EDMONTON -- Gavin McKenna took heed of some good advice from Connor Bedard, his cousin through marriage, before winning gold with Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup at Rogers Place on Saturday.
"I asked him before this tournament how he dealt with pressure going into big tournaments," McKenna said. "He kind of just said to play my game and don't let the outside stuff get to me. He's the best playing under pressure, and he's shown it so many times. I think that was the right guy to go and he helped me a lot."
McKenna added to his growing list of accomplishments when Canada defeated Czechia 2-1 to win the eight-team tournament featuring some of the top NHL Draft eligible players in the world. The 16-year-old, an early candidate to be selected No. 1 at the 2026 NHL Draft, also won gold at the Under-18 World Championship in Finland on May 5.
"The feeling is unreal," McKenna said. "I don't have words to describe it. This group of guys is unbelievable and to win it with them, it's an amazing feeling. I met so many new friends this tourney and you became so close with these guys and by the end of it, you are brothers and you're doing it for the guy beside you. It's a short tournament, but you have to bond as quick as you can, and I thought we all did a great job with that."
The Hlinka Gretzky Cup, highly attended by NHL scouts and general managers, presents a first look at the upcoming draft class in a tournament setting. McKenna had six points (three goals, three assists) in five games.
"His speed, his hockey IQ, his sense for the game is at an elite level within his age group," Canada coach Kris Mallette said. "I know the NHL is champing at the bit, but he's not actually draft eligible for another full season. But to have the success that he had in the Western Hockey League last season as technically as an underage and almost put up 100 points, is pretty remarkable because that's not an easy feat."
McKenna, born in Whitehorse, Yukon, on Dec. 20, 2007, entered the WHL as a 15-year-old last season despite not being granted exceptional player status. He had 97 points (34 goals, 63 assists) in 61 games for Medicine Hat, six points (two goals, four assists) in five playoff games and was named the WHL and Canadian Hockey League rookie of the year.
"This is a confidence booster for sure," McKenna said. "I think the team that I'm going to in Medicine Hat, we have a really strong group there. To kind of win and bring that winning mentality to the Tigers, it's going to be a fun year for us, and this is definitely a big confidence booster going into the year."
McKenna made his Canada debut at the U-18 World Championship and had 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in seven games, setting a record for most points in the tournament by a 16-year-old. It is possible he could represent Canada for the third time inside a calendar year at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, 2025.
"That would be a goal for sure to play for the country again," he said. "It's always been a dream of mine, so I'll have that in the back of my mind all year and have that come true potentially. It's definitely motivating and I'm going to be working my hardest until that time."
There was a lot of focus on McKenna despite him not being draft eligible until 2026. He lived up to the hype. He did not have a point in the final but had numerous opportunities. Liam Kilfoil and Caleb Desnoyers scored for Canada and Tomas Poletin scored for Czechia.
"He's a player that loves the pressure, loves to compete and likes to be the guy that is talked about," Mallette said. "I think this tournament was the first time where he was 'The Guy.' At the U-18 Worlds there were 14 returning guys from the Hlinka, and he could be sheltered a little bit, but still did extremely well.
"At this tournament, however, it was all about Gavin McKenna and I think he handled it well and he'll be the first to tell you it's not easy, but it just comes with the territory. It's something that's he's going to get used to and this is just a small piece of his really good journey that he's going to be on."
McKenna understands the added weight of being a highly touted prospect but will try not to let it affect him during the season. He has the luxury of just going out and playing for at least another season and not worry when his name will be called at the NHL Draft until 2026.
"When you're out there, you don't really focus on that," McKenna said. "Maybe outside of this tournament (in the regular season) it might get to you a little bit that people are watching you, but you just have to focus on where you're at, where your feet are and keep moving forward. If you have a bad shift for a bad game, you just move on and just look at the bigger picture."
