Gavin McKenna spent 17 hours on ice in one week training with Macklin Celebrini, and it changed how he approaches the game.

He opened up about his offseason training with Celebrini when he spoke at the Upper Deck Rookie Showcase in Chicago on July 29. McKenna is Toronto's first-overall pick and spent weeks training along with the Sharks star in Vancouver ahead of his first season in the NHL.

"My trainers probably won't like to hear this, but there was a week where we were on the ice for like 17 hours," McKenna said as reported by Editor In Leaf. "It was crazy. But every skate out there, you're getting better, and it's a competitive group, so I had a lot of fun with it."

He joined Macklin Celebrini in the Kaivo Hockey training program. Celebrini is known as one of the league's hardest workers. McKenna noticed this once he started following the same routine as Celebrini's. McKenna had to match his pace, a crash course in NHL-level intensity.

"He's a pretty intense guy when it comes to his off-ice and on-ice stuff," McKenna said, per NHL.com. "To be in that environment and get into a routine, it felt good. I had a lot of fun, and I felt like I got better.”

The duo also talked off-ice and took breaks when needed. And after spending so much time, Celebrini's habits rubbed off on McKenna.

The 18-year-old paid close attention to every detail of Celebrini’s game, and for good reason. The Sharks star, two years older than him, finished last season with 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) in 82 games, fourth-best in the NHL behind Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon.

Gathering the knowledge, McKenna steps into a crucial season.

McKenna building his rookie season

McKenna's comments repeat what he said earlier this month at Toronto's development camp, according to an article from the NHL.

"There's a lot of talk about my compete levels and stuff like that," McKenna said at the time. "I think being in this environment helps me a lot, and just seeing everyone else work, it's pretty easy for you to just work hard."

After training with Celebrini, he now has an idea of what kind of intensity he can expect going forward in the league. Maple Leafs assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser also praised McKenna's ability to take feedback quickly during development camp. 

She praised him by calling him "an excellent processor" with a quiet confidence and high hockey IQ. McKenna now heads into Toronto’s roster, where he plays alongside veterans like Auston Matthews and William Nylander. As he said earlier this summer, it is good not having to be "the guy" right away. It gives him the time and space to learn from those players.

 Just like how he gets to spend his summer with Celebrini and his time in Toronto's camp, preparing for the pressure that will come soon.

What do you think McKenna took away from training with Celebrini? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar