Toronto Maple Leafs forward Gavin McKenna is on the board with his first NHL goal, snapping one home from the slot in the second period against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic earned assists on McKenna’s marker that beat goaltender Juuse Saros at the 14:31 mark of the frame.
McKenna earned his first career point earlier in the period with an assist on a John Tavares goal.
McKenna was held pointless in his first three NHL games.
The 18-year-old was a minus-2 with one shot on goal in his regular season debut against the Montreal Canadiens and also registered a single shot in games against the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators.
The Leafs selected McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft after winning the draft lottery.
McKenna had 15 goals and 51 points in 35 games last season for Penn State in the NCAA. The season before, he had 41 goals and 129 points in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers en route to winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions.
The Whitehorse, Yukon native also starred at the 2026 World Juniors, where he scored four goals and added 10 assists to help lead Canada to a bronze medal finish.
