Gavin McKenna // 12-20-2007 // F // 6-0 // 170 // L // Whitehorse, Yukon // Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
McKenna, the consensus No. 1 overall pick for the 2026 NHL Draft, will make the 3,442-mile journey to Hockey Valley from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada after spending the past three seasons with Medicine Hat in the Western Hockey League. He led the Tigers to the WHL Championship this past season and a berth in the Memorial Cup Finals. The 6-foot, 170-pound, left winger was named the WHL and CHL Player of the Year after registering an eye-popping 173 points in 76 games split between the regular-season, playoffs and Memorial Cup. He became the third-youngest CHL Player of the Year behind NHL greats Sidney Crosby and John Tavares.
McKenna finished second in the WHL with 129 points during the regular season while his 88 assists paced the league and his 41 goals were good for fifth to go along with a plus-60 rating, the best plus/minus in the league. He finished the regular season with points in 40-straight games before adding points in his first 14 playoff games. The 54-game point streak is a modern CHL record dating back to 2000.
During his first full season in the WHL in 2023-24 he was named both the WHL and CHL Rookie of the Year posting 97 points in 61 games on 34 goals and 63 assists before adding two goals and four assists for six points in five playoff games. In 162 total WHL games with Medicine Hat, McKenna amassed 295 points on 94 goals and 201 assists.
McKenna has also been a dominant force for his country, helping Team Canada to the gold medal at the 2024 U18 World Championships, setting a Canadian record for points in a single U18 tournament with 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in seven games. His standout performance included a hat-trick in a 6-4 victory over Team USA in the gold medal game. He also won gold alongside incoming teammate Jackson Smith at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring three goals with three assists for six points in five games.
McKenna also donned the Maple Leaf this past winter as the youngest member of Team Canada on the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship roster, scoring one goal in five games played.