It's been almost a week since the Toronto Maple Leafs were able to select top prospect Gavin McKenna at first overall of the 2026 NHL Draft, and now we get to see him skating around.
On Thursday, the Maple Leafs opened up their Development Camp for their various prospects and while there were some intriguing names like Tinus Luc Koblar, Tyler Hopkins, Harry Nansi, and Alexander Bilecki on the ice, no one got as much attention as McKenna taking the ice for the first time wearing the Blue and White.
Gavin McKenna wears the Maple Leaf for the first time
It's something that felt impossible just a few months ago, and now it's a reality and he's here.
Gavin McKenna’s first time on the ice as a Maple Leaf 🍁 pic.twitter.com/8UqjjOklLl
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 2, 2026
McKenna is wearing his normal No. 72 but don't go out and buy your jersey quite yet. The rookie is going to defer to free-agent acquisition and future Hall of Fame netminder Sergei Bobrovsky and hand him the No. 72 for the Leafs next season.
No one knows what number he's going to wear in the NHL, but does it really matter when you can clearly tell who McKenna is on the ice with just the way he moves and how he wants to dangle through the entire opposing team and whip a puck into the back of the net?
yeah man, this is going be hella fun. There’s not a whole lot to observe in drills but Gavin McKenna’s first step, release and puck skills are unreal. He’s just ripping shots with ease past the goalies. He’s scoring or hitting the bar on every shot.
— Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) July 2, 2026
Ladies and gentlemen, Gavin McKenna at Leaf devo camp. pic.twitter.com/kh5Nz7meyp
— Lance Hornby 🇺🇦🇨🇦 (@sunhornby) July 2, 2026
It's just absolutely unreal to see. McKenna didn't do anything mindblowing or something that other top prospects can't do, but just to see him truly in Toronto and taking part at development camp with the other prospects that might play a part in the Leafs' turnaround in a few years, is something we never thought we would see.
The Leafs' development camp will run until July 4 and assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser is running this year's camp. She has had a massive hand in the Leafs' player development and that will only continue now that they are stocking the previously bare prospect cupboards a little bit more.
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