Gavin McKenna Is Someone For Blackhawks To Keep An Eye On

The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the worst teams in the NHL right now. They have the worst record in the league based on both points and points percentage.

Chicago is firmly going to be in the mix for the number-one pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. That comes after having the number one pick in 2023 and the number two pick in 2024.

As of right now, James Hagens is projected to be the number one overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Boston College center lit up his first game of the World Junior Championships on Thursday as a member of Team USA.

Hagens wasn't the only undrafted player to shine like a star in his first game of the tournament. Gavin McKenna of Team Canada did the same. He scored his first goal of the tournament which served as the game-winner in a 4-0 shutout of Team Finland.

McKenna is projected to be the number one overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft which means he made this team in his D-1 year which is rare. In the last 20 years, only Connor Bedard, Alexis Lafreniere, Connor McDavid, John Tavares, and Sidney Crosby were able to accomplish making Team Canada that young.

It might be wise for the Blackhawks to be thinking about McKenna now. They probably don't love the idea of being bad for the rest of this year and all of next year but McKenna seems to be the real deal.

You can tell when he's on the ice that he has what it takes to make a difference on every shift. Going into the World Juniors as an underaged player and dominating the way he did in this game is impressive. He has the tools of an NHL star.

It isn't just here at the World Juniors where he looks like a star either. He's playing at an extremely high level in the WHL this year with the Medicine Hat Tigers. So far through 30 games with Medicine Hat, McKenna has 19 goals and 41 assists for 60 points.

Those are video game numbers for a seasoned vet in that league but at 17 (he just turned 17 last week), it is truly remarkable. He is going to get even better as he grows which is scary to think about.

A fun fact about McKenna is that he is a by-marriage cousin of Bedard. Seeing them on the same NHL team would be fun for that reason but also because of what they'd be able to accomplish together.

It is unclear if McKenna will play center or wing in the NHL. That will all depend on what happens between now and his draft year, the team that takes him, and his overall preference.

Predicting where the Hawks will be in the standings by the end of the 2026 season is impossible but it's hard to avoid thinking about McKenna after watching a game like that.

The next chance to see McKenna will come on Friday night when Canada takes on Latvia. The Latvians are good but they won't be as much of a threat as the Finnish are normally. This is an opportunity for McKenna to feel good about his game and put up even bigger numbers.

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Related: Blackhawks Management Must Like What They Saw On World Juniors Day One