‘My dream come true’: Maple Leafs select Gavin McKenna first overall at NHL draft

BUFFALO — Gavin McKenna locked eyes with Justin Bieber. The Canadian music icon made it official moments later.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made McKenna — with a little help from one of his favourite artists — the No. 1 pick at the 2026 NHL draft Friday.

Fans sporting blue and white jerseys roared with approval as the 18-year-old winger from Whitehorse climbed the stairs to the sound of Bieber’s hit song “Yukon” at KeyBank Arena.

“Special moment,” said McKenna, who got a call from general manager John Chayka shortly before his name was announced. “This is my dream come true, to hug my family and walk up on the stage, see Justin Bieber. This is what I imagined when I was a young kid.

“It’s so much better.”

Before announcing the pick, Bieber had a quiet word on stage with commissioner Gary Bettman before returning to the mic.

“Mr. McKenna,” he said. “We would like to draft you to the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

The team’s newest member said Bieber, who’s a big supporter of the team, glanced his way as he walked through the couches set up for players and their entourages on the rink’s floor.

“I’m a huge Justin Bieber fan,” McKenna said. “Playing his song for my walk-up was a pretty cool moment.

“Just crazy what’s going on right now.”

McKenna is coming off a freshman season at Penn State where he put up 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points across 35 NCAA games following a pair of dominant campaigns with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers.

He joins an Original Six franchise coming off a disastrous 2025-26 that started with Stanley Cup aspirations before spiralling down the drain in spectacular fashion.

Toronto, which has a new head coach and GM following a 28th-place finish, then got a terrific bounce when it won the draft lottery despite entering with odds of just 8.5 per cent.

“Gavin is an exceptional young man with tremendous talent and character,” Chayka said in a release. “We had the opportunity to get to know him and his family, and each interaction strengthened our belief in him as both a player and a person.”

And while the Maple Leafs were a mess last season, the club still has a talented forward group led by captain and star centre Auston Matthews — selected No. 1 inside the same building as Friday’s proceedings a decade ago — that’s supported by William Nylander, John Tavares and Matthew Knies.

The San Jose Sharks took Ivar Stenberg, who had been in the chatter with McKenna for top spot since the world junior hockey championship, with the second pick.

“They have something really good going on,” the Swede said of joining a California corps that includes 2024 No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini. “Super happy to go to a special group.”

Vancouver Canucks grabbed centre Caleb Malhotra with the third selection, the Buffalo Sabres went with defenceman Daxon Rudolph at No. 4 and the New York Rangers chose blueliner Alberts Smits to round out the top-5.

Malhotra’s dad, Manny, went No. 7 to the New York Rangers at the 1998 draft in Buffalo and was recently named Vancouver’s head coach.

“An unbelievable experience,” Caleb Malhotra said of hearing his name. “I’m so happy.”

This year marked the second time the NHL has held a decentralized draft — most team executives again stayed in their own markets — after the 2025 edition moved at a glacial pace in Los Angeles.

Proceedings, however, moved a lot smoother 12 months later with fewer technical glitches.

There was one big trade involving draft picks, as the St. Louis Blues acquired centre Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks for the 15th and 29th selections.

Calgary Flames plucked defenceman Carson Carels at No. 6 before the Winnipeg Jets tabbed centre Viggo Bjorck at No. 8.

Vancouver made Adam Novotny its second selection of the night at No. 24, and the Ottawa Senators took fellow winger Jonas Lagerberg Hoen one slot later.

The Montreal Canadiens moved up two spots in a swap with the Vegas Golden Knights to get forward Gleb Pugachyov at No. 26.

Calgary then nabbed centre Jack Hextall at No. 30 and Ottawa wrapped Friday’s proceedings by taking winger Jaxon Cover with the 32nd pick. The draft continues Saturday with rounds two through seven.

Owners of the NHL’s longest Stanley Cup drought, the Maple Leafs and McKenna will now look to reload under Chayka, new bench boss Jim Hiller and Mats Sundin, a franchise legend turned senior executive adviser of hockey operations.

Toronto — the sport’s biggest media market — made its third-ever top pick at a draft after selecting Wendel Clark in 1985 and Matthews in 2016.

“Pressure is a privilege,” McKenna said. “When you go to a fan base like that and you do well, it’s the best spot to be. I’m confident in myself.

“Hopefully the fan base falls in love with me.”

The top-ranked North American skater according to NHL Central Scouting, McKenna burst into the sport’s consciousness in 2022 at age 14 with a four-assist debut in the WHL.

The phenom went on to register 34 goals and 97 points the following campaign before leading the entire Canadian Hockey League with an outrageous 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 2024-25.

McKenna, who stands five foot 11 and weighs 170 pounds, could have remained in major junior for his draft year, but instead went the U.S. college route to face stiffer competition in hopes of being better prepared at the professional level.

After a period of adjustment on the ice, a February altercation where McKenna allegedly broke a man’s jaw could have derailed his season.

Prosecutors in Pennsylvania, however, subsequently dropped the most serious charge of aggravated assault. McKenna, who was not suspended by Penn State and hasn’t shared his version of events publicly, still faces charges of misdemeanour simple assault, along with harassment and disorderly conduct.

“A lot of ups and downs,” he said. “To get through all that stuff, pretty proud of myself.”

Now the next chapter will eventually lead to Scotiabank Arena.

“I love those fans already,” McKenna said. “I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2026.