Phenom Gavin McKenna moves his way up Canada’s lineup

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The most productive teenage hockey player in all of Canada was an extra forward without set linemates when the world junior pre-tournament schedule began last Thursday.

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He was also only 16 years old and needed to prove to the coaching staff he could play without the puck, too.

After limited ice time against the Swiss, Gavin McKenna erased the doubts with his performance on the second line, alongside Berkly Catton and Luca Pinelli, in tuneup No. 2 against the Swedes on Saturday.

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And so the coaching staff, led by Dave Cameron, had the threesome back together against Czechia for Monday’s final warmup, a 3-2 Canadian victory in front of 14,958 at Canadian Tire Centre, before the tournament begins on Boxing Day.

McKenna scored two goals, including the game-winner on a deflection with 2:29 left in regulation time, while he and his line took another step forward as Canada’s best unit against the Czechs.

He scored his first goal of the pre-tournament to break a 1-1 tie in the second period — converting his own rebound after goalie Michael Hrabel stopped the first shot while facing the end boards — following a setup by a Pinelli pass from behind the goal line.

McKenna almost broke a 2-2 tie in the third period when his quick low shot rang off the post.

Cowan, meanwhile, called McKenna’s goal two nights ago when asked if he thought his youngest teammate earlier was close to breaking out.

“There’s a couple of cutbacks there where he almost picked a spot the size of a puck,” he said of McKenna’s performance against the Swedes. “So, yeah, it’s going to come soon. He’s a positive guy, so I’m sure it’ll come any time now.”

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McKenna, who turned 17 on Friday, is an exciting player that early projections have tabbed as one of the top candidates to be selected first overall in the 2026 draft.

His offensive skills are off the charts — when he has the puck it’s glued to his stick, and a top-shelf, short-side goal he scored in practice the other day was with a shot you would see from a true NHL sniper.

It’s no wonder that before arriving in Ottawa for Canada’s selection camp he was the top-scoring player in the Canadian Hockey League, with 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists) in 30 games for the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

Last season, half of which he played as a 15-year-old, he was named the WHL and CHL rookie of the year after scoring 97 points (34, 53) in 61 games.

“He reminds me of (Macklin) Celebrini,” said Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan, referring to his former Team Canada teammate who was picked first overall by the San Jose Sharks last June. “Both win puck battles, both can turn on a dime, and both can make great plays and both are just great people off the ice too. It’s been really fun to play with him.”

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Born in Whitehorse, Yukon, McKenna is Indigenous, a member of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation.

He’s also a cousin-by-marriage of Connor Bedard, the Chicago Blackhawks centre who was drafted first overall in 2023 and, at 19, was still eligible to play for Canada in this year’s tournament.

Bedard, of course, led Canada to a gold medal at the 2023 world juniors with a tournament-best 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in seven games, setting Canadian WJC records for most assists and points in a single tournament.

McKenna received some advice from Bedard before coming to Ottawa.

“He just told me to be confident,” said McKenna. “Obviously, as a young guy, (he said) you might not play a lot too early on, but just to make sure you’re playing both sides of the puck. He worked his way up the lineup when he was here at a young age and he said for me to hopefully do the same and follow in his footsteps. That’s kind of what I want to do.”

After the Swiss game, McKenna was told had to pick up his play without the puck to earn the confidence of Cameron.

“Every puck battle here matters, every blocked shot matters,” said McKenna. “So I got to make sure I’m playing both sides of the puck. There’s so much talent out here, at any point in the puck could be in the back of your net. So you got to make sure that you’re not the guy causing that.”

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Playing on a regular line, as opposed to being the 13th forward, has made the difference for McKenna.

“I felt a lot better,” he said after the initial bump up on the depth chart. “Honestly, I felt super confident. I was getting a lot more puck touches, and it was nice to just kind of be in the flow of the game. I think it helped me a lot.”

McKenna, whose last visit to the international stage saw him score the decisive goal in the final of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Toronto last August is also comfortable with the media attention — something he was prepared for after his talk with cousin Connor.

“I kind of knew it coming,” said McKenna. “Being one of the young guys and having spotlight on you a little bit, I kind of it expected it and I prepared for it. So I’m okay with it.”

He better get used to it. A lot more is coming.

AROUND THE WORLDS

Considered the likely choice to start the tournament as Canada’s No. 1 goalie, Carter George was not at his best against the Czechs. The first goal, by Dominik Petr, was off a shot from the slot that squeezed between his arm and his body. The second goal was off a big rebound that Jiri Felcman backhanded between George’s legs … Canada outshot the Czechs 39-23 … Bradley Nadeau had Canada’s other goal, with defenceman Matthew Schaefer, who was the best player on the ice doing all the legwork. Schaefer, a 17-year-old Erie Otter, showed why he’s considered a top pick for this June’s draft with two a strong two-way performance that included two assists, some strong ventures into the offensive zone, and some big plays defensively, including the breakup of an odd-man rush  … Canada scratches for the final pre-tournament game were D Beau Akey, F Mathieu Cataford and G Carson Bjarnason.

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