BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) \u2014\u00a0Gavin McKenna left his family and friends behind\u00a0in Whitehorse, Yukon, some six years ago to pursue his NHL dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, the NHL is traveling to one of Canada\u2019s most remote regions to meet with McKenna \u2014 the 18-year-old forward projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft later this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was obviously an honor for him to come up there,\u201d McKenna said Friday, referring to Toronto Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka\u2019s recent trip to Whitehorse to meet with him and his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnytime he\u2019s taking time out to come meet with you, it\u2019s awesome,\u201d he added, speaking at the NHL pre-draft prospects combine in Buffalo. \u201cAnd it was good to meet with him and get a feel for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The significance of Chayka\u2019s trip can\u2019t be understated.\u00a0By winning the draft lottery\u00a0last month, the Maple Leafs hold the No. 1 pick of the draft being held in Buffalo on June 26-27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the newly hired GM appreciates the chance and responsibility of placing an immediate stamp on his franchise\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without tipping his hand on who he might select, Chayka described his trip to the Klondike as important in getting a better understanding of who McKenna is as a person, beyond the prolific numbers he\u2019s put up on both sides of the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As first impressions go, Chayka said: \u201cI think there\u2019s some real resolve around who he is and what his career means to him and his family. And I find it impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McKenna has done all he\u2019s been asked\u00a0to live up to being pegged the top prospect of his age group as many as three years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s produced at more than a point-a-game pace and excelled on the international stage. And McKenna took one step further this season by showing he can adapt and excel against older and more physical competition by making the jump from the Western Hockey League\u00a0to Penn State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now it\u2019s a matter of waiting for the draft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt would be an honor. As a kid, that\u2019s what you dream of,\u201d McKenna said of potentially being selected No. 1 by Toronto. \u201cAnd obviously, being a Canadian kid, going to a Canadian market would be pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though ranked as NHL Central Scouting\u2019s top North American prospect, McKenna has competition in what\u2019s considered a talented pool of players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Central Scouting chief Dan Marr told The Associated Press as many as four players could go No. 1. Aside from McKenna, a right wing, there\u2019s Swedish left winger Ivar Stenberg and Latvian defenseman Alberts Smits \u2014 the top-two ranked international prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then there\u2019s Sault Ste. Marie defenseman Chase Reid, who is from Plymouth, Michigan, and considered the top-ranked U.S.-born prospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Much of the order will depend on how teams rate their needs positionally, Marr said, adding: \u201cThis could be a draft year where the top three teams selecting say, `We got the No. 1 guy on our list.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
San Jose is scheduled to pick second, followed by Vancouver, Chicago and the New York Rangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marr stood by McKenna as being the one player teams can\u2019t pass up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In two-plus seasons with WHL Medicine Hat, McKenna had 244 points (79 goals, 165 assists) in 133 games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Penn State, McKenna overcame an adjustment period in the first half of the season to finish fifth in the NCAA with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games as a freshman. What shined through is 32 of his points coming in McKenna\u2019s final 17 outings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what more they expect him to do,\u201d Marr said. \u201cHe\u2019s showing he can adapt to the level of play, adapt to a different style of play. He just made himself more ready for the NHL.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McKenna\u2019s year at Penn State was not without its bumps. Aside from the slow start, he was involved in an on-campus altercation in\u00a0which McKenna allegedly broke a man\u2019s jaw in February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prosecutors have since dropped the most serious charge of aggravated assault. McKenna still faces charges of misdemeanor simple assault, along with harassment and disorderly conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chayka investigated the matter by saying he talked to everyone involved. \u201cWe understand the situation, and we\u2019re comfortable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McKenna was not suspended by the team, and has not commented on what happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where ever he\u2019s drafted, McKenna is certain of one thing in knowing he\u2019s going to have to become accustomed to big-city living. With Whitehorse\u2019s population at about 35,000, McKenna said the largest market he\u2019s lived was Kelowna, British Columbia (166,000), where he attended a hockey academy upon first leaving home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve kind of figured out how to live away from home,\u201d McKenna said. \u201cAnd yeah, being a smalltown kid, moving to a big city would be pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) \u2014\u00a0Gavin McKenna left his family and friends behind\u00a0in Whitehorse, Yukon, some six years ago to pursue his NHL dream. Now, the NHL is traveling to one of Canada\u2019s most remote regions to meet with McKenna \u2014 the 18-year-old forward projected to be the No. 1 pick in the draft later this month. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12903],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-410331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-12903"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410331"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":410332,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410331\/revisions\/410332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/6gnx6dd.cc\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}