- Gavin McKenna will not travel to Gatineau for the NHL Prospect Challenge this weekend
- Marlies coach Steve Sullivan says the Leafs want their No. 1 pick rested for training camp
- Read below for McKenna’s reaction and when he finally gets into a game
Gavin McKenna is staying home this weekend.
The first overall pick in the 2026 draft will not make the trip to Gatineau, Quebec with the rest of Toronto’s prospects for the NHL Prospect Challenge, Marlies head coach Steve Sullivan told reporters at the Ford Performance Centre on Friday. TSN’s Mark Masters passed it along from the rink:
McKenna was asked about getting pulled from a tournament he had already been named to.
“I was just doing whatever the team wanted me to do,” McKenna said. “Obviously, it would be fun to play some games, but if they think me staying here is best, then I’m okay with that, and I’ll listen to what they want.”
Asked why, Sullivan pointed straight at the calendar.
“What’s best for him is to stay here, continue to train with the NHL players, and prepare for a big season,” Sullivan said. “Short training camp for them, they got an 84-game schedule. He’s got a lot coming in front of him, and he had a really, really busy summer. So for him, those three, four days in Gatineau is probably not beneficial for him.”
He did everything else on the schedule. Sullivan said management wanted him at Thursday night’s opening dinner and out on the ice Friday, where he skated the left side of a line with Luke Haymes and Brandon Buhr.
Toronto’s rookies open against the host Senators on Saturday and finish up against the Jets on Sunday, part of a four-day slate of rookie games around the league. Ben Danford is now the Leafs prospect worth watching in Gatineau.
None of this had anything to do with how he has looked. Sullivan called McKenna impressive to watch out there.
Main camp opens next week. The first game action for McKenna lands on Sept. 19, when Toronto plays a preseason doubleheader against Montreal, one at the Bell Centre and one at Scotiabank Arena. The regular season starts Sept. 29 at home.
Management decided the 18-year-old’s first real look should come in an NHL preseason game, not a Saturday afternoon in Gatineau.
