BUFFALO, NEW YORK - JUNE 26: Gavin McKenna puts on a Toronto Maple Leafs hat after being selected first overall by the Leafs during Day One of the 2026 NHL Draft at KeyBank Center on June 26, 2026 in Buffalo, New York.

Maple Leafs sign McKenna to entry-level contract

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Jeff Vinnick / National Hockey League / Getty

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed first overall pick Gavin McKenna to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Friday.

Toronto drafted McKenna after a one-year stint at Penn State, where he notched 51 points in 39 games. The 18-year-old put up a whopping 129 points in 56 games with the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers the year prior, and he's been a member of Canada's past two world junior teams.

In May, the Maple Leafs won the draft lottery and the right to select first overall despite finishing 28th in the league standings.

McKenna joining the club is one of several notable changes for Toronto since the end of the regular season. The team hired John Chayka as its general manager, brought in Mats Sundin in an executive role, and named Jim Hiller head coach.

The Maple Leafs have made several roster changes through the early stages of the offseason, too, adding Sergei Bobrovsky, Darren Raddysh, Colton Sissons, Brandon Duhaime, Nick Paul, Jack Roslovic, and Teddy Blueger.

Toronto had qualified for the playoffs in nine consecutive years before missing out this spring.

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