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Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Windspeaker.com
While speaking about one of the best days of his life—being chosen first over-all in the National Hockey League (NHL) draft June 26—Gavin McKenna, a citizen of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation in Yukon, took time to discuss the achievement’s possible impact on Indigenous youth.
“I think it will show them that anything is possible,” McKenna said in his first press conference after being drafted by the Maple Leafs. “I want to make those young kids believe in themselves and I want to be a good role model for all of them.”
McKenna becomes just the second Indigenous player to be the top pick in the NHL draft, held annually since 1963. Dale McCourt, a member of Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg First Nation in Quebec, was top of his draft class in 1977. McCourt went on to play 553 NHL games.
This year’s draft, held at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, was a two-day affair. Round 1 was held on June 26 and the remaining six rounds were held the following day.
McKenna is First Nations through his mother Krystal. His grandfather Joe is a survivor of the Indian residential school system.
McKenna, an 18-year-old left winger, was born and raised in the Yukon capital of Whitehorse. He spoke glowingly of his hometown.
“I think they’re all pretty excited,” he said of the city’s residents. “That place has meant the world to me. And there’s a big draft watch party in the Yukon right now. So, I know a lot of people at home are watching me. The support they’ve given me over the years has been second to none.”
McKenna had been touted as the possible top pick in this year’s draft-eligible class since he was 14. He started gaining recognition when he was chosen first over-all by the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Western Hockey League bantam draft in 2022.
McKenna played just 16 games in his first year with the Tigers in the 2022-23 season, racking up 18 points. The following year he collected 103 points in 66 games. And he bettered that the next season, piling up 171 points, including 49 goals, in 71 matches.
To prepare himself for the NHL draft, McKenna took his talents south of the border for the 2025-26 season, suiting up for the NCAA’s Penn State Nittany Lions where he tested his abilities against older, university-aged players.
McKenna ended up as the Lions’ top scorer with 51 points (16 goals and 35 assists) in 35 contests.
Though he doesn’t turn 19 until Dec. 20, McKenna is expected to crack the Leafs’ roster this coming season. Many believe he is talented enough to be placed on Toronto’s top line, which includes captain Auston Matthews.
“He’s a guy I’m looking forward to get to meet and potentially play with,” McKenna said. “I’ve watched him these last few years. He’s a special player.”
McKenna also realizes he’ll have to show the club’s coaching brass that he warrants an opportunity to play alongside Matthews.
“Obviously he’s on the first line. I’m going to have to prove myself to be able to play with a player like that. But that’s my goal,” McKenna said.
“I think my game is obviously a playmaker,” he said. “He’s a shooter. So, I think we can complement each other pretty well. Like I said, I’ve got to work towards that. That’s my goal.”
Draft night added a surprise element to it when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said a special guest would introduce the top pick over-all for the Maple Leafs—pop superstar Justin Bieber, a lifelong Maple Leafs’ fan.
“It’s a special moment for sure,” McKenna said upon hearing the singer announce his name. “This is my dream come true to hug my family and walk up on the stage. To see Justin Bieber. This isn’t what I imagined when I was a young kid. It’s so much better.”
Other Maple Leafs supporters gathered in the Buffalo rink for the draft and enthusiastically cheered when McKenna was picked.
“I love those fans already,” he said. “It’s one of the most passionate fan bases out there. So, I’m looking forward to getting started and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Several members of McKenna’s family joined him in Buffalo for the draft. McKenna wore a suit jacket that included pins honoring his First Nations ancestry on the outside and photos of his family sewn into the insides.
“They’ve done everything for me get to this point,” McKenna said of his relatives. “The fact I got to experience this with them and to all the other family members I have (this is why) they’re all in my suit. I was thinking of all of them.”