The Toronto Maple Leafs have wrapped up development camp, and with that in the rearview mirror, Gavin McKenna is shifting focus to the Leafs' training camp. Here's the impression McKenna has left so far.
Player development in hockey is anything but linear. Players can enter the league with one defining strength and emerge as a completely different player by the end of their entry-level contract.
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is a perfect example. Known primarily for his scoring when he entered the NHL, Matthews has developed into one of hockey's premier two-way forwards, and that might be his best trait, despite scoring 69 goals just three years ago.
There were moments during Gavin McKenna's freshman season at Penn State when some wondered whether he was worthy of the first-overall selection. Toronto never appeared to share those concerns, taking him first in the 2026 NHL draft.
Now that development camp has wrapped up, attention turns to the next phase of McKenna's development and what his short-term and long-term development plan looks like going forward.
While no one can predict exactly what McKenna's game will look like at the NHL level, one theme emerged consistently throughout development camp. Whether it was McKenna himself, his teammates, or Maple Leafs assistant GM Hayley Wickenheiser, everyone pointed to the same foundation of his game: elite hockey sense, playmaking, and the ability to elevate the players around him.
Among those most impressed was Wickenheiser, who believes McKenna possesses the traits that translate to NHL success.
"He’s a really impressive kid; he’s been through a lot in the last month, and I thought he did a great job throughout the week," Wickenheiser said on Saturday. "Obviously, his skills are elite; playmaking, the agility, the way he can move around the ice. I think he would say he’s more of a playmaker and finisher that way."
Very few players in the NHL get the praise of being someone who makes those around them better, and that goes to show how high the Leafs staff is on what McKenna could be at the next level.
"He has the ability to make players better and to elevate players around him, and that’s always a sign of a good player," Wickenheiser said.
McKenna believes that his playmaking is something that, years down the line, he wants to be considered one of the NHL’s best at.
"I think that’s what I’ve worked on my entire life, and it’s kind of been the staple of my game," the 18-year-old said. "To be the best of the best, I think would be pretty special."
Despite arriving in Toronto after a whirlwind few weeks that included the NHL draft and a series of media commitments, McKenna said he already feels the benefits of development camp.
"Very fortunate to be in this environment, and I think it’s helping me in the long run, and I can already feel it," he said.
McKenna's teammates echoed many of the same themes. Rather than highlighting his shot or skating, Leafs prospects Tinus Luc Koblar and Harry Nansi immediately pointed to his vision and hockey IQ.
"Gavin’s a really good player, and I know he’s got a high hockey IQ and hockey sense, and it’s just easy to play with such guys," Koblar said. "You can just read off them and what they’re going to do."
Koblar and McKenna played on a line with Nansi during Saturday's scrimmage.
"He sees the ice very well. If you’re open, you know you’re going to get that puck on your stick," Nansi said following the final day of development camp.
Nansi also talked about how fortunate he was to play with McKenna this past week.
Development camp offered only a brief glimpse of what McKenna could become, but it reinforced the traits that made him the first-overall pick. His vision, hockey IQ and ability to elevate those around him were themes repeated by coaches, teammates and McKenna himself throughout the week.
The next opportunity to continue that development will be at training camp, but before then, McKenna knows what he has to do, so he’s ready for that moment.
"It's a huge summer for me, just going to try to take it day by day, every single day is to get better."
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