GM Eyes Top Prospect
Maple Leafs GM Travels to Whitehorse to Meet Gavin McKenna, Expected No. 1 NHL Draft Pick
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Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka traveled to Whitehorse, Yukon — one of Canada's most remote cities — to meet face-to-face with 18-year-old forward Gavin McKenna, the consensus No. 1 prospect in the upcoming NHL Draft AP News. The visit signals how seriously Toronto is treating the pick, which the Leafs won last month despite holding just an 8.5% chance in the draft lottery AP News.
McKenna, who scored 51 points in 35 games as an NCAA freshman at Penn State this season, is ranked as NHL Central Scouting's top North American skater AP News. The 2026 NHL Draft is scheduled for June 26–27 in Buffalo, New York.
A Whitehorse Kid Who Left Home at 12
McKenna grew up in Whitehorse, Yukon, one of Canada's smallest and most isolated territorial capitals. At age 12, he left his family to pursue elite hockey in British Columbia and Alberta — a sacrifice scouts cite as a sign of unusual maturity AP News. He later starred in the WHL with Medicine Hat, putting up 129 points in just 56 games during the 2024–25 season.
If selected No. 1, McKenna would become the first Yukon-born player ever taken first overall in the NHL Draft. He called Chayka's trip north a meaningful gesture. "It was obviously an honor for him to come up there," McKenna said AP News. "Anytime [a GM] is taking time out to come meet with you, it's awesome."
Chayka's Whitehorse Visit Was About Character, Not Just Stats
Chayka — hired as Toronto's 19th GM in May 2026 — made the rare move of visiting a prospect at home rather than relying solely on combine interviews. He said he came away impressed. "He's a small-town kid," Chayka said AP News. "I think there's some real resolve around who he is and what his career means to him and his family."
Toronto is interviewing 51 prospects at the 2026 Scouting Combine in Buffalo. Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Leach said no decision is locked in yet. "We have the time, so why not take it?" he said AP News. The Leafs' last No. 1 pick was Auston Matthews in 2016.
Four Players Could Realistically Go No. 1, Scouts Say
McKenna is the clear frontrunner, but NHL Central Scouting chief Dan Marr says the field is deep. Marr named as many as four players — McKenna, Stenberg, Smits, and Reid — who could go first overall depending on team needs AP News. That makes this one of the more competitive top-of-draft pools in recent years.
Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg has drawn attention from analysts who see him as a strong two-way option. Some scouts argue the gap between McKenna and Stenberg is thinner than headlines suggest erienewsnow.com. Still, most major outlets frame McKenna as the near-unanimous pick for Toronto.
A Lucky Lottery Ticket Keeps a Star Pick in Toronto
The Maple Leafs almost didn't have this pick at all. When Toronto traded for defenseman Brandon Carlo from Boston in March 2025, the deal included a condition: if Toronto's 2026 first-round pick fell outside the top 5, it would go to the Bruins AP News. Winning the lottery with an 8.5% shot kept the pick — and potentially McKenna — in Toronto.
Chayka has said "everything is for sale at the right price" but added that the "probability is we take the pick" AP News. The comment keeps trade rumors alive while making clear Toronto's most likely path: building around a cornerstone talent for the first time since they drafted Matthews a decade ago.
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