The Toronto Maple Leafs are the unofficial winner of the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes, landing the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and with the potential to select one of hockey’s rare franchise-altering prospects.
For Toronto, it marks the third time in franchise history the Maple Leafs have won the draft lottery, joining Wendel Clark in 1985 and Auston Matthews in 2016. If McKenna becomes the pick, the parallels are obvious: another potential cornerstone player arriving in one of the sport’s biggest markets.
McKenna is widely viewed as the projected No. 1 overall pick and the kind of prospect who draws comparisons to the sport’s elite. His offensive instincts have been compared to Connor McDavid’s junior dominance, though McKenna is not the same type of skater. His hockey sense, maturity and puck protection invite Sidney Crosby comparisons, while his creativity and playmaking flair resemble elements of Mitch Marner and Patrick Kane.
At Penn State, McKenna’s lone season was historic. The Whitehorse, Yukon native set nine program records and became just the third Nittany Lion to reach 50 points in a season. He finished with a freshman-record 51 points on 15 goals and a program-record 36 assists. NHL Central Scouting recently listed McKenna as the top North American skater for the 2026 draft, noting his 51-point season and 1.46 points-per-game pace.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.McKenna also became Penn State’s first Big Ten Scoring Champion, was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors, became a Hobey Baker Top-10 finalist and added All-American recognition to one of the greatest individual seasons in program history.
He also became the first Penn State player selected to represent Canada at the World Championships, further cementing his status as a prospect already operating beyond the college level.
As of this writing, McKenna has not officially declared for the NHL Draft. But if he does, Toronto’s lottery win could become a defining moment for the franchise.
