Gavin McKenna isn't tempering expectations entering his rookie season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft outlined his season goals on Wednesday at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Chicago.
"For sure, make the playoffs. Hopefully go on a run there with the team that we got," McKenna told ESPN. "And of course you want to win a Calder Trophy in your rookie season. I think if that happens, that's a pretty good year."
McKenna, 18, signed his three-year entry-level contract after one season at Penn State.
In Toronto, the winger is expected to compete for a top six role and power-play time immediately.
He already has a mentor in teammate Auston Matthews, the No. 1 pick in 2016. McKenna said he's connected with Toronto's captain this summer about handling the attention in hockey's most scrutinized market.
"We've had our convos and I've asked him for advice. He's been an open book," McKenna said. "I think we've just gone through similar things, so just trying to navigate through Toronto and how to deal with the media and stuff like that. He's done a good job with it, so smart guy to go to."
Toronto missed the playoffs last season but is looking for a quick bounce-back -- especially after landing McKenna, the highest profile recruit in college hockey history when he signed at Penn State. McKenna finished his freshman season ranked second in the NCAA in points per game (1.46 -- 51 points in 35 games).
He enters a Maple Leafs lineup that GM John Chayka has signaled is ready to win-now after an aggressive offseason. Toronto added two-time Stanley Cup winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, a new power-play quarterback in Darren Raddysh and several other veterans to reinforce the roster which includes a forward core of Matthews, William Nylander and Matthew Knies.
"You see what Chayka is doing, you see the players he's bringing in, I think we obviously want to go on a run this year," McKenna said. "So it's very fortunate for me to go to a team like that who's hungry and in that winning environment. It's pretty common that players who get drafted first overall go to a team who's tanking and it's not the case for me. I know I've gotten lucky."
While McKenna continues to set the bar high for himself, he also promised to remain connected to his roots. McKenna is from Whitehorse, Yukon, a remote and tight-knit community. His grandfather, Joe, is a member of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation who survived Canada's residential school system which separated indigenous children from their homes.
"Growing up in a small community, you've got a lot of supporters," McKenna said. "So everyone there kind of knows me in a way. And for me, I want to lead by example and be a good role model for the kids and even the adults."
McKenna said the one non-negotiable in his household growing up: "Stay humble."
"You never want to be that guy who's known for having an ego or being cocky," McKenna said. "I think for me, my family did a good job at that. [My parents] are both very smart humans and they're both athletes. So they've kind of showed me how to do it. And I think that's something I'll try and carry with me forever."
