- McKenna told reporters in Buffalo he’d be “pretty pumped” to land with the Leafs
- Chayka says Toronto will take the best player available at No. 1
- Read below for McKenna’s full comments from the combine
Gavin McKenna has no problem with the idea of becoming a Maple Leaf.
The projected first overall pick met with reporters Friday at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo and was asked about Toronto holding the No. 1 pick. He didn’t dance around it.
“Obviously, it would be an honor,” McKenna said, per Kyle Golik of Nittany Sports Now. “As a kid, that’s what you dream of. If that was the case, I’d be pretty pumped.”
He kept going on the Canadian angle, a week after calling Toronto the biggest hockey market in the world. “Being a Canadian kid, going to a Canadian market would be pretty special,” McKenna said. “The situation the Leafs are in right now is pretty crazy that they got the first overall pick. Their team is probably going to be fighting for the playoffs next year, so I’d be pretty fortunate to go there.”
Reporters also asked about his jump from the WHL to Penn State:
McKenna handled the jump just fine. He put up 15 goals and 51 points in 35 games as a freshman with the Nittany Lions after racking up 129 points with Medicine Hat the year before. A slow start in college quieted down once he got to the world juniors, where he piled up 14 points in seven games for Canada and got his confidence back.
Toronto landed the top pick with just the fifth-best lottery odds after winning the draft lottery last month. The miss ended a run of nine straight playoff appearances.
New Leafs GM John Chayka spoke at the combine Friday too. He said Toronto will take the best player available at No. 1 rather than committing to a name, and confirmed he flew up to Whitehorse to visit McKenna in his hometown. Catch his full media availability:
Round one of the draft goes June 26. If the consensus holds, McKenna’s dream scenario becomes real in three weeks.
