While the Medicine Hat Tigers superstar's time in the Western Hockey League may have been short lived, there is no denying it was a dominant run. Below, we will recap McKenna's WHL stint, and what it means for players going forward. 

McKenna WHL Stats and Awards

• 133 Games Played
• 79 Goals
• 165 Assists
• 12-33-45, 25 Playoff GP
• CHL/WHL Rookie of the Year
• CHL/WHL Player of the Year
• WHL Champion

The Whitehorse, Y.T. native didn't have a remarkable rookie season, but he was very good: 18 points in his first 16 games, and fans already knew the potential was there for him to be special. In his first full WHL campaign, McKenna took the league by storm. In 61 regular season games, he posted a 34-63-97 stat line and the hockey world was officially on notice. The playmaking was already there, it was just a matter of the kid getting older and more mature.

Enter: the 2024-25 season. Fresh off CHL and WHL rookie of the year honors,  McKenna still had one more gear. Now with an "A" on his chest, the Tigers forward decided to go after a record: Since 2000, McKenna holds the CHL  record for most consecutive games with a point (56, regular season and playoffs).

In those games? 137 points.

This monstrous run led McKenna (and Medicine Hat) all the way to the 2025 Memorial Cup final, where they would be knocked off by the mighty London Knights. So, what now?

With the CHL's top rising star off to the NCAA, namely Penn State, a sizable chunk of high end players are going with him. Newly drafted Cole Reschny (Victoria Royals) as well as 2026-eligible teammate Keaton Verhoeff are committed to the University of North Dakota, while McKenna's Tiger teammates Cayden Lindstrom and Ryder Ritchie are off to Michigan State and Boston University, respectively.

At the end of the day, a commitment is just that: a commitment. It does not necessarily mean the player is guaranteed a spot on the team in the fall, but the framework is there. Even though players are leaving, it has opened the door for many players that may never have considered the WHL an option (USHL, or European imports). The long term effects of this decision have yet to be felt, but in the short term, teams will need to shuffle some pieces around and plaers will have more opportunity to elevate themselves.

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