The NHL’s largest and most tortured fan base got some much-needed good news on Tuesday night by winning the draft lottery.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will pick first overall in next month’s NHL Draft, when a flurry of top stars will be available. Most notably, Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is expected to be taken with the first pick.
Newly hired general manager John Chayka has been keeping an eye on McKenna starting long before he accepted his new job in Toronto.
‘I’ve kept track of him for a number of years now, and the skill level, the creativity, obviously the puck ability and then his shot and release is all pretty special,’ Chayka said. ‘A good package, and it’ll be good to get with the scouts and talk through it all, but I know there’s a lot of passion for a lot of players, including Gavin.’
Toronto had the fifth-highest odds of winning it at just 8.5 percent. The club also had a chance of losing its first-round pick to the Bruins had it fallen outside the top five, but will instead surrender first-rounders in 2027 and ’28 to Philadelphia and Boston.
It’s unclear which pick will go to the Bruins and which will be awarded to the Flyers. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly has called it a complicated situation, which has yet to be resolved.
McKenna’s remarkable run at Penn State was nearly sidetracked by a felony assault charge that was later dropped.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will pick first overall in next month’s NHL Draft, when a flurry of top stars will be available. Most notably, Penn State’s Gavin McKenna is expected to go first
Canada forward Gavin McKenna (9) controls the puck during the second period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship bronze medal game against Finland on January 5
The 18-year-old from Canada’s Yukon Territory was charged with felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor simple assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment on January 31 after an off-campus altercation.
Video showed McKenna punch another man, who suffered a broken jaw according to authorities.
The following week, Centre County District Attorney and State College Police announced that the video was not clear evidence McKenna acted with intent to cause serious harm and as a result, decided to drop the aggravated assault charge, which carried a potential 20-year prison sentence.
McKenna still faces misdemeanor counts of simple assault, disorderly conduct, and harassment.
McKenna was at the bar Doggie’s Pub in downtown State College with friends following an outdoor game against Michigan State, according to student news website Onward State.
Toronto won the lottery, followed by San Jose, Vancouver, Chicago and the New York Rangers
Detailed view of the Draft Lottery Percentages to start the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery set
The website reports that McKenna allegedly assaulted an unidentified individual, giving them a broken jaw.
The incident which led to McKenna allegedly throwing a punch has not been officially confirmed.
However, multiple reports indicate that the Penn State hockey team was in a private room at the bar when a person unrelated to the team began verbally harassing a member of McKenna’s family.
Vancouver, which had the best odds at the top pick, will select third on June 26 in Buffalo.
San Jose has the second pick, while Chicago, the New York Rangers, Calgary, Seattle, Winnipeg, reigning-champion Florida and Nashville round out the top ten.
Swedish winger Ivar Stenberg is expected to get some consideration for the top pick, but McKenna’s one season with the Nittany Lions may be tough to beat. In addition to his 15 goals, McKenna added 36 assists as Penn State reached the NCAA Tournament.
The Leafs have not raised the Stanley Cup since 1967. They last picked first overall in 2016, when they selected American phenom, Auston Matthews.
