Champions Hockey League title.

He was also a star at the World Juniors, scoring four goals with 10 points in seven games and was named a top-three player on the team to help Sweden win its first gold medal at the tournament since 2012.

“High-end elite offensive mind and quickness,” said Button. “When you are watching Ivar play, you have this sense that he can beat you in a number of ways. He can beat you with the shot and the playmaking. He’s hungry and he’s smart.”

Moving into the top 10 is Prince Albert Raiders defenceman Daxon Rudolph, who moves up to No. 8 from No. 14 in January.

The 18-year-old had 28 goals and 78 points in 68 regular-season games as he finished third in WHL defensive scoring.

“I think Daxon, amongst all the players in this upcoming draft, has been one of the most impressive players,” said Button. “[He has a] hard, competitive, edgy game, great leader, great competitor and, I’ll be honest, I didn’t give him enough credit for his skill level.”

Rudolph was the first-overall pick in the 2023 WHL Bantam Draft and has won gold medals at the U17s and U18s for Canada as well as bronze at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August.

Two players making big rises this month for Button are forwards Liam and Markus Ruck, the twin standouts for Medicine Hat.

Liam, who jumps from No. 22 to No. 10, finished second in WHL scoring (104 points) and in goals (45) while Markus (who went from No. 29 to No. 12) was the WHL’s scoring leader with 108 points and led the league in assists (87).

The Rucks were a huge reason why the Tigers, the defending league champions, finished third in the WHL this season despite losing key contributors like McKenna and Ryder Ritchie in the off-season.

“Liam has more finishing ability and his ability in and around the net is really good,” said Button. “He knows how and when to get open, has a really good shot.

“And Markus is the playmaker. So what’s the natural thing to do? You go to Daniel and Henrik Sedin. Daniel was the scorer and Henrik was the playmaker. It’s not different here. What’s fascinating to me with both of them is you watch the game and they’re there in every part of the game. They penalty kill, they’re on the power play, five-on-five. They’re matched up hard or key times you need a goal you go to them. They can play defence. They’re just really, really good hockey players. Their hockey sense is off the charts.”

Craig’s List - March 24