The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft.
He becomes just the third player ever taken first overall by the Maple Leafs, joining Wendel Clark in 1985 and Auston Matthews a decade ago.
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McKenna was considered the top-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. He has been in the eye of the 2026 draft storm since bursting onto the Western Hockey League scene at age 14 with a four-assist debut for the Medicine Hat Tigers back in 2022.
McKenna went on to put up 97 points (34 goals, 63 assists) the following campaign before leading the Canadian Hockey League with an eye-popping 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 2024-25.
But instead of running it back with the Tigers, he decided to go the NCAA route this past season, joining Penn State and playing against bigger, stronger competition on a U.S. college circuit that’s more structured in hopes of being better prepared for the next level.
McKenna got off to a difficult start before finishing with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) across 35 games. Another bump in the road came in February during an on-campus altercation where McKenna allegedly broke a man’s jaw.
Prosecutors in Pennsylvania subsequently dropped the most serious charge of aggravated assault. McKenna, who was not suspended by the team and hasn’t shared his version of events publicly, still faces charges of misdemeanour simple assault, along with harassment and disorderly conduct.
Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report