Gavin McKenna has his first NHL goal. The No. 1 overall pick at the 2026 draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs scored on Nashville Predators netminder Juuse Saros in the second period of his fourth professional game Tuesday. McKenna took a pass from Auston Matthews before ripping a shot upstairs and then dropping to one knee in celebration at Scotiabank Arena. The 18-year-old also added an assist on Toronto’s opener off the stick of John Tavares for his first NHL point. The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade last spring, but beat the draft lottery odds and won the right to select McKenna with the first selection in June. The Whitehorse product’s addition was just one of a number of new faces to arrive in Toronto during a seismic off-season that included the arrivals of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and defenceman Darren Raddysh before the club acquired winger Kirill Marchenko one day before its regular-season opener. McKenna, who tore up the Canadian Hockey League before spending 2025-26 in the NCAA, entered play averaging 14 minutes 32 seconds of ice time with three shots on target and a minus-3 rating through three games. McKenna said Tuesday morning that Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators was his best performance as a pro to date after some difficult moments in his first two contests. “I started creating a little bit more and just feeling more comfortable,” he said. “It’s just been a process every game, just trying to nitpick things and learn from each play and each shift. “There’s still things to be learned, and it’s going to start to come.” McKenna also wasn’t concerned about the zeros next to his name heading into the matchup with Nashville. “Not where you want to be,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I’ve been on many streaks where I’ve put up no points, had a tough start to college last year, and started to figure things out there. “Just sticking with it, being confident. I think I know it’s going to come. So just keep working and have confidence.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2026. Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
