2 hours ago
With astir of Yukon watching and a large beingness of Maple Leafs fans successful nan stands, Toronto selected Penn State guardant Gavin McKenna pinch nan first prime successful nan NHL draught connected Friday night.
The 18-year-old McKenna is from Yukon’s superior of Whitehorse and has been a prolific scorer connected some sides of nan border, pinch his action validating nan projections of nan near winger being his property group’s apical imaginable much than 2 years ago.
McKenna’s action was announced by longtime Leafs instrumentality and Canadian-born world popular icon Justin Bieber.
As successful 2016, location was a ample contingent of bluish and achromatic jersey-wearing Leafs fans, pinch a “Go Leafs, go!” chant erupting erstwhile Toronto was placed connected nan clock. Saying “the kid successful maine is ecstatic”, Bieber joined NHL commissioner Gary Bettman connected shape and, aft a short pause, looked complete to McKenna and declared him being a personnel of nan Maple Leafs.
The draught opened pinch Bettman getting booed – a draft-day contented – arsenic he took nan stage, and was joined by Sabres guardant Josh Doan and NFL Bills tackle Dion Dawkins.
Dawkins referred to Bettman arsenic his “new dawg”, acknowledged some nan Sabres and Maple Leafs fans successful attendance successful starring a cheer of “Let’s go, Buffalo".
For Toronto, McKenna represents a awesome plank successful nan rebuilding process of a squad abruptly successful modulation nether caller wide head John Chayka. And nan prime took spot successful Buffalo successful nan aforesaid arena wherever nan Maple Leafs’ past had nan No 1 selection, drafting skipper Auston Matthews successful 2016.
Toronto vanished past successful nan Atlantic Division past play and missed nan playoffs for nan first clip since Matthews’ arrival.
The San Jose Sharks person nan No 2 pick, followed by Vancouver, Buffalo and nan New York Rangers.
The apical of nan draught people is considered ray connected forwards and heavy successful defensemen.
McKenna is accustomed to nan spotlight, splashing connected nan segment by combining for 79 goals and 244 points successful 133 games pinch nan WHL’s Medicine Hat. He past made nan jump to nan NCAA past summertime successful a bid to situation himself against older and much beingness competition.
McKenna vanished his freshman play pinch a flourish, scoring 32 points successful his last 17 outings. His 51 points vanished tied for 4th successful nan nation.
He became conscionable nan 5th NCAA subordinate to spell first, and 3rd successful six years, since Michigan defenseman Owen Power went No 1 to Buffalo successful 2021.
Though accustomed to nan spotlight, McKenna now heads to a metropolis that is astir 100 times larger than Whitehorse’s organization of astir 39,000. He became nan 5th Yukon-born subordinate to beryllium selected successful nan draft, and nan highest prime aft Ottawa’s Dylan Cozens went No 7 to Buffalo successful 2019.
A time earlier, without revealing who he was picking, Chayka said nan team’s unit was unanimous connected their choice. Chayka moreover traveled to Whitehorse past period to walk clip pinch McKenna and his family.
