Being selected with the first-overall pick in the NHL is a dream few players ever experience. What do other No. 1 picks around the league think of the Toronto Maple Leafs' top prospect Gavin McKenna?
Being drafted with the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft is an experience few people will ever understand.
With all of the excitement, pride, and sense of accomplishment a player can feel when they hear their name called before friends and family, there's also an immense amount of pressure to live up to the franchise-altering expectations that comes with being the first player taken on draft day.
For Gavin McKenna, the Toronto Maple Leafs' first-overall selection back in June, those expectations are no different. However, players who have been in his spot before have faith that he can deliver.
"I think of all the first-overall picks in the last bunch of years, he might be a guy that A) might have the spotlight on him the most, but B) might be set up for the best spot," New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes told The Hockey News at the NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Hughes was a No. 1 pick himself back in 2019 and has become one of the most dynamic young stars in hockey, but he entered a Devils franchise that missed the Stanley Cup playoffs in six of the previous seven seasons before he was drafted.
McKenna is entering a drastically different scenario with the Maple Leafs, with the lottery balls falling in their favor in the first year they didn’t make a post-season appearance in over a decade.
"The Leafs probably shouldn't have had the first pick — and then on top of that he has AMatts (Auston Matthews) and John Tavares, who were first-overall picks before," Hughes added. "He should have more than enough experience and guys to lean on, guys who he can talk to about situations he’s going to be going through.
"There's no better person in the league for him to listen to than Auston Matthews, because AMatts went through all that stuff 10 years ago, so it should be a great setup for him."
Unlike Tavares, Matthews has had the unique experience of being a No. 1 pick in Toronto, a hockey hotbed with a fanbase that has been aching for success. The three-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner has seen the highs and lows of what the market can bring, and seems confident in McKenna’s ability to enjoy the ride.
"I think he gets the gist so far," Matthews said at the Maple Leafs' media day in Toronto this week. "I remember my first summer, all that I had to do. But the advice that I’ve given him is just to be yourself, work hard, respect everybody, be yourself and learn as much as you can, and have fun.
"Being around him these last couple of weeks, you can see that he’s had fun. This is obviously a very exciting step, an exciting moment for him and his family to accomplish his dreams and come here."
Tavares was a first-overall pick of the New York Islanders back in 2009 and recently announced that he's welcoming McKenna into his home for the rookie's first NHL season. It's a tradition that he's carried on over the past few seasons with the Maple Leafs, and he's been impressed with the 18-year-old's maturity in their short time together so far.
"He's an unbelievable kid," Tavares said of McKenna. "I've been very impressed with how well he carries himself.
"You just want him to go out there and enjoy all the great things about being a Maple Leaf, living his dream playing in the NHL and the opportunity to play for an unbelievable fan base that's going to love him and support him."
Matthew Schaefer, another first-overall selection on Long Island, has echoed the importance of leaning on veteran leadership and believes McKenna will gain invaluable experience from working alongside the Maple Leafs' experienced core.
"Toronto is a little bit of a bigger market, but I think they have a great group there," Schaefer said. "For me, my ears are wide open when it comes to coaching staff and the players and older vets telling me things that really helped, or what it took for them to get to where I'm at right now.
"If he can just enjoy it and learn a lot from the older guys and just be himself, I think that's what really helps you the most."
While Schaefer played with McKenna on the international stage representing Team Canada on a handful of occasions as they developed through the junior ranks, one former No. 1 pick who got to know the Whitehorse native better over the summer through off-season training was Macklin Celebrini.
The San Jose Sharks star, acknowledged the attention that McKenna will have on him while playing in Toronto, but doesn’t think it will hinder his ability to develop into the talented playmaker the Maple Leafs envision him to be.
"It’s a blessing and a curse with the attention," Celebrini said. "When you’re doing well, they’re going to treat you like royalty. But also, every little mistake will be focused in on more and more.
"I got to know him a bit this summer. I don’t think it will affect him too much. But he’ll have a lot of guys there to help him through that."
While Celebrini and Schaefer are two of the newest No. 1 picks to enter the league, one player who has seen it all and delivered on every promise an NHL team could ask of a top pick is Sidney Crosby.
The 39-year-old has seen the league's continuous influx of young talent and the growing expectations for high draft picks to have an immediate impact at the NHL level.
It's much different than when he first joined the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005, but Crosby believes the opportunities a player like McKenna will have in Toronto as soon as this season is a testament to a changing philosophy from organizations and the trust they're willing to put in their prospects.
"Year after year you see guys do it and it becomes normal — and it shouldn't be," Crosby said. "Before you might have a guy who's young but because of the roster he doesn't fit and he's not given the same opportunity. I think teams are more willing to give those guys a look and give them responsibility early.
"There’s nothing too big for them."
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