Gavin McKenna’s Historic Night Ends In Heartbreak For Toronto Maple Leafs

Gavin McKenna rewrites Maple Leafs history at just 18 years old© Getty via AFP

Gavin McKenna scored two goals against the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night, making him the youngest Toronto Maple Leafs player in more than 80 years to score a multi-goal game. That's the kind of history you frame and hang on a wall. The only problem? Maple Leafs lost the game 5-4. The 18-year-old No. 1 overall pick from the 2026 NHL Draft gave Leafs fans every reason to cheer, and the final buzzer gave them every reason to go quiet.

McKenna Joins Names From Another Era

It takes something genuinely rare to draw comparisons to players from the 1940s. McKenna pulled it off in just his 15th NHL game. With his second goal of the night, he became just the third 18-year-old Maple Leafs player in 80 years to score multiple goals in a single game, joining Vincent Damphousse (1986) and Wendel Clark (1985). Before McKenna, the last teenager his age to have a multi-goal night in a Leafs jersey was Jack Hamilton on February 19, 1944.

The NHL PR stats sheet after the game read like a history lesson. McKenna's two goals gave him four on the season, making him only the sixth 18-year-old in franchise history since the expansion era to reach that total, and the first since Luke Richardson back in 1987-88. His three-point night also made him the youngest Leaf to put up that kind of line since Ted Kennedy did it on March 5, 1944. At just 18 years and 312 days old, he is rewriting parts of the record book that most people didn't even know still existed.

In 15 games, McKenna now has five goals and 11 points. Only two other teenagers in Maple Leafs history reached 10 career points in 15 games or fewer: Auston Matthews in six games during 2016-17, and Mitch Marner in 12 games that same season. That's the tier McKenna is tracking.

A Rookie Who Is Getting Better, Not Just Getting By

There's a difference between a prospect finding his footing and one who is gaining real ground. McKenna looks like the latter. His two-goal performance against Seattle wasn't a flash of luck in an otherwise forgettable outing. He finished the night 2-1-3, looking composed at an age when most players are still figuring out the speed of the pro game.

The Maple Leafs drafted him first overall for a reason. Toronto hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 1967, and every few years a new name is supposed to be the one to finally change that. McKenna is now carrying that weight, but on Wednesday at least, he played like it didn't bother him much. The loss stings, but the performance was hard to ignore.

He is on a pace that the franchise hasn't seen from a teenager in decades. And he's only getting started.