Gavin McKenna playing for Team Yukon at the 2023 Canada Games. Photo Courtesy of Hockey Yukon.
Whitehorse, YT – Whitehorse’s Gavin McKenna is headed to the Toronto Maple Leafs after being selected first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The 18-year-old winger becomes the third Yukon-born player ever drafted into the NHL and the second from the territory to be selected in the first round.
McKenna joins Toronto after a standout season at Penn State, where he recorded 51 points in 35 games. Before that, he was named the CHL’s Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Maple Leafs say McKenna’s talent and character made him the clear choice with the first overall pick.
