Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is already immersing himself in life as an NHL player just a day before the 2026 NHL Draft, set for Friday, June 26.

When the top prospect was given a draft scenario of becoming a “villain” for the Buffalo Sabres, he doubled down by wanting to be it for all opposition. Sportsnet took to their official X account to share a short video of the conversation from the pre-NHL Draft press conference on June 25.

“If I am not drafted here [by the Buffalo Sabres], I want to be a villain wherever I go,” McKenna said in response to the draft scenario on Thursday, June 25. “If that is how it goes, that is how it goes.”

Notably, since McKenna is widely expected to be selected as the No. 1 pick in the draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, the history could repeat itself from 10 years ago.

In 2016, when the Maple Leafs last had the No. 1 pick, the draft was coincidentally held in the city of Buffalo for its last time as well. On that very occasion, the Maple Leafs selected forward Auston Matthews to their roster, who has been a major thorn in the side of their big rival, the Sabres, since then.

Matthews has managed to score 38 points (23G / 15A) versus the Sabres in 32 games with the Maple Leafs. These are some incredible numbers over the course of his entire 10-year tenure.

Whether McKenna walks into the footsteps of Matthews is yet to be seen, but he certainly has something in him to become a top prospect in the draft.

Why is Gavin McKenna considered a top prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft?

As a freshman for Penn State in the 2025-26 season, McKenna scored 51 points (15G / 36A) in 35 games to finish in fifth place in NCAA top-scorer standings. For his stellar performances last season, including nine school records, the Canadian forward found his name among the top 10 Hobey Baker finalists.​

Prior to Penn State, McKenna largely dominated the Western Hockey League (WHL) for two out of his three seasons while playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers. He managed to score in 54 straight games at one point in the WHL and won the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year award for it, according to NHL.com.

The 18-year-old is known to collect points at breakneck speed while finding acute spaces to attack and deceiving defenders in the process. With that, he is considered a top prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft, set for Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

On the first day of the draft, Round 1 will take place, in which 32 of the top prospects will learn the names of their teams in the NHL. Apart from McKenna, some of the top prospects for the draft include names like Ivar Stenberg, Chase Reid, Caleb Malhotra, and Nikita Klepov, among others.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs hold the first overall draft pick, the next few teams on the list are the San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, and the Sabres, as of this writing.

Will Gavin McKenna officially join the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2026 NHL Draft? Give us your prediction in the comments.

Read more at NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar