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Ahead of tonight’s NHL Draft Lottery, the spotlight is shining brightest on Gavin McKenna.
Names like Matthew Schaefer, Macklin Celebrini, and Connor Bedard are thrown around as potential comparables to the Whitehorse native. However, McKenna doesn’t clearly resemble any of the above, and that’s OK.
As we peel back his history, we discover that McKenna’s offensive style is reminiscent of Patrick Kane or even Nikita Kucherov, whom McKenna has previously stated he models his game after.
But look at the similar junior stat lines between Kane and McKenna. Both players dominated offensively from the wing during their CHL careers. During his monster 2024-25 season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, McKenna racked up 129 points (41 goals and 88 assists) in 56 games, winning WHL and CHL player of the year, while also winning a WHL Championship. McKenna and the Tigers went on to lose in the Memorial Cup finals, where he posted three goals and six points in four games.
As for Kane, he notched 62 goals and 145 points in 58 games with the London Knights in the OHL, going on to be drafted first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2007. Now, 19 years later, the Blackhawks have the second-best odds of winning the first overall pick in tonight’s draft lottery.
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This production from McKenna came primarily from the perimeter and off the rush. McKenna’s forechecking parallels to Kane don’t stop there. Like Kane in 2007, McKenna has an incredible hockey IQ and is by far the best passer in his draft class. His aforementioned 88 helpers led not only the WHL but the entire CHL.
These two share two common concerns as well: a lack of defensive details and grit. Kane started as a one-way player before fine-tuning his backcheck. McKenna has shown growth in that area over the past year at Penn State, particularly in the back half of the campaign after a slow start.
After partaking in the 2026 World Junior Championship, McKenna found his groove for the Nittany Lions. A major turning point for McKenna came during Feb 20th’s 11-4 win over The Ohio State University, when his eight-point (one goal and seven assists) night stole the show.
TSN’s Craig Button spoke of the modifications McKenna made as his season progressed. “He couldn’t have had the second half without the first half,” said Button. “The first half was the on-ice adjustment, the growing, the challenges of so many different things in the college game. Being a student-athlete, his off-ice and during-the-week training, the challenges of playing against bigger, stronger players. He had never had that.”
This performance was part of a larger trend for McKenna down the stretch. In 17 games after the world juniors, he racked up 31 points (10 goals and 21 assists). His adaptation means a lot and shows his willingness to work hard while expanding his game.
McKenna will have the opportunity to further grow his game and show the strides he’s taken in his game at the upcoming 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship, where he is set to don Canada’s red and white. This will be McKenna’s first senior-level international event.
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Ryan Kennedy of TheHockeyNews.com concurs, saying of McKenna, “There are concerns about his play without the puck, but he has elite skill and vision. You can teach him defense.”
Other questions remain, including McKenna’s special teams play. A significant chunk of McKenna’s points have come on the power play. On the surface, that looks good. However, I’d like to see him even out his scoring to incorporate more five-on-five plays. Still, McKenna’s ridiculous offensive production at the WHL and NCAA has to mean something.
Tony Ferrari, TheHockeyNews.com’s NHL draft expert, sums up McKenna’s holistic game, saying, “The silky left winger is an imperfect player, but it’s easier to live with his deficiencies because of just how good the best parts of his game are. McKenna is a special offensive presence.”
If Gavin McKenna can further develop his 200-foot game while rounding out his scoring, he could become a high-end NHL winger for years to come.
Big markets possibly await McKenna’s services. As the top five in tonight’s lottery include three Canadian teams, the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Calgary Flames, as well as two Original Six teams, the Blackhawks and the New York Rangers.
It could be a franchise-defining night.
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