Maple Leafs’ potential No. 1 Pick Gavin McKenna has elite work ethic
As the Toronto Maple Leafs continue evaluating franchise-changing talent ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft, projected No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna keeps separating himself from the field. The offensive numbers already place McKenna in rare territory, but former Medicine Hat Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins believes McKenna’s mindset may be his most valuable trait.
Speaking with NHL insider David Pagnotta, Desjardins shared a story that revealed how driven McKenna became during his rookie WHL season. “He came back at Christmas, he said, ‘That’s not good enough. I gotta get better,’” Desjardins explained.
“So he said, ‘I gotta start watching video, and I gotta start working out after practice, skating. ’” McKenna was already averaging 1. 3 points per game at the time, ranking third among WHL rookies.
Instead of settling, he pushed harder. According to Desjardins, McKenna spent the next month studying video daily and skating intensely after practice. “He started skating himself after practice, and really hard,” Desjardins said.
“Like, really hard. He went for this month of January, averaged, I think, 2. 6 points a game, which led the league.