Gavin McKenna Unanimous Top NHL Draft Pick

0:00On April 16th, NHL Central Scouting just dropped their final rankings for North American skaters ahead of the 2026 draft and it was a clean sweep for Gavin McKenna at number one. No debates, no extra votes, just unanimous agreement from the Scouts. This Penn State forward has been dominating as one of the youngest guys out there, building his case over the past three plus years. McKenna tied for 5th in the NCAA with 51 points, 15 goals and 36 assists in just 35 games, good for 1.46 per game. He cleaned up awards too, big 10 freshman of the year, two-time national rookie of the month, and the only unanimous pick on the all-freshman team. Scouts rave about his smarts on the ice elite vision, anticipation, like he sees plays before they happen. Dan Mar from Central Scouting says, McKenna will only level up playing with top talent, making him a surefire star. The rankings get deep on defense too, with spots 2-5 all packed with franchise-type blue liners,

1:02Chase Reed from Salt Stay Stay, Marie, Carson Carell's or Prince George, Keaton Verhoff at North Dakota, and Daxon Rudolph in Prince Albert. Internationally, Sweden's Ivar Stenberg, top skaters, and Latvia's Albert Smiths sits at number two after a strong loan stand in Germany. All eyes now turn to the draft lottery and who's picking first, but McKenna's locked in as the top North American prize when Buffalo hosts June, 26-27th. You've been listening to NHL News today, AI Power Team Coverage.