Potential first overall pick Gavin McKenna says he'd be thrilled to start his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"Obviously, it would be an honor," McKenna said about possibly being drafted first to Toronto and playing in Canada, according to Nittany Sports Now's Kyle Golik. "As a kid, that's what you dream of. If that was the case, I'd be pretty pumped.
"Being a Canadian kid, going to a Canadian market would be pretty special. The situation the Leafs are in right now is pretty crazy that they got the first overall pick. Their team is probably going to be fighting for the playoffs next year, so I'd be pretty fortunate to go there."
The Maple Leafs won the draft lottery in May, moving up to first overall despite finishing with the league's fifth-worst record. Prior to this season, Toronto had made the playoffs for nine straight seasons.
New Leafs general manager John Chayka said Friday that Toronto would go with "the best player available" at first overall rather than prioritizing a specific position. He also confirmed that he visited McKenna in his hometown of Whitehorse, Yukon.
McKenna moved to Penn State last season after registering 41 goals and 129 points in 56 games with the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2024-25 campaign. The winger notched 15 goals and 51 points in 35 contests as a freshman with the Nittany Lions in likely his only NCAA season.
"It's a big jump and a different level of hockey," McKenna said, according to Elite Prospects' Cam Robinson. "Every game is like a Game 7. You learn a lot, and I do think it really matures your game."
McKenna's draft stock initially dipped after some early-season struggles. However, he tallied four goals and 14 points in seven games with Team Canada at the world juniors in December, helping him get out of his slump.
"I found out early on that things weren't just going to happen easy," McKenna said, according to Golik. "Once I got to world juniors, I kind of got my confidence back and figured out the game a little bit more. I started working harder off the ice and on the ice, getting into the dirty areas a little bit more, and I think that's why I started producing more."
The first round of the NHL draft is June 26.
