Gavin McKenna has been skating alongside Auston Matthews during some of the Leafs informal workouts leading into training camp.
“He is unreal,” the left winger said. “To play with him, he is super smart, and obviously, he has that release. You kind of want to give him the puck when he is open and hope you get an assist.”
McKenna’s incredible vision and playmaking ability would seem to make him a perfect match for the Leafs sharpshooting centre. On the day he was drafted first overall back in June, McKenna declared that his goal was to earn a spot beside Matthews during his rookie campaign.
“To play with a player like that, of that calibre, it would be pretty special,” the 18-year-old said. “I think we would suit each other pretty well. With him being an older, veteran guy, I could learn a lot from him. He’s an amazing player. If I get that opportunity, I’m not going to try to waste it.”
With training camp starting next week, most of the Leafs regulars have been in Toronto and skating together for a while now. McKenna appreciates how everyone is thinking the game at a high level even in the summer.
“Every single guy out there is going to find you in those spots, so just kind of always being ready,” he noted. “I think I fit in well. That’s my type of game: smart hockey, so learning how to read off these guys and play with them, it’s been fun, and I’m looking forward to the adjustment.”
McKenna’s comfort level is growing off the ice thanks to an overture from Matthews. The captain recently invited the Whitehorse native to his place for dinner.
“When you’re a kid and see those guys on TV, you don’t really expect to meet them,” McKenna said. “To be at his house, it was pretty special. For him to invite me over and just sit down and talk with him and hang out, it was pretty special. I think that is just the type of leader he is. He knows I’m a young guy, and he’s trying to welcome me. It’s special for him to do that, and I appreciate it.”
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McKenna just moved in with centre John Tavares and his family.
“It has been good,” he said. “I got to go to Muskoka for a week or so with him and get settled in there, and then I came back here and settled into ‘my’ house. It has been fun. He has been awesome. He’s super dialled in and has a lot of knowledge. For me, being a young guy, having a veteran like that take me under his wing, it’s perfect.”
Tavares, 36, is Toronto’s oldest forward, but has been able to fend off Father Time so far thanks to a meticulous approach off the ice.
“You see him on the ice, he’s one of the hardest workers on every single shift, but it is how he takes care of his body with his food,” McKenna marvelled. “Even in his house, he’s got all of the recovery stuff. For him being at 100 per cent for every game is pretty special. He played all 82 games last year, and I think that’s just with the work he puts in off the ice. For me, being a young guy, learning that pretty quick would be awesome.”
Tavares was the only Leafs player to suit up in all 82 games last season. He led the team with 31 goals.
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When the Leafs announced their roster for the Prospects Challenge games this weekend, McKenna was included. But the franchise’s prized prospect did not make the trip to Gatineau on Friday afternoon.
“Management’s made the decision to have him participate last night in the opening dinner, also practice here with the group, but what’s best for him is to stay here, continue training with the NHL players, and prepare for a big season,” said Marlies head coach Steve Sullivan, who will run the bench in Gatineau.
McKenna shrugged when asked about the decision.
“I was just doing whatever the team wanted me to do,” he said. “Obviously, it would be fun to play some games, but if they think me staying here is best for me, I’m okay with that and I’ll listen to what they want. It was a good skate out there today. It was very high-paced, and [guys] look ready to go. It’s exciting, and I’ll have some fun watching them.”
The Leafs do not want McKenna expending extra energy or risking injury. The NHL regular season is a grind and it will be even longer this year.
“They got an 84-game schedule,” Sullivan stressed. “He’s got a lot coming in front of him. He’s had a really, really busy summer. For him, coming to spend those three or four days in Gatineau is probably not beneficial for him. We think that staying back and preparing for the season is going to be best for him, so he will not be traveling with us. But watching him in practice, he is impressive.”
That’s for sure. McKenna flashed his talent throughout the hour-long workout on Friday as general manager John Chayka and head coach Jim Hiller watched on.
“His deception, the way he thinks the game, he’s a step ahead of everybody else,” Sullivan gushed. “We are just coming out of summer hockey and we’re trying to implement a little bit of structure today, but he is still able to execute even when things are out of structure. When things aren’t perfect, he still finds a way to make the plays and that’s very impressive.”
At one point, McKenna casually scored a lacrosse-style goal during a drill.
“Like, I don’t even know what to say,” defenceman Ben Danford exclaimed while shaking his head. “His skill is off the charts ... The sky’s the limit for him. He’s generational, I think.”
McKenna did not get on the ice as much as he would’ve liked with how busy the summer was, but he was happy with the quality of work he was able to put in.
“Once things settled down, I got into a groove,” he said. “I was training in Vancouver with some elite talent there [including Macklin Celebrini], and then to come here and skate with the pro guys, get a feel for it, I feel really good. And even to skate out there with the young guys, I thought the pace was really good, and a lot of plays were being made so I feel good and ready to go.”
What did McKenna focus on this summer?
“Just the pop in my play,” he revealed. “I was doing a lot of skating work in Vancouver and just trying to work on that first-step jump. In the NHL the pace is obviously very fast, so it’s something you got to adjust to and wanted to make that adjustment as smooth as possible. So, definitely worked on it, and I feel like it has paid off.”
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With McKenna not playing this weekend, the Leafs will lean on Danford for leadership. The 20-year-old from Madoc, Ont. ended last season by helping the Toronto Marlies win a Calder Cup championship.
“It was great to see him with the run with the Marlies,” Sullivan said. “I think that was beneficial for him. Obviously, he was hoping for a deeper run for a Memorial Cup, but coming and playing with the Marlies and going that deep and understanding winning habits, and playing at that pace is going to be really, really crucial for him.”
“It was just a really cool experience and to be able to call myself a winner now, it’s pretty awesome,” Danford said.
Danford is now hoping to steal a spot on the Leafs blue line at training camp, although he appears destined to start this season back in the American Hockey League. Toronto added Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae to the defensive core in the offseason and will be returning Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Chris Tanev and Troy Stecher.
“I don’t think he’s far away,” Sullivan stressed. “I am very, very excited about Danny and his expectations of trying to make the hockey club. He is coming in here wanting to take a spot in the top six and that is what he is shooting for when we were talking this morning.”
What will he need to show to take the next step and earn NHL ice time?
“Just got to be a steady, 200-foot defenceman,” Danford said. “Someone they can rely on defensively. At the NHL level, you’re going against grown men that are really strong and you gotta really bear down and I also gotta be able to make a good first breakout pass as well. But just being steady, looking like I belong there and have that confidence.”
Danford notes that he added five pounds of muscle in the summer and is now up to 204 pounds.
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Lines at Friday’s practice:
Forwards
Hopkins - Koblar - Valis
Sim - Holinka - Nansi
McKenna - Haymes - Buhr
Pepoy - Williams - Boulton
Vaughn, Kirwan
Defencemen
Chadwick - Danford
Bilecki - Borgesi
Smith - Hundley
Man - Fellinger
Goalies
Charvat
Plumins
Obvintsev
