Gavin McKenna is ready to step into the Memorial Cup spotlight 鈥 and he doesn鈥檛 plan to blink.
After all, the 17-year-old phenom is no stranger to wall-to-wall media coverage and sky-high expectations.
鈥淢y whole life has kind of prepared me for this,鈥 he said in a phone interview. 鈥淕rowing up, I’ve kind of dealt with it, so it’s nothing new to me.鈥
McKenna led the Medicine Hat Tigers to the Western Hockey League title and will be the main attraction of a star-studded event when competition for Canadian junior hockey鈥檚 top prize begins Friday in Rimouski, Que.
The tournament will put a cap on a sensational year for the gifted six-foot, 165-pound winger from Whitehorse.
Widely projected as the top pick in the 2026 NHL draft, McKenna flashed his dynamic playmaking and piled up 38 points in 16 playoff games after a highlight-filled regular season of 129 points in 56 contests.
His dominant campaign included a 54-game point streak from Nov. 2 to May 11, the Canadian Hockey League鈥檚 longest since 2000.
And although Canada suffered a disappointing quarterfinal exit, McKenna also headlined the country’s roster at the world junior hockey championship in Ottawa earlier this year.
鈥淚’ve been on big stages before and I’ve played with lots of pressure,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he whole year there’s kind of been a spotlight on me, so it’s nothing I’m not used to.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just some more hockey games, is the way I’m looking at it.鈥
Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins has watched a circus follow his young star all season.
鈥淚t’s probably a little bit unfair for anybody at his age. It has been, even now. He gets an awful lot of attention,鈥 Desjardins said. 鈥淗e likes focusing on hockey. That’s what he wants to do, so I think that’ll be a little bit of a challenge for him.
鈥淚t’s part of the job, it’s part of what you’re going to get into in pro, and this is being ushered in and learning to become a pro.”
Growing up, McKenna always played with older teammates and quickly gained a reputation as a rising star in Whitehorse.
At 14, he became the first Yukon-born player drafted first overall to the WHL in 2022.
McKenna produced four points in his Tigers debut and hasn鈥檛 slowed down since.
鈥淚 was hoping he could maybe play second power play,鈥 Desjardins said, underestimating the youngster when he first joined the group. 鈥淚 think he led us in scoring for the last little bit.
鈥淩ight from the start, he’s been a big part of our team.鈥
McKenna missed Games 3 and 4 of the WHL final with an undisclosed injury before returning for Medicine Hat鈥檚 championship-clinching Game 5 win over the Spokane Chiefs last Friday.
After a few days of rest, he鈥檚 鈥渇eeling good and ready to go鈥 for his opening game against the host Rimouski Oceanic on Friday night at Coliseum Sun Life Financial.
The Moncton Wildcats, who won the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, and the Ontario Hockey League champion London Knights round out the tournament, which runs through the final on June 1.
Moncton鈥檚 Gardiner MacDougall coached McKenna at last year’s under-18 world championships, calling him 鈥渢he best player in the tournament.鈥
鈥淗is third period, I couldn鈥檛 get him on the ice enough,鈥 MacDougall said after McKenna scored a hat trick in Canada鈥檚 6-4 gold-medal win over the United States.
Now MacDougall will try to stop McKenna, along with a London team loaded with NHL prospects and a Rimouski squad that pushed the Wildcats to six games in the QMJHL final.
The same teams filled out the top four in the CHL鈥檚 end-of-season rankings.
“It’s a spectacular field,鈥 MacDougall said. 鈥淚t’s going to be a hockey fan’s delight 鈥 spectacular for the fan, for the hockey scout, for all the hockey people from the National Hockey League that come to see these games.
“Going to be spectacular for the players 鈥 and going to be a nightmare for the coaches.
鈥淗ow do you eat an elephant? These are big monster teams, and it’s one bite at a time.鈥
While much of the focus will be on McKenna, he鈥檚 quick to highlight his teammates.
He began rattling off some other names to watch 鈥 forward Cayden Lindstrom, captain Oasiz Wiesblatt, defenceman Tanner Molendyk.
鈥淚 could honestly go through the whole lineup,鈥 McKenna said. 鈥淚 think that’s the reason why we’re here.
鈥淵ou don’t come here with a one-man team.鈥
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2025.
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