With the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday, the expectation is that they will take projected No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna.
Considering Toronto’s reputation for being a tough hockey market, McKenna will likely face much pressure and scrutiny should he hear his name first on June 26 in Buffalo.
According to his old coach from junior, Willie Desjardins, McKenna is built for that kind of spotlight.
“The Toronto market is a big market and there’s lots of pressure there and I think he was probably more used to that growing up,” Desjardin said Thursday on the FAN Morning Show. “I think he’s always been recognized as a high pick, so he’s had that pressure his whole life. It’s a tough market, but I think he would probably be more suited (to handle it) than anybody.”
The No. 1 North American skater this year, according to NHL Central Scouting, McKenna is a dynamic and versatile, point-producing forward whose 51 points for Penn State this past season led the Big Ten.
Before the season with the Nittany Lions, the 18-year-old spent three seasons with the Medicine Hat Tigers, earning a number of accolades during his career in the WHL, including being named the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL MVP in 2025 after putting up 41 goals and 129 points that season — the same year he led the Tigers to an Ed Chynoweth Cup championship.
The competitiveness and desire that Desjardins brought to Medicine Hat in that championship season is among McKenna’s best traits, according to Desjardins.
“He’s a good teammate and he loves to win,” said Desjardins. “Sometimes with guys who love to win push pretty hard and sometimes it may rub teammates the wrong way, but you want a guy who wants to win, and he’s built that way. He really thrives that way. So, while he might rub a teammate the wrong way, he certainly didn’t in Medicine Hat. He was well respected and his teammates loved him.”
McKenna played for Team Canada at the recent World Junior Championships, helping Canada earn a bronze medal, tallying a goal and four points in the third-place game as he starred for the Canadians.
As Desjardins reiterated, he believes McKenna can handle any level of expectation that may be thrown at him in Toronto or otherwise, because he’s used to being a star.
“There’s way different pressure when you get to (Canadian) markets,” Desjardins said. “I think sometimes those markets can eat people up. Like, they just don’t fit in and you do have to have a certain swagger, and I think McKenna is the kind of guy that can thrive in that market.”
