- Gavin McKenna wore a full Maple Leafs uniform in public for the first time Wednesday in Chicago
- The No. 1 pick gave up his junior No. 72 after Toronto signed goalie Sergei Bobrovsky
- Read below for the video, how he landed on 92 and when the sweater comes out again
Gavin McKenna finally looks the part.
Toronto’s first overall pick took the ice in a full Maple Leafs uniform for the first time on Wednesday at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Chicago, McKENNA stitched across the back above a brand new No. 92.
Here’s the first look at the 18-year-old in blue:
His old 72 was already spoken for. McKenna wore it through three seasons with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers and again at Penn State, then handed it over when Toronto signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who has worn 72 for the last 14 years of his NHL career.
McKenna liked 9 and 27, and Toronto has both of those hanging in the rafters. So he took a digit from each and landed on 92.
Upper Deck runs the showcase, which sets up shop at Blackhawks Ice Center from Tuesday through Thursday. Rookies rotate through photo and video sessions so the company can bank material for their first NHL trading cards, and the NHLPA uses the three days as a crash course in the media and marketing side of the job. McKenna headlined the 2026 class when the invite list came out earlier this month.
Part of his session involved standing in front of a green screen and inventing goal celebrations on command, which is every bit as awkward as it sounds. Watch him work through a few cellies:
Getting to Chicago meant one more flight in a summer stuffed with them. McKenna was asked how the offseason has treated him since the draft.
“I’ve been living out of my suitcase for the last three months. So it’s been fun. I’ve been all over the place. But it’s good to kind of settle down in Vancouver there for a while and training with the best,” McKenna told The Hockey News.
He is already in the Leafs group chats and has been leaning on captain Auston Matthews for advice on handling the market. Toronto missed the playoffs last spring for the first time in 10 years and drafted McKenna to fix that.
Fans have to wait a while to see the sweater in a real game. The earliest McKenna suits up in one is the rookie tournament in Gatineau in early September.
