Coming into the World Junior Championship (WJC), Canada’s Gavin McKenna was the main discussion, but not for praising his game. McKenna, 18 years old, is one of the favorites to go first overall in the upcoming 2026 Draft, alongside fellow Canadian defenseman Keaton Verheoff and Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg.
Related: Canada Pulls Away in Third to Take Bronze Medal Over Finland in 2026 World Juniors
The 18-year-old was the hottest NCAA recruit over the summer and committed to Penn State University. With Penn State, though, his production hasn’t been screaming ‘first overall.’ McKenna only has four goals and 14 assists, adding up to 18 points in 16 games. That’s below where he should be by a large margin. However, coming into the WJC, he was given a chance to quiet all of the critics, and for the most part, he did.
Offensive Talent Shone at WJC
At Penn State, McKenna never really got going offensively, regardless of what they did. He’s kind of just stuck. But, with Canada on the world stage, he finally found himself again and proved he can still be a top offensive talent. He didn’t connect too well with captain Porter Martone; however, he found chemistry with Michael Hage and Brady Martin, and that was arguably the best line Canada had all tournament.
McKenna’s passing and playmaking ability 5-on-5 and on the power play really showed as well, as he was never short of making something happen. The way he sees the game with the puck on his stick is at the top of the class — he can dish the puck from anywhere, and it’ll make it to its intended target. His shot is at the top as well, as he can shoot it from almost anywhere on the ice; mix it all in with his hands, and he can do anything with the puck on his stick. McKenna is a good skater, as well.
McKenna had four goals and ten assists for 14 points in seven games at the World Juniors. His offensive traits can get him to the NHL in October after he’s drafted.
Silencing the Critics
In the media scrum before the tournament, McKenna told the Canadian Press that he didn’t care about all of the doubters and that he was going to prove them wrong. That’s a good mindset to have at only 18 years old.
“I don’t mind it at all. Sometimes getting people pumping your tires all the time isn’t the best thing for you; people have been waiting for me to fail — it fires me up. I just try to take it with a grain of salt. Where my game’s at, if people are watching and if people are smart at hockey and are actually watching the game, not just looking at the numbers, they’d know. I’m confident.”
McKenna went on to say that at Penn State, the pucks just weren’t going in his direction, and that hopefully at the World Juniors, they’d start to go his way. With 14 points in only seven games, they definitely did.
There are still some flaws in his game, though, and being silent in the semifinal against Czechia didn’t help his case. Plus, he got a ten-minute game misconduct for abuse of an official, and wasn’t allowed to go back out for the handshakes against the Czechs. His defensive game needs work, too.
However, McKenna is only 18 and has a lot of time before the draft, and will obviously work on his game even after he’s drafted. This kid is a Western Hockey League (WHL) champion with the Medicine Hat Tigers and a bronze medalist. After a quiet game in the semifinal, he bounced back and tallied a four-point night against Finland, which was the main reason Canada won a bronze medal.
McKenna has a long and bright career ahead of him, and if he can take his play from the WJC and improve at Penn State, it’ll be the biggest thing he’s done in his young hockey career, because it’ll finally silence everybody.
