Gavin McKenna, the projected first overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, showcased his world-class skills yet again in Sunday’s playoff game against the Prince Albert Raiders.
The 17-year-old Gavin McKenna had a lights-out regular season for the Tigers, scoring 41 goals and 129 points in 56 games. So far in the postseason, McKenna has 19 points in just seven playoff games.
McKenna has scored a plethora of highlight-reel beauties during his career in junior, but perhaps none finer than the shorthanded beauty than the one that broke the internet on Sunday.
The Tigers hosted the Raiders in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, looking to get a 2-0 series lead. With the Tigers trying to kill off a penalty, Gavin McKenna pulled off two jaw-dropping maneuvers before rifling the shot home to put Medicine Hat up 2-0.
🎥HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT🎥
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) April 14, 2025
Gavin breaks the internet.@tigershockey | #WHLPlayoffs | #WHLHoN | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/eK3pPFbHdl
Is it just us, or did he look like a combination of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby there? Bottomline, the winning team in the 2026 NHL Draft lottery will be very lucky.
Medicine Hat went on to win 5-4 in overtime to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. The winner of the Medicine Hat-Prince Albert series will face the victor of Calgary vs. Lethbridge in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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McKenna is cousins with Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, the first-overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft. If Chicago doesn’t improve at all next year, there’s a solid chance they’ll win the draft lottery and get to pair McKenna with his cousin.
Gavin McKenna Will Be The Real Deal In The NHL
NHL scouting is so advanced and accurate these days that “can’t-miss” prospects almost never flop in the pros. So when you begin to hear more hype on Gavin McKenna next year, believe it.
With shifty hands, an elite hockey IQ and world-class playmaking abilities, McKenna has all the tools to be a bonafide superstar in the NHL.
