Willie Desjardins has always cut an intense figure behind the bench.
Every so often when he was guiding the Vancouver Canucks from 2014 through 2017, the razor-focused head coach would crack a smile at something Henrik and Daniel Sedin B次元官网网址� a pair of future Hall of Famers B次元官网网址� had pulled from their bag of tricks.
Desjardins now experiences eerily similar moments watching Gavin McKenna from the same perch with the Western Hockey LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Medicine Hat Tigers.
And he expects Canadians will feel something along those lines when the baby-faced forward expected to go No. 1 at the 2026 NHL draft dons the red Maple Leaf at the world junior hockey championship.
B次元官网网址淚t was like, B次元官网网址楬ow do you do that stuff?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Desjardins said of the Sedins. B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檒l get that with Gavin B次元官网网址� heB次元官网网址檒l make a play and you just have to laugh.B次元官网网址�
Set to turn 17 on Friday, the six-foot, 165-pound winger from Whitehorse leads the WHL in scoring with 19 goals and 41 assists for 60 points across 30 games. McKenna still holds an eight-point edge in the race despite having already missed four contests while away with the menB次元官网网址檚 under-20 national team.
B次元官网网址淭he first thing that sticks out is just how hard he is to defend,B次元官网网址� Canadian centre and Winnipeg Jets prospect Brayden Yager said. B次元官网网址淪o quick and agile. Not the biggest guy, but super sneaky.B次元官网网址�
McKenna learned how to leverage his frame as a youngster against older players growing up in YukonB次元官网网址檚 capital as he searched for the best competition available.
B次元官网网址淜nowing where to be at the right times,B次元官网网址� he explained of the benefits. B次元官网网址淵ou have to play with a little bit of caution. Playing against those older, bigger guys at such a young age, it gets you ready for this.B次元官网网址�
The world juniors and thoughts of an NHL career were distant dreams when McKenna was first carving up his hometownB次元官网网址檚 frigid outdoor rinks. But fellow Whitehorse product Dylan Cozens, who won 2020 gold with Canada and now plays for the Buffalo Sabres, showed what was possible.
B次元官网网址淕rew the sport a lot,B次元官网网址� McKenna, a friend of CozensB次元官网网址� younger brother, said of the No. 7 pick at the 2019 NHL draft. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 super motivating for all of us kids up in Whitehorse.B次元官网网址�
McKenna, however, would leave the north to continue his development at an even younger age than most, living with a billet family during the 2021-22 season after signing on at a hockey academy in Kelowna, B.C., at age 14.
B次元官网网址淒efinitely tough,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut my parents came down quite a bit.B次元官网网址�
Desjardins first saw McKenna out west before travelling to Nashville for a showcase tournament.
B次元官网网址淗is vision was incredible,B次元官网网址� said Medicine HatB次元官网网址檚 coach/GM. B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檇 make a play and you go, B次元官网网址業 canB次元官网网址檛 believe that.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Selected first overall by the Tigers at the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, McKenna registered 97 points over 61 games in 2023-24 B次元官网网址� his first full season B次元官网网址� to win Canadian Hockey League rookie of the year honours. He also helped his country capture gold at the under-18 world championship and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
McKenna is now been turning heads with teammates as they churn towards the world juniors, which run Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 in Ottawa.
B次元官网网址淪pecial with the puck,B次元官网网址� said defenceman and Philadelphia Flyers first-round selection Oliver Bonk. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 on a string.B次元官网网址�
Fellow blueliner Tanner Molendyk, a Nashville Predators prospect playing for the WHLB次元官网网址檚 Saskatoon Blades, said the opposition is always aware of McKenna.
B次元官网网址淒oes stuff not many people can,B次元官网网址� Molendyk said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e probably been a victim of him walking me.B次元官网网址�
Porter Martone of the Ontario Hockey LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Erie Otters played with McKenna at the U18 level.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the B次元官网网址榳owB次元官网网址� factor he brings,B次元官网网址� said the forward expected to be among the top NHL picks in 2025. B次元官网网址淣ever really know what heB次元官网网址檚 gonna do with the puck.B次元官网网址�
Hockey CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Peter Anholt, who runs the countryB次元官网网址檚 under-20 program looking to rebound off last yearB次元官网网址檚 disappointing fifth-place showing, has a pretty good idea.
B次元官网网址淕avin could, by the time itB次元官网网址檚 all said and done, be our best player B次元官网网址� heB次元官网网址檚 that good,B次元官网网址� said Anholt, also GM of the WHLB次元官网网址檚 Lethbridge Hurricanes. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l see if the bright lights affect him, but I put my bets on him.B次元官网网址�
McKenna is hoping to leave a stamp on the world juniors the same way Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini did as underage Canadian stars at the last two.
B次元官网网址淪et the bar pretty high,B次元官网网址� said McKenna, a distant relative of Bedard by marriage. B次元官网网址淭o follow in their footsteps, hopefully, that would be pretty cool.B次元官网网址�
Hockey fans could be talking a lot about Gavin McKenna in the weeks ahead.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 really young,B次元官网网址� Desjardins cautioned. B次元官网网址淏ut theyB次元官网网址檒l see somebody thatB次元官网网址檒l make plays tons of people canB次元官网网址檛. TheyB次元官网网址檒l see a guy thatB次元官网网址檚 always attacking. HeB次元官网网址檚 a pretty special player.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檒l be really exciting to see him in this tournament.B次元官网网址�
The veteran coach might even sneak a smirk from his couch.
