- Gavin McKenna picked up his first point as a pro, setting up a John Tavares goal in Toronto’s 6-1 win over Ottawa
- The No. 1 pick also drew a penalty with a slick move that had Scotiabank Arena buzzing
- Read below for what’s next as the Maple Leafs head to Arizona ahead of McKenna’s regular-season debut
Gavin McKenna is starting to look like himself.
The No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft got his first point as a pro on Wednesday night, setting up a John Tavares goal in Toronto’s 6-1 win over the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
McKenna started the play, found William Nylander, and Nylander fed it across to Tavares for the finish. The Maple Leafs posted the replay within minutes:
That wasn’t even the shift that had the building buzzing. Early in the first period, McKenna put a slick deke on Ottawa’s Michael Amadio near the Toronto blue line and drew a collective gasp from the crowd. Watch the move:
A similar move in the second period drew a hooking penalty on Kasper Halttunen, and that penalty turned into Jack Roslovic’s first preseason goal on the power play.
Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller was asked about the leap from McKenna’s quiet NHL debut four days earlier to what he showed on Wednesday.
“I think we all saw it, didn’t we?” Hiller said. “He was pretty calm and relaxed. That was encouraging, coming back from Game 1 to show what he did tonight.”
His preseason opener against Montreal was quieter. McKenna finished that game with no points in 19 minutes of ice time.
Hiller pointed to McKenna’s skating as the thing that’s caught him off guard most, something the 18-year-old worked on all summer with San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini. “This is a fast league,” McKenna said. “Guys can really skate in this league. It’s something I pride myself in, and I think it helped me out today.”
He’s coming off a rocky start at Penn State, where he had just four goals in his first 16 games before closing with 33 points in his final 19. McKenna finished with 51 points in 35 games, then went first overall to Toronto in a draft lottery pick announced by Justin Bieber.
Next up is a team-bonding trip to Arizona, where captain Auston Matthews will host the group at his childhood home. The Maple Leafs practice Saturday at Mullett Arena in Tempe, the same rink where McKenna made his Penn State debut last October.
“It’s meaningful to Auston. Hometown,” Maple Leafs GM John Chayka said of the trip. “This is all to get to know each other better and spend some meaningful time together.”
McKenna’s NHL regular-season debut is set for next Tuesday against the Canadiens, back at Scotiabank Arena.
