The Toronto Maple Leafs selected forward Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 overall pick of the NHL draft on Friday in Buffalo, N.Y.
The 18-year-old McKenna was widely expected to be the top pick after a standout freshman season at Penn State, where he tallied 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games. McKenna also played for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships, when he notched 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in seven games for the bronze medalists.
The spotlight on McKenna, a native of Whitehorse, Yukon, will be bright in Toronto. After the Maple Leafs finished one spot out of last place in the Eastern Conference with 78 points, they picked No. 1 overall for the third time in franchise history.
“I’m so grateful,” McKenna said. “I’ve got no words right now.”
The Maple Leafs selected star captain Auston Matthews with the top overall pick 10 years ago, and in 1985 they drafted forward Wendel Clark No. 1 overall. Matthews is in the middle of an excellent career and Clark spent 15 seasons in the NHL, 13 of those with Toronto.
After his selection, McKenna watched a video message from Matthews, who welcomed him to Toronto and said he looked forward to playing with him.
“Obviously he’s a special player,” McKenna said. “It would mean the world to play with him, learn from him. They’ve got a lot of talent in Toronto, got a lot of experience. As a young guy coming into the league, I want to learn as much as I can.”
Winning the draft lottery made this a simple call for Toronto’s new front-office heads, general manager John Chayka and senior adviser Mats Sundin, who last week named Jim Hiller the franchise’s new head coach.
The San Jose Sharks will pick second as the remainder of Round 1 plays out Friday. Rounds 2-7 of the draft are slated for Saturday.
–Field Level Media
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