Gavin McKenna continues to receive praise, this time from the Toronto Maple Leafs' newest players, as well as alumni.
The Toronto Maple Leafs held their annual Leafs and Legends Charity Golf Classic on Monday. It's an opportunity for the team to not only raise money and awareness for a good cause, but also a chance for the team to get to know each other ahead of training camp, which begins later in the week.
Some were able to get a first impression of the 2026 first overall pick, Gavin McKenna. As the 18-year-old left winger gets set for his NHL rookie season, McKenna has already earned praise from new teammates and others surrounding the organization.
Maple Leafs legend and alumnus Wendel Clark commented on the youngster and what he's seen of him from afar.
"I think his game changed a little bit from when he was in the Western League," Clark said.
It's a big transition from playing in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers to joining Penn State in the NCAA. Despite such a big change, Clark is still impressed with how the youngster carries himself and performs on the ice, despite playing against players much older than him at the collegiate level.
"He's such a smart player," he said. "And that's the thing that's going to be his benefit is you take that skill set that he has, and he's such a smart player, to adapt to situations. I think that's his biggest thing."
With all the different levels that McKenna has played through, along with the attention of being one of the top prospects in hockey leading up to the draft, Clark believes he's ready for the challenge that lies ahead.
"I think he's going to step in and be great at it because he's been kind of in the forefront for two years now," he said. "It's not just, 'okay, last year he was good for the first time.' He's really been on the radar. So he's felt it from the outside for a while. I think this is just part of it, and we're just glad that we were able to get him."
Defenseman Darren Raddysh, one of the several off-season additions made by the Maple Leafs, has already liked what he has seen from McKenna as well.
"Skilled young player," Raddysh noted. "He's got a lot of talent. I'm excited to see what he can do in the NHL. And, you know, it's exciting having a guy like him in your team."
Also chiming in on McKenna's presence and first impression was defenseman Emil Andrae, who was another off-season acquisition for the Maple Leafs.
"Unbelievably skilled player, fast, and he moves really well on the ice, and he's pretty great with his stick handling and stuff too," Andrae said of McKenna, sharing the ice with him at the captain's skate. "So I haven't skated that much with him now, but hopefully I get more into it here starting camp, and it's going to be fun to watch him."
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