CHL Storylines: McKenna set to take his talents to the world stage

Gavin McKenna is making a statement that he could be the next “Next One” when he is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft next year.

The 6-foot winger joined the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League as first-overall selection in the 2022 WHL Priority Draft. McKenna received exceptional player status from B.C. Hockey and Hockey Alberta, which allowed him to play in the WHL as a 14-year-old.

McKenna got his feet wet during the 2022-23 campaign, recording four goals and 18 points in 16 games, including a four-assist night in his debut. He also continued to develop with the South Alberta Hockey Academy U-18 prep team of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, where he was coached by Brayden Desjardins, the son of Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins.

In his official rookie season last year, McKenna made an instant impact on the team by recording 34 goals and 97 points to finish 12th in the league in scoring. He helped a team that finished last in the WHL with only 26 points in 2021-22 to fourth place in the Eastern Conference last season with a 37-23-8 record.

McKenna has continued his reign over the WHL leaderboard this year, leading the league with 19 goals and 60 points through 30 games. The Tigers sit at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 19-14-1 record and are tied for the second-best record in the league.

“We’re talking about the best junior player in Canada,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said. “I don’t toss around the title of ‘best junior player in Canada’ softly, it’s not hyperbole. He’s the best junior player in Canada. When you have that type of star power and ability to impact the game, it’s beyond impressive.”

McKenna turns 17 on Friday and has the opportunity to play a key role in Team Canada’s quest for a gold medal at the 2025 World Juniors in Ottawa beginning on Boxing Day. He was the team’s 13th forward during their pre-tournament opener against Switzerland on Thursday and will look to increase his impact as the tournament goes on.

“Definitely not something I’m used to, but it’s something I got to adjust to,” McKenna told TSN’s Mark Masters about playing as the 13th forward. “I just gotta find my way and work my way up the lineup. I kind of expected that. I just gotta show what I can do.”

The Whitehorse, Yukon native has an opportunity to showcase himself on junior hockey’s biggest stage a season before his draft year. Other players who have had that opportunities are names like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and most recently, Connor Bedard.

Bedard went on to set records in his first appearance in the tournament in 2022, and Button believes that McKenna will end up being a force for Canada when all is said and done.

“He’s going to be a prime-time player for Canada because he’s a prime-time player. There are not 13 better forwards in Canada better than McKenna right now,” said Button. “The expectations that other people have for him are no greater than the expectations that he has for himself.”

McKenna already made a name for himself on the international stage, setting a Canadian scoring record at the World-Under18 Championship in April with 10 goals and 20 points in seven games. He also helped Canada to a gold medal at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he had three goals and six points in five games.

While the 2026 NHL draft is a long way off, McKenna is currently the runaway favourite to be draft first overall. Button listed him No. 1 on his very early list for that draft but he also said would probably be the top pick in this year’s draft and could have competed with San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini in last year’s class.

The number of eyes on McKenna is only going to grow at he continues to dominate the game at the major-junior level. But Button believe he just needs to keep doing what he’s doing and have fun in order to maintain the path he’s on.

“To me, excellence is bred out of passion for playing the game,” said Button. “He works at his game and has great joy in playing the game. He just needs to focus on being the best player he can be every time he goes out there on the ice.”

Big changes in Oshawa

The Oshawa Generals raised some eyebrows earlier in the month when they relieved Steve O’Rourke of his head coaching duties on Dec. 9,

O’Rourke was named head coach back in July, taking over the job from Derek Laxdal, who moved on to become the head coach of the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate-  Coachella Valley Thunderbirds.

The 50-year-old had his team in first place in the Ontario Hockey League’s East Division with an 18-10-2 record and were challenging for top spot in the Eastern Conference at the time of the move.

Under Laxdal, the Generals finished in top spot in the Eastern Conference last season with a 40-19-9 record, with O’Rourke also serving as an associate coach.

Oshawa went on to reach the OHL Championship Series before their bowed out to the London Knights in a four-game sweep.

O’Rourke also had a hand in helping the development of three NHL first-round selections like Calum Ritchie of the Colorado Avalanche, Beckett Sennecke of the Anaheim Ducks, and Ben Danford of the Toronto Maple Leafs over parts of three seasons with the club.

Last season, the Generals were viewed as exceeding expectations by reaching the final. However, despite being near the top of the Eastern Conference standings, there is still a disparity between the Generals and the top teams in the Western Conference.

“I think it had to do a lot with that their expectations were a lot higher,” said Button. “Oshawa is in a good spot in the East with a lot of talent. The London Knights, I believe, are the class of the league, but Oshawa have to look at it from the point of view from where they are within the East.”

Brad Malone has taken over the reins as the interim head coach after serving as an assistant to O’Rourke. The 35-year-old retired from his professional hockey career earlier this year and was hired in Oshawa to be a player development coach.

Drafted 105th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in 2007, Malone recorded 14 goals and 32 points in his 217 NHL games split between the Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, and Edmonton Oilers.

He appeared in 10 games with the Oilers in his last stint in the NHL during the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 7:41 of ice time with six penalty minutes and a minus-4 rating.

Malone’s last professional experience came the following year while playing for the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, an affiliate to the Oilers. The 6-foot-2 winger recorded three goals and 18 points in 49 games to round out his career,

“Brad just finished playing so he’s going to need some support,” said Button. “He doesn’t have any coaching chops. That doesn’t mean he won’t or can’t, but he can use some support and experience.”

Oshawa is 1-1-1 since Malone has taken over as head coach.

“They have a really good team,” said Button. “They have Ritchie, Sennecke, and defenceman Luca Marrelli, who’s been playing great. I think they can finish at the top of the East; I don’t think there’s any question.”

Player to watch: Bill Zonnon - Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

Bill Zonnon has taken his play to a new level as he goes through his draft year with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League

The 6-foot-2 winger is tied for third in QMJHL scoring with 16 goals and 45 points in 31 games this season and is only 13 points shy of his career high that he set last year.

Zonnon entered the season as a player to watch for the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles. The Montreal native sits at No. 37 on Button’s November list but has since gone on a tear with four goals and 12 points in seven games since that list came out.

“I think he’s the type of player similar to Ivan Barbashev of the Vegas Golden Knights or Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” said Button. “He’s a player who has the ability to carve out places for himself in the game from a physical and skill standpoint.

“I don’t see him as a top line player, but I see him as someone on your second line who can give you really good, strong, functional play. He has the ability to carve out time and space with his physical play and at the same time he has good skill. We’re talking about a top-six forward.”

The 18-year-old winger is a key part of a Huskies team that sits first in the West Division and second in the Western Conference with a 16-8-7 record this season. The team is fourth in the QMJHL in scoring with 114 and their 29 per cent clip on the power play leads the league.

As the season progresses, Zonnon has a chance to move up the ranks and possibly into the first round at the NHL Draft.

“Even at No. 37, Zonnon is a first-round candidate,” said Button. “From picks 21 to 50, I think all those guys could be potential first-rounders. Every team has a different list on where players are ranked depending on what they value.”