Gavin McKenna, an 18-year-old winger from Whitehorse, Yukon, was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 26, 2026, during the first day of the NHL Draft in Buffalo, New York. McKenna, born on December 20, 2007, has drawn significant attention for his hockey skills and his Indigenous heritage.
Early Life and Passion for Hockey
McKenna's mother Krystal told Sportsnet that as a one-year-old, Gavin would fall asleep clutching a plastic mini hockey stick, often with a puck beside his bed. "(When a bit older) he’d even try and sleep with his helmet on his head," she said. His father Willy, who works in construction and played shinny hockey, built a custom backyard rink where Gavin and his sisters learned to skate, enduring Yukon temperatures that could dip to -30°C. Gavin said, "My dad put lots of hours into building it, so I would have to repay him by spending hours on the ice, too."
Jersey Number and Heritage
McKenna will wear jersey number 72, a homage to his birth year (2007), the year his favorite player Patrick Kane joined the NHL, and the reverse of Jonathan Drouin's number. The number has been worn by two other Leafs: defenseman Mathieu Schneider (1995-98) and forward Travis Boyd (2020-21). He is the second McKenna to play for the Leafs, following Sean McKenna, a Quebec-born forward who played 48 games between 1987-90.
Indigenous Heritage and Advocacy
On the draft red carpet, McKenna wore two intricately woven beaded Wolf Clan emblems on his jacket, created by one of his sisters. They represented Every Child Matters and survivors of Residential Schools, which his maternal grandfather had to attend. Family members wore Indigenous vests. McKenna told Sportsnet, "It sucks hearing what some (Indigenous) people have to go through. I’ve been lucky enough to grow up where that’s becoming less and less. Looking back, I don’t want it to become like that again. It influences me to be the best human I can be."
Family and Community Support
Krystal McKenna is a gym instructor at Jack Hullard Elementary in Whitehorse and a former player. Gavin's older and younger sisters also learned to skate on the backyard rink. The McKenna family's support has been crucial in Gavin's development, with his father's construction skills enabling the creation of a home rink that allowed for extensive practice despite the cold.
