Leafs Prospects Takeaways: Gavin McKenna can defend as well as score

The scrimmage was the last part of the Maple Leafs’ summer development camp.

Published Jul 04, 2026  •  Last updated 4 hours ago  •  4 minute read

Gavin McKenna poses for a portrait after being selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs during day one of the 2026 NHL Draft on June 26, 2026 in Buffalo, N.Y. Photo by Joe Hrycych /Getty Images

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Those other 100 paces of Gavin McKenna’s 200-foot game were on display Saturday, which are just as vital steps to his National Hockey League future.

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With checkers showing extra zeal against his high draft line with centre Tinus Luc Koblar and right winger Harry Nansi, McKenna didn’t score or get a primary assist Saturday in the Blue and White scrimmage to end the Maple Leafs’ week-long summer development camp.

But seeing McKenna in defending mode through three fast-paced periods, using shield over sword, was just as revealing.

“He’s an elite thinker, he can anticipate,” noted Toronto assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser, who oversaw camp. “I saw him try to pick off a few passes that were pretty close, I think he can close space and strip pucks and be effective that way. You don’t have to be overly physical if you’re smart.”

That sounds a lot like Mitch Marner’s M.O., and though first overall pick McKenna hasn’t been in a real NHL game yet, let alone record a 100-point season, everything he did at this camp, including Saturday, was a step ahead.

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Naturally, with his mom and dad in the crowd with other prospects’ parents and an army of Leafs brass, McKenna wanted a goal, but a breakaway rolled off his stick. He didn’t click 6-on-5 at the end, and on the post-game bonus penalty shot, he was out-waited by goalie Ethan McCallum in the Whites’ 6-4 regulation defeat.

“Tough loss,” McKenna said. “But having every other guy compete here pushes you. I already feel like I’m working harder; shots on goal, making plays, forechecking.”

When he hung on to the puck, the sixth sense to look for Koblar and Nansi kicked in, or he swung back to the point as a quarterback.

“That’s part of my game, slow it down, pull defenders to me, find the open guy.’

Saturday was the last time McKenna will be seen in a 72 sweater for the Leafs, at least for a few years, announcing after the game he will wear 92 in his first season, after ceding 72 to two-time Stanley Cup goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

WHY TOP PICKS ARE A GREAT LINE MIX

While McKenna is just at six feet, last year’s top selection Koblar is harder to miss at 6-foot-2, as is Nansi at 6-foot-3 (chosen 153rd overall). Watch for them to stay together at the rookie tournament in Gatineau, Que., in September.

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“I know Gavin has a high IQ of hockey sense,” said Koblar, who plays with older men in the Swedish League. “It’s amazing to play with him; he’s easy to play off, find open spaces.”

Nansi’s skating, better after last summer under Leafs skating consultant Paul Matheson, led to a 56-point tear with OHL Owen Sound, double his draft year production.

“Gavin has a rocket shot, seeing how he and (2025 draft pick) Tyler Hopkins release it, I try and add that to my game,” Nansi said.

Wickenheiser listed Nansi as one of the most improved prospects.

CAN’T HELP HITTING

While Wickenheiser and the hockey office didn’t expect a Game 7 playoff atmosphere in a July intramural, there were some significant hits and a near incident when 2026 draft forward Brody Pepoy and camp invite Judah Makway carried a feud up ice.

But 6-foot-4 American winger William Belle, picked between Hopkins and Nansi last year, made the biggest physical impact in the afternoon, decking Nansi with his head down to set up an empty-net goal.

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“Before the game, he said he was going to find me,” Nansi laughed of the second-year Notre Dame product. “He’s a thick, thick guy and you have to make sure he doesn’t get you.”

Wickenheiser was glad temperatures stayed within reason.

“We didn’t want to see any fighting. Playing to the line, but not over it.

“Belle is finishing every check which is something he has to do (to stay relevant),” Wickenheiser added. “We encourage them to play to their identity, but there is a line in summertime you have to be careful of.”

MEET THE NEW BOSS 

Chayka is the third GM that former Canadian national women’s star Wickenheiser has worked under – keeping a line of prospects moving despite the club’s lack of picks some years.

“It’s pretty much very similar at this level,” she said of common denominators with Chayka, Brad Treliving and Kyle Dubas. “You’re looking for intelligence and compete. Sometimes, depending on the GM, they have a flavour for more physical, bigger player, depending on the prospects we have.

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“We’ve obviously stocked the cupboards with more picks and now it’s about who can separate based on speed and compete. That’s big for John, but the same for all the guys I’ve worked with.”

DRESS TO IMPRESS

While no Marlies took part in this camp less than two weeks after exhausting themselves winning the Calder Cup, there was a champion in the house. Kieran Cebrian, an undrafted 6-foot-2 forward with NCAA Frozen Four champion Denver, scored twice for the Blues on Saturday.

This is Cebrian’s second NHL development camp, after one with the Winnipeg Jets, but this invite was great face time should he need a tryout somewhere after his senior year.

“We’re looking for another national championship,” Denver-born finance major Cebrian said. “I was a sponge this week, looking for things I can apply into summer and next season.”

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