See hockey’s stars of tomorrow, right now.
The tantalizing thought is without doubt one of the huge attracts of the brand new new model Circle Okay Basic in Calgary.
And that is precisely what followers are getting in 15-year-old Gavin McKenna.
Yip. 15.
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He might not be sufficiently old to get his driver’s license, however the Southern Alberta Hockey Academy (SAHA) winger drives via defenses throughout Western Canada.
McKenna had one objective and 4 assists in his first two video games on the match, together with a three-assist efficiency towards the Calgary Northstars on Wednesday.
“I feel I am doing fairly properly. Clearly there is a little bit of a goal behind my again,” laughed McKenna. “However that is after I simply have to make use of my linemates and attempt to make room for them.”
His head coach, Brayden Desjardins, is a bit more forthcoming with the compliments.
“Among the performs he makes, it’s a must to remind your self that he is in all probability the youngest child within the match,” Desjardins stated. “He performs with a variety of tempo.
“You see when he will get the puck everybody’s sort of on the sting of their seats. He does not play gradual, he does not give guys time to react to him.
“He’s a really particular man. You see his ability, however I do not assume many individuals know what sort of individual he’s. He’s an unbelievable individual. Should you speak to him, you’d by no means know he is an total first alternative.”
The winger from Whitehorse, Yukon dazzled in any respect ranges of the sport, together with his household and neighborhood coming collectively to help him as he traveled south to pursue his hockey desires.
McKenna gained distinctive standing earlier this 12 months and was picked up by the Drugs Hat Tigers with the primary total decide within the 2022 WHL Draft.
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He has solely had a cup of espresso within the “Dub” thus far, however has rapidly made his presence identified, with 4 assists in his Tigers debut.
The dominance continued when he returned to the Canadian Sports activities Colleges Hockey League, the place he at the moment ranks second in his second season with 20 targets and 21 assists in 16 video games (seven video games shy of present chief Terik Parascak).
McKenna stated he is drawing on that have as he chases the Circle Okay Basic championship — and lofty targets alongside the way in which.
“The WHL is a little bit sooner, however it’s not a lot,” McKenna stated. “You must play precisely the identical as you’d within the WHL. There is a ton of expertise right here, and sure, attempt to take as a lot as I can from the Dub and convey it down right here.
“There is a huge objective to get drafted to the NHL … It is simply step-by-step. You simply need to take it day-to-day and work onerous day-after-day on and off the ice.”
Excessive-level scouts informed International Information that McKenna is already thought-about a future high decide on the NHL Entry Draft, despite the fact that he will not be eligible till 2026.
Ought to he make the soar to the large present, McKenna would develop into the fourth Whitehorse hockey participant to swimsuit up within the NHL, behind Buffalo Sabers 2019 first-round decide Dylan Cozens, and Peter Sturgeon and Bryon Baltimore, who suited up for a handful of video games within the Nineteen Fifties.
In the meantime, McKenna is concentrated on SAHA’s title protection.
SAHA takes on the St. Louis Blues in its closing round-robin recreation at Max Bell 2 on Thursday at 4 p.m.
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