The Toronto Maple Leafs selected 18-year-old forward Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft Friday night at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The franchise is executing a comprehensive rebuild after finishing last in the Atlantic Division and missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade during the 2025-26 season.
Key Details
- McKenna tallied 51 points in 35 games during his freshman season at Penn State.
- The Whitehorse, Yukon native joins Wendel Clark and Auston Matthews as the third No. 1 overall pick in Maple Leafs history.
- Pop icon Justin Bieber announced the selection on stage alongside NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
McKenna arrives in Toronto as a foundational piece for new General Manager John Chayka and head coach Jim Hiller, according to a report by TSN confirming the draft pick and detailing his collegiate production. He is the fifth NCAA player ever to be selected first overall. This pathway was created after recent NCAA rule changes officially allowed major junior hockey players to maintain collegiate eligibility in the United States.
Before transferring to the U.S. college circuit, McKenna debuted with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers at age 14 and produced 129 points during the 2024-25 CHL season. At Penn State, his 15 goals and 36 assists tied him for fifth in the nation in scoring and made him a Hobey Baker Award finalist.
Following Toronto’s pick, the San Jose Sharks selected Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg with the No. 2 overall pick. The Vancouver Canucks selected third and the Buffalo Sabres drafted fourth to round out the top of the board.