The Decision Behind The Move
BUFFALO – The bike has never been his signature event, but Gavin McKenna made sure it would be the loudest statement he left at the NHL scouting combine this week.
The 18-year-old winger finished first in the VO2 max aerobic test at LECOM Harborcenter on Saturday, topping a field of top prospects vying for the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. McKenna also placed in the top-eight across four separate fitness tests, a grueling slate that included a fourth-place finish in the isokinetic squat, a tie for sixth in pull-ups and an eighth-place result in the force plate no-arm jump.
The record does not need much decoration; it already does the talking.
"That's one that guys are always dreading to do," McKenna said with a hint of pride after the testing. "I think those long shifts have helped me through my career."
It was a calculated decision. McKenna chose to skip an opportunity with Team Canada at the senior men's World Championship to focus entirely on the combine, knowing the fitness results would shape how teams view his readiness for the next level.
The Job Ahead
His frame – 5-foot-11.25 and 170 pounds – is not imposing by NHL standards. But the Whitehorse native wanted to prove his body could hold up. "I just wanted to show that I could compete out there and I could work hard off the ice," he said. "I think when you can take care of your body and are physical, and your body's strong, I think that's key to a long career."
McKenna entered the season as the favourite to go first overall but stumbled out of the gate in his first year at Penn State after leaving the Western Hockey League, where he posted 129 points in 56 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2024-25 campaign. He stayed off Instagram all season but couldn't escape the noise.
"When you see yourself at the top since a young age and then you start to see the things in the media, you know, I've fallen down, having a bad start to the year, you get pretty fired up from it," McKenna said. "I kind of got sick and tired of seeing it and just kind of used it as fuel."
The World Juniors in Minnesota became the pivot point. McKenna finished second in tournament scoring with 14 points in seven games, though Canada settled for bronze. "World Juniors is kind of where my season flipped around," he said. "I was a lot more confident and not gripping my stick as tight."
The Pressure That Remains
His chief rival, Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg, returned from that tournament with a gold medal and buzz. But Stenberg was unable to participate in Saturday's fitness testing due to illness, leaving McKenna to make the closing statement alone.
Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka visited with McKenna and his family in Whitehorse recently and met with the prospect again during the combine. Toronto holds the first-overall pick. McKenna is scheduled to visit Toronto next week.
"Any time you get to talk to a team like that and they invite you to their city it's a pretty big honour," McKenna said.