Gavin McKenna has been viewed as the prospective No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for a while now.
Playing for Team Canada on Monday night in the World Juniors, McKenna made sure to put a firm stamp on that status.
The phenom scored a hat trick for Canada in a 9-1 shellacking of Latvia, which got an on-ice view that is the rising superstar McKenna.
McKenna showed a variety of skills on the night, and one of his goals earned SportsCenter's No. 9 on its Top 10 Plays as McKenna displayed puck handling to crossover the goalie and flip in a backhand shot.
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NHL evaluators aren't simply going to choose McKenna first because he scored three goals against Latvia.
But it doesn't hurt his cause. There will still be ample attention on him between now and draft night.
McKenna chose a different path than most, leaving the junior ranks to play a season in NCAA Division I at Penn State. He's been solid for the Nittany Lions as a teenager playing against a lot of older and stronger players.
Now in the World Juniors against guys his own size and age, McKenna is proving what makes him so special.
There's still plenty of time for other players to make their case as the top pick. But as long as McKenna is doing things like he did on Monday night, it'll be tough to pass him up atop the draft.
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