- Gavin McKenna has zero points through his first three games with the Maple Leafs
- The No. 1 pick was asked Tuesday about his “Welcome to the NHL” moment so far
- Read below for his answer and watch the video of the scrum
Gavin McKenna already knows what playing in Toronto feels like.
The Maple Leafs rookie was asked after Tuesday’s optional morning skate what his “Welcome to the NHL” moment has been so far. He didn’t pick a big hit or a superstar dangling him. His pick was the people holding the microphones.
“I mean, I think just how hard it is,” McKenna said. “You come in, you believe in yourself, and I still believe in myself.”
Then came the punchline.
“Especially in the Toronto media putting up zero points in three games, I think you hear about it,” he said. “So maybe that’s my welcome to the NHL.”
McKenna delivered that line with a grin, and the scrum laughed along with him. Watch McKenna’s answer:
Points haven’t come yet for the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Toronto has lost to Montreal and Ottawa and beaten the Islanders so far.
McKenna’s first week also brought some heat for skipping optional skates. He explained before his debut that it “wasn’t a swagger thing” and that he was just keeping his body fresh. Then there was the rookie lap mix-up with Sergei Bobrovsky which ended with the goalie apologizing.
Slow starts aren’t new to the 18-year-old from Whitehorse. He talked about how he’s handled dry spells before.
“It’s obviously not where you want it to be, but at the end of the day, I’ve been on many streaks where I’ve put up no points,” McKenna said. “Had a tough start to college last year and started to figure things out from there.”
His third game felt like his best one yet, and McKenna said he started creating more and feeling more comfortable, even if there’s still plenty to learn shift by shift.
“I think I know it’s going to come, so just keep working and have confidence,” he said.
Point No. 1 could come Tuesday night when the Leafs host the Nashville Predators at Scotiabank Arena.
