Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna didn't make an appearance on the scoresheet in his NHL debut, but the 18-year-old is excited to jump back into action immediately.
The last time a first-overall pick made his debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the result was a four-goal game for now-captain Auston Matthews.
No one expected left winger Gavin McKenna to do the same in his maiden voyage for the Blue and White and indeed, McKenna faced a lot more resistance from the Montreal Canadiens than Matthews did from the Ottawa Senators ten years ago.
The result for McKenna? A tough 3-2 loss to an archrival and baby steps in what promises to be an exciting NHL journey.
By his own admission, the top pick in the 2026 draft didn't have a lights-out NHL debut.
"Not great," McKenna said post-game. "I had a couple turnovers...I'm glad we're playing again tomorrow so I can bounce back and regroup. Montreal's a really good team, they don't give you a lot of time and space."
The teen did have a couple of turnovers on the night and was on the wrong end of possession stats, but those growing pains were easily overshadowed by an absolute hell night for veteran defenseman Darren Raddysh, who was responsible in one way or another for all three Montreal goals.
On the positive side of the ledger, McKenna's best attributes were visible in Game 1. He made some excellent passes, looked confident with the puck and showed poise on the power play's second unit. The defensive side of the game was always going to be the challenge for him and now he knows the level in the NHL, not to mention the pace.
"It was quick," he said. "Being the first game of the year, guys are all rested up and have the jitters to go out there and are excited to play, so you knew everyone was going to be at their best."
Funny enough, if we learned anything about McKenna in his draft year, it's that he got better as the season went on.
I was at his NCAA debut with Penn State, where he had two primary assists in a road win against Arizona State, and he impressed. But his second half turned out to be better than his first half and that late explosion put him top-five in the country with 51 points in 35 games.
Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller has already seen a similar learning curve in Toronto, where McKenna's second pre-season game was much better than his first.
"Tonight was up another level again," Hiller said. "You just keep taking the test. He'll be back. He was alright, but he'll probably want to be better."
McKenna mainly played on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander, but also got bumped down temporarily in the middle of the game to the third line with Nick Paul and Colton Sissons, flipping spots with fellow young winger Easton Cowan.
All in all, McKenna played more than 15 minutes in his debut and showed both promise and room for improvement. But at the end of the day, he is now officially an NHLer.
"It was a lot of fun," he said. "Obviously you want to get the win, but to get that first one under my belt feels good. It's pretty hard to forget a day like this. Getting that rookie lap, seeing my family on the glass in warm-ups, hearing your name called in the player intros - it's all pretty special."
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
