Gavin McKenna, born December 20, 2007, is a Canadian hockey player for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the world. He is projected to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Gavin McKenna was the third player, after Connor Bedard and Matthew Savoie, to be granted exceptional player status by BC Hockey and Hockey Alberta. However, he did not receive the same designation from the WHL. Selected first overall in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, he made his league debut at just 14 years old. He recorded four points in his first game.
In the 2023-24 season, McKenna played his first full WHL campaign, exploding for 97 points in 61 regular-season games and earning WHL Rookie of the Year honors. He followed up with a dominant sophomore season, posting 129 points in 56 games—an incredible 2.30 points per game. Since 1995-96, only Connor Bedard and Andrew Cristall have had a higher points-per-game average in the WHL.
Despite it not being his draft year, McKenna finished the 2024-25 season on a 39-game point streak. Only two players had more total points than him that season. Both of whom were one and three years older, respectively.
Gavin McKenna is Indigenous and a member of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation. He was born in Whitehorse, Yukon, making him the first player from Yukon to be selected first overall in the WHL draft.
Both of his parents played hockey. As a child, he spent winters practicing on an outdoor rink built by his father.
Due to their success in the WHL, Gavin McKenna has often been compared to Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard. Bedard, considered a generational talent, recorded 100 points in 62 games during his second full WHL season—while McKenna surpassed that with 129 points in just 56 games.
Adding to their connection, Gavin McKenna is also related to Bedard as a cousin-by-marriage.
Gavin McKenna, 17, is expected to be drafted first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. Currently, the talented forward is playing playoff hockey in the WHL. Last night, he truly showcased his skill set with ...
Gavin McKenna is the 17-year-old WHL prospect everyone expects to be drafted first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft. Last night, the supertalent showed exactly why he’s on everybody’s radar. Born in 2007, Gavin McKenna ...