At just 15 years old, Gavin McKenna gave the WHL’s Tigers, and the entire hockey world, a glimpse of what he’s capable of in the coming years.

As the No. 1 pick in the 2022 WHL bantam draft, Gavin McKenna was hyped up before he even hit the ice with the Medicine Hat Tigers. But in his first WHL game – at just 14 – the gifted left winger rang up four points. 

While McKenna was allowed to play only a limited number of games in the WHL as an underager, Tigers coach-GM Willie Desjardins slotted him into the lineup late in the season with Medicine Hat knee-deep in a playoff race. 

“He came in for the last four games and then four playoff games,” Desjardins said. “I thought, ‘OK, it’s going to be difficult. He hasn’t played at our tempo, our systems, and he’s a young guy,’ but I thought he could help us on the power play. But he came in and was our leading scorer over those eight games, which is pretty incredible.”

All told, McKenna put up 18 points in 16 regular-season games with the Tigers and also tore the doors off the Canada Winter Games in February by posting a ridiculous 31 points in seven contests with Team Yukon. Needless to say, the future is bright for the kid born under the Northern Lights.

Growing up in Whitehorse, McKenna took full advantage of his surroundings, spending a lot of time doing outdoor activities and, of course, skating on the backyard rinks his dad built for him during the Yukon’s extended cold seasons. 

“It was a cool place to grow up, for sure,” McKenna said. “Usually, I would get my first skate in around early November, and it probably starts to melt around mid-April. But our winters have started getting longer, so maybe closer to even May now.”

Playing hockey in a city of about 30,000 meant McKenna’s teams often played against older competition, while travel took them down to places like Vancouver and Kelowna. Nonetheless, McKenna developed into a phenom, and the Tigers are happy to have him in the fold. 

“His vision is incredible,” Desjardins said. “He sees the ice so well, he’s a great passer, he’s good at all the aspects of the game, and he’s got lots of confidence.”

When McKenna wasn’t with the Tigers this season, he was still in Medicine Hat, playing for the South Alberta Hockey Academy U-18 prep team. He had an astounding 75 points in just 26 games, but he didn’t let that domination lead to bad habits. 

“I tried to play like I was in the ‘Dub,’ ” he said. “Every shift, you have to give 100 percent. The good thing about SAHA is the coach is Willie Desjardins’ son (Brayden Desjardins), so they had pretty close systems, which helped a lot.”

McKenna also was able to practise with the Tigers from Monday to Wednesday each week before flipping back to the SAHA for games. 

“The practices were super high-pace, and they play a lot of games, so every practice counts,” he said. “I was trying to learn their systems and learn that pace. Getting into those practices helped when I got into games.”

For Desjardins, it also allowed McKenna and the Tigers to have some familiarity with each other when he did come up. As for the future, it’s going to be exciting to see what the kid can do in a full WHL season next year, especially after he has a whole summer to work on his game. 

“He’s going to do everything he can to be a player,” Desjardins said. “He’s one player I won’t have to phone over the summer. He’s got to get stronger, and his shot has to improve, but I would expect him to come in and be an impact player at 15 years old, which is very unusual.”

This sneak peek into one of the 2026 NHL draft's prospects to watch was featured in The Hockey News' 2023 Draft Preview issue. Receive the edition for free with an annual subscription at THN.com/free.