Not long since the rising star Gavin McKenna entered a long-term relationship with the Toronto Maple Leafs. But his new peer, Alexander Bilecki, could already tell a bond was flourishing.

The overall No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL draft attended the Portugal vs. Croatia game with the 2nd-round, 60th-overall pick, Bilecki, in late June during their development camp. Coming out of it, “Bils” had only nice things to say.

“We created a bond, and a couple of nights ago he was like, ‘Hey, Bils, do you want to go to the World Cup game?’” said Bilecki, reported by TSN’s Mark Masters on X. “I’m kind of sitting there going, 'I mean, I wouldn’t mind.’ It was a great experience.”

Their friendship began at the 2026 NHL draft (June 26-27) and deepened during the Leafs' dev camp (July 2-4), where they roomed together. But Bilecki could see this friendship having a longer run after the outing with McKenna.

“It was a great experience, thanks to him,” he said, according to Toronto Sun’s writer Terry Koshan (published on July 3, 2026). “We talked about it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to tell our grandkids that we got to see Cristiano Ronaldo play, and score a goal too.”

But after this great off-ice respite, Bilecki is ready to prove himself a worthy pick by the Leafs on the ice.

Alexander Bilecki's Grit on Display

The 18-year-old left-shot defenseman helped the OHL's Kitchener Rangers lift the Memorial Cup this season by defeating the Everett Silvertips in the finals. And he's entering his NHL career with the same winner mentality.

“I don’t really like to boast about it, but you know, people ask, I go: ‘Yeah, I’m a Memorial Cup champion,’” Bilecki said, according to the same article by Koshan. “That has always been part of my game, part of me as a person, where I have a chip on my shoulder.”

“I’m a skinnier, lankier guy, I’m trying to get stronger, but I’ll always have that fight in me, that grit,” he added further. “I just want to prove that it was the right pick (by the Leafs).”

As he goes on to prove himself worthy, great friends will be an important gain for Bilecki.

And he has already hit it off with McKenna.

How do you think their on-ice chemistry would be like? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Deblina Roy