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The 2026 NHL Draft got underway on Friday night at KeyBank Center in Buffalo — home of the Buffalo Sabres — and while drafts usually provide their share of surprises, the first overall pick was not one.
The Toronto Maple Leafs “earned” the top pick after an abysmal 2025-26 campaign, and they used it to select Penn State star Gavin McKenna.
The 18-year-old from Whitehorse, Yukon, has been the presumptive top dog in the 2026 NHL Draft class for years at this point.
However, despite new Leafs GM John Chayka meeting with McKenna at his home, the team was tight-lipped about their decision.
But, in the end, he was always going to be the guy to hear his name called first this year, just not before Justin Bieber made an awkward announcement.
Maybe don’t skip the run-through next time, Biebs.
Nonetheless, the pick stands: Gavin McKenna is a Toronto Maple Leaf.
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The Leafs certainly have some needs to address. Their goaltending is questionable (though that’s difficult to fix quickly through the draft), and the blue line could use some added size. This draft featured several players who could have helped in that regard, including Albert Smits out of Europe and Chase Reid of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
But, in the end, McKenna is the kind of ultra-talented player you take regardless of your needs.
He posted 51 points (15G, 36A) in just 35 games at Penn State last season, so even if he’s not a top-line winger, he’s going to help fill out the Leafs’ second or third lines very nicely.
McKenna’s going to have to make an impact quickly as the team looks to turn things around in a hurry under new coach Jim Hiller, and he’ll have to do it under pressure.
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But he can handle it. He’s dealt with tons of attention so far in his career, and even some considerable off-ice distractions to throw down a solid freshman season and set himself up nicely to be the No. 1 pick.
After McKenna, the San Jose Sharks selected Sweden’s Ivar Stenberg with the No. 2 pick, while the Vancouver Canucks used the No. 3 pick on Caleb Malhotra, son of ex-NHLer and current Canucks coach Manny Malhotra.
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