Top pick Gavin McKenna was a minus-2 in his NHL debut Tuesday night as the Toronto Maple Leafs dropped their opener 3-2 against the Montreal Canadiens.
The 18-year-old played 15:19 and had two giveaways with one shot on goal in 18 shifts.
“Not my best but, yeah, I think I’m glad we’re playing again tomorrow,” McKenna told reporters.
McKenna began the night on the second line alongside John Tavares and William Nylander and also saw time on the third line when Easton Cowan moved up to the second. He also played 2:33 on the power play as the Leafs finished 0-for-4 with the man-advantage.
William Nylander opened the scoring for the Leafs just under a minute in, but three straight goals from Alexandre Carrier, Zack Bolduc and Josh Anderson gave the Habs a 3-1 lead late into the third period. Nylander got his second of the game with a few minutes to go, but the Leafs were unable to mount a comeback.
The Leafs selected McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick 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.
He had one assist and four shots on goal in two preseason games.
The Leafs will be back in action Wednesday night at home against the New York Islanders.