McKenna is coming off a freshman season at Penn State where he put up 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points across 35 NCAA games following a pair of dominant campaigns with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers.
The 18-year-old joins an Original Six franchise coming off a disastrous 2025-26 that started with Stanley Cup aspirations before spiralling down the drain in spectacular fashion
Toronto, which has a new head coach and general manager following a 28th-place finish, then got a terrific bounce when it won the draft lottery despite entering with odds of just 8.5 per cent.
“Gavin is an exceptional young man with tremendous talent and character,” said general manager John Chayka. “Throughout this process, we had the opportunity to get to know him and his family, and each interaction strengthened our belief in him as both a player and a person. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
‘I’d be pumped’: McKenna dreaming of No. 1 with Leafs holding top pick at NHL draft
And while the Maple Leafs were a mess last season, the club still has a talented forward group led by captain and star centre Auston Matthews — selected No. 1 overall inside the same building as Friday’s proceedings a decade ago — that’s supported by William Nylander, John Tavares and Matthew Knies
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