Medicine Hat Tigers' Gavin McKenna Living Up To The Hype In First Full WHL Season

Drafted first overall in the 2022 WHL Bantam Draft, McKenna is already a star at the WHL level.

Gavin McKenna is living up to the hype early in his WHL Career. Selected first overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2022, he already has 35 points in 28 games despite not turning 16 until late December. His play this season has also nabbed him a spot on Team Canada's Red Team at this year's U-17's, where he will be able to show just how talented he is compared to others in his age group. The pride of the Yukon, he continues to show night after night why he is not just poised to be a star at the WHL level but the projected first-overall pick at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. 

The 2022-23 season was a special one for McKenna as not only did he dominate at the U18 level, but he also made history at the Canada Winter Games. Playing for his home province, he set the tournament record with 16 goals and 31 points in seven games. It was also the first time Yukon has won three games at the historic tournament, which is something he can look back on with pride. 

"That was super cool," said McKenna, discussing the tournament. "The Yukon has never won more than two games, and then we won three. So, setting a record for Yukon there as a team was unreal. It was just an unbelievable experience. Being all the way out east which is where I've never been, and just having that experience is something I've never done before. It was pretty cool."

Last season, McKenna also played 16 games for the Tigers, recording four assists in his debut. After his U18 season was complete, he joined Medicine Hat and helped them qualify for playoffs, where he played four postseason games and recorded his first career WHL playoff goal. Looking back, he recognized just how valuable his opportunity was and credits that time to his early success in 2023-24. 

"Getting those few games in last year kind of got me used to it a bit. Getting used to the guys, getting used to the speed of the league. Having that helped me a lot coming into this year."

Getting that opportunity also showed McKenna some of the areas he needed to work on to have success. From on-ice workouts to bulking up over the summer, he put in the time this offseason to ensure he was ready for his first full season in the WHL.

"Just working on my shot, my speed. Just all the little aspects of my game. One of the big ones that I worked on was putting on weight; it's a heavier league with older guys and bigger guys than what I'm used to. So that was kind of my main focus."

Head coach Willie Desjardins is one of the big reasons behind his success. Not only did the former CHL Coach of the Year put him in the lineup as a 14-year-old, he gave him opportunities to learn and adjust to the WHL game. As McKenna points out, this is not always the case with young players, which is why he is grateful for the faith his coach has shown in him. 

"He's helped me a lot. He's given me lots of opportunities, which sometimes, as a young guy, you won't get. Just giving me that confidence, talking to me and whatnot, what I need to work on and what I'm doing well, it just brings me confidence, and it's helped me out a lot."

One of the reasons Desjardins can have confidence in McKenna at just 15 is that he is constantly putting in the work to get better. As the Tigers' coach points out, the WHL isn't an easy league for a young player, but he is impressed with how his young star is adjusting to the WHL.

"He came up with this last year in the playoffs, and it shocked me," said Desjardins. "I didn't think he could do as well as he did. You know, he really was pretty unbelievable for his age to come in and play like that at that time of year. This year, as well. He's been good. He sees the ice really well. He's dangerous on the powerplay. I think there's been some adjustments for him as well. This is a tough league. It's not an easy league, and I think he's learning that."

While it is very early, it is easy to imagine a scenario where he is the first overall pick like Patrick Kane, Nathan MacKinnon or Jack Hughes, all players he looked up to while growing up. Despite being only 15, he is not only one of the top players in the league but very well could rival the U-17 season his cousin by marriage, Connor Bedard, put on back in 2021-22 when he recorded 100 points in 62 games. A star in the making, fans should take every opportunity to go out and see him before he makes his way to the NHL.