| Birth Date: | 20 December 2007 |
| Birth Place: | Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 11 |
| Weight Lb: | 165 |
| Position: | Forward |
| Shoots: | Left |
| League: | WHL |
| Team: | Medicine Hat Tigers |
| Draft: | Eligible 2026 |
Gavin McKenna (born December 20, 2007) is a Canadian junior ice hockey forward for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He will be eligible for the 2026 NHL entry draft and,, was projected as most likely to be taken first overall.[1] [2]
McKenna was the first Yukon-born player to be drafted first overall in the Western Hockey League (WHL), being selected in the 2022 bantam draft by the Medicine Hat Tigers. Although he was granted exceptional player status by BC Hockey and Hockey Alberta, the third such player after Connor Bedard and Matthew Savoie, he did not receive exceptional player status with the WHL.[3] [4] [5] He recorded four points in his WHL debut, and finished his first season with 18 points in 16 games. He also appeared in 26 games at the under-18 prep level with the South Alberta Hockey Academy, recording 75 points.[6]
In his first full WHL season in 2023–24, McKenna recorded 34 goals and 97 points in 61 regular season games.[7] In recognition of his achievements, he received the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL's rookie of the year. McKenna called it "a true honour."[8] He also won the CHL Rookie of the Year Award as the best in the three CHL component leagues,[9] and was also named to both the CHL's Third All-Star Team and its All-Rookie Team.[10]
McKenna made his international debut for Canada at the 2024 IIHF World U18 Championships. He led Team Canada in scoring with ten goals and ten assists across seven games as the team made a deep run to the gold medal game.[11] In the semi-final against Sweden, McKenna set a new Canadian record for most points at a single U18 tournament with his sixteenth, surpassing Macklin Celebrini and Tyson Jost.[12] He scored a hat trick with an additional assist in the gold medal game as Canada secured the title with a 6–4 victory over the United States.[11] He was named to the Media All-Star Team for the event.[13]
At the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, McKenna scored the game-winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Sweden to clinch a sweep of the preliminary round.[14] He finished the event with three goals and six points in five games as the Canadians continued undefeated to a gold medal.[15]
McKenna is indigenous, a member of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation.[16] McKenna's parents both played hockey and his father constructed an outdoor rink for him to practice every winter. He is a cousin-by-marriage of Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard.[17]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |||||
| 2022–23 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 16 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 61 | 34 | 63 | 97 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | ||
| WHL totals | 77 | 38 | 77 | 115 | 21 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Canada Red | U17 | 5th | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Canada | U18 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | Canada | HG18 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Junior totals | 19 | 18 | 16 | 34 | 0 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHL | |||
| CHL Rookie of the Year Award | 2024 | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2024 | ||
| Third All-Star Team | 2024 | ||
| WHL | |||
| Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy | 2024 | ||
| International | |||
| World U18 Championship Media All-Star Team | 2024 | ||