Gavin McKenna is walking into a unique situation as this season’s No. 1 overall pick with the Toronto Maple Leafs for his rookie campaign.
Teams that land the first-overall selection in the NHL Draft are often in the midst of a rebuild, with that selection expected to be the cornerstone of the franchise’s return to relevance on the ice.
In the Maple Leafs’ case, the organization entered the 2025-26 campaign with the expectation to contend, featuring a core that included superstar Auston Matthews, and all-stars like William Nylander and John Tavares. The veteran squad ended up not living up to expectations, finishing last in the Atlantic Division with a 32-36-14 record and ended up winning the 2026 NHL Draft lottery with the fifth-best odds.
The majority of the Maple Leafs core that helped the team make the playoffs nine of the past 10 seasons is still in place and, after a very active off-season, the team is not putting all the pressure on McKenna to help turn the tide.
Medicine Hat Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins experienced the effect McKenna can have on a dressing room first-hand when the Tigers drafted him first overall in the 2022 Western Hockey League Draft.
“It’s hard for a younger player to carry or lift a team. I don’t think that’s a fair expectation, and I don’t think Gavin expects that,” Desjardins told TSN last month. “I do think that confidence and excitement is contagious, and I think he will bring those things every day. He loves coming to the rink, he loves to play and those things he’ll bring all the time and I think that has a chance of rubbing off.”
The 6-foot winger only appeared in a handful of games near the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign and at the end of the season while he was still playing high school hockey.
Medicine Hat was fighting for their playoff lives to end the season, and McKenna joined the club late and recorded four goals and 10 points in five games in the month of March to help his team claim the final playoff spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.
“I think he was 14 years old when he came in, and he was a really young guy,” said Desjardins. “He came in late that season and we were on a playoff ride, so I didn’t expect him to make a difference. It’s one thing to make a difference in exhibition; it’s another to make a difference late in the season or playoff time. We brought him up and thought he could be on our second power play, but he led our team scoring.
“It was a total surprise.”
McKenna had to leave his hometown of Whitehorse at the age of 12 and move to Kelowna, B.C., in order to have a chance to play hockey at a higher level. He then moved Alberta two years later to join Medicine Hat and then accepted the challenge of playing for Penn State in the NCAA last season.
Desjardins believes his ability to adjust to new places, people, and environments is something that sets him apart from his peers and is something that will help him in his new adventure in Toronto.
“He’s way more mature than his years,” said Desjardins. “He loves to play. I think he just fits in because he loves to play. Whenever you’re around a guy like that, even older guys,” they respect somebody that wants to make a difference and does everything they can be good. That’s what he did with us.
“I guarantee he’s not going to come [into Toronto] and accept being average. That won’t do it for him. Will he be above average? I don’t know. Time will tell, but he won’t be satisfied with not being great.”
McKenna reached his peak in the WHL during the 2024-25 season, finishing second in WHL scoring with 41 goals and 129 points in 56 regular-season games and won the 4 Broncos Trophy as WHL Player of the Year and Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year in the process.
He went on to add nine goals and 38 points in 16 playoff games as the Tigers only needed 18 games to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup and represent the WHL at the 2025 Memorial Cup. The championship was Medicine Hat’s sixth WHL title, placing them tied for the most in league history with the Kamloops Blazers.
McKenna went on to score three goals and six points in four games at the Memorial Cup, but his team ended up falling short to future Maple Leafs teammate Easton Cowan and the London Knights in the final.
Desjardins believes that his progress from a 14-year-old rookie to a WHL champion helped teach him what it takes to win in the league and the importance of the team around him.
“This is just me thinking. I’m not saying I’m right on this, but I think he just developed more of a respect for the game and his teammates [after his time in the WHL],” said Desjardins. “I think he grew in his understanding of the team and what it takes to win. I think he was always good, but I think when you get older, you have more impact on the team.
“I think that just kind of naturally happened. Maybe not so much him changing more than maybe we learned about him. The other thing we learned about him is how much he wants to win and how driven he is to win, and he probably always had that.”
Since being drafted by the Maple Leafs, McKenna has appeared to embrace everything that comes with being a hockey player in Toronto – from the media, to the fans, the city and the expectations.
The 18-year-old has shown a level of graciousness and confidence in his availability that has excited a Maple Leaf fan base that is approaching 60 seasons without a Stanley Cup championship.
Desjardins says this contagious attitude has to do with his upbringing in Whitehorse and it’s something genuine that should continue throughout his time in Toronto.
“It comes from his parents,” said Desjardins. “He comes from a great family, and they taught him those things. I think he’s really, really excited to be in Toronto and I think he’s grateful for the opportunity.
“Saying that, I think he’s confident. I think he wants to show he belongs but wants to be very respectful of the people around him. He know there’s a lot of guys in that dressing room he can look up to and will certainly take their advice.”
