Much can be said, is being said, and has even been written about on our site and discussed in our circles about the top prospects for the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The consensus remains that Macklin Celebrini, soon to be playing for Boston University (Christian talks a fair amount about Celebrini in his BU article), will be the number one overall pick next year, with the likely #2 being Cole Eiserman, a commit to the University of Minnesota from the US NTDP. However, the up-and-comers who also merit getting a good amount of time committed to them are the ones who are a couple to a few years out or will likely fall in the top ten in 2024, but are not as emphasized or projected as high as Celebrini or Eiserman. In this series, I will endeavor to educate and enlighten our readers and followers on who some of these young talents are, how they are performing with their current teams and what the expectations are for them with regards to the beginning of their NHL careers. This really has to begin with the next likely generational hockey talent, who, amusingly enough, is related to the current incoming generational talent taken at #1 overall in 2023.

The story of 15-year-old F Gavin McKenna of the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers is somewhat intriguing in how it got to this point. The cousin through marriage of 2023 NHL Entry Draft first overall selection C Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks/formerly the WHL’s Regina Pats, McKenna, just like his family member in 2020, was drafted first overall in the WHL Draft in 2022. However, his situation with regards to his exceptional player status is different from that of his cousin Bedard’s. Let us first take a look at exceptional player status: This was described on episode four of the Black Stitch Hockey Cast (the link for our Spotify can be found on our contact page), but to recap: Effectively, the CHL and its constituent member leagues typically have their players fall between the ages of 16 and 20, though on the extreme ends, there are limitations placed. 20-year-olds can only take up three roster spots, and more relevantly, 16-year-olds can only take up three. In general, Hockey Canada prefers younger players to remain in minor hockey, and have taken safeguards against them playing in major juniors. It used to be that 15-year-olds could play a limited number of games per season and that rule does remain in place in the WHL (with 15-year-olds only being permitted to play five games, unless their midget-level junior hockey team’s season has ended). However, the number of times it even so much as happens is EXTREMELY limited, as 15-year-olds can only play if they are granted exceptional player status, which is determined by a panel of Hockey Canada executives and judged both by their performance on the ice and their character off of it. This has only happened eight times, with the most recent instance being the OHL granting this status to Michael Misa (who will have his own installment in this series down the line, as much can be said about his likely future success) in 2022 and it has been granted to a WHL player only once, to none other than Connor Bedard. In McKenna’s case, his exceptional player status was instead granted by Hockey Alberta and B.C. Hockey; therefore, with his recognition only being on provincial organizational levels, he is considered an affiliate of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Further, he was just 14 when he suited up in his first WHL game, in a sense making him a DOUBLE underager, though he would turn 15 in December of 2022.

With regards to McKenna’s abilities on the ice, his offensive abilities are already VERY much apparent. In his first WHL game, he had four points to his name, an incredible achievement by such a youngster playing against opponents who are primarily three-to-five years older and are all effectively “professional” in that they are given a stipend and are ineligible for NCAA play. All told, he had 18 points in 16 games for Medicine Hat in the regular season, an excellent performance for a player who only just turned 15 in December. He additionally scored 1 goal in 4 playoff games. This past season, he also racked up 75 points in 26 games for
Willie Desjardins South Alberta Hockey Academy U18 Prep, good for league-best in Canadian Sport School Hockey League U18, and team-best by a whopping 29. While it is still early, it makes sense why McKenna is considered the likely number one pick in 2026. In a similar manner to Bedard, some are projecting that he could be as impactful on the league and the team that drafts him as the likes of Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Auston Matthews. He also has a great shot at being just the fourth NHL player ever from the territory of Yukon (his success with the territory’s representative team at the Canada Games is described in both of the previous two links) and the second in the 21st century, joining Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres. With all that said, we should keep an eye on what McKenna does, because he will assuredly continue to be an entertaining player with many compelling narratives surrounding him.