Potential No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna doesn't sound shy about the possibility of playing under the bright lights of Toronto.
"Obviously, it's the biggest hockey market in the world, so that'd be pretty cool," McKenna said while being interviewed by TSN at the Memorial Cup on Wednesday. "I'd be very honored. I hear good things about Toronto. I've talked to some people and it sounds like an amazing place."
"That would be pretty cool, I would be very honoured"
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 28, 2026
Gavin McKenna on potentially being drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs. #MemorialCup pic.twitter.com/e9vakNKnTH
The Toronto Maple Leafs hold the first pick in the 2026 NHL Draft after winning the lottery earlier in May. While McKenna isn't assured to go first overall, he's considered by many to be the top prospect available.
A dynamic playmaking winger, McKenna racked up 129 points in 56 games with the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers in 2024-25. The following season, he made the jump to the NCAA, where he overcame a slow start to notch 51 points in 35 games at Penn State - good for fifth in the nation. The Whitehorse, Yukon, native also tallied 14 points in seven games for Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
TSN hockey analyst and former NHLer Jeff O'Neill offered to take McKenna under his wing if the Maple Leafs select him.
O-Dog makes his pitch to be Gavin McKenna's mentor if he gets drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs 😂 #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/prDz3hkHFD
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 28, 2026
