TORONTO — Gavin McKenna’s first training-camp skate gave the Maple Leafs an early look at a potentially explosive combination: the 18-year-old No. 1 pick working alongside John Tavares and William Nylander.
For Nylander, the possibility became real months ago. He was watching an American Hockey League playoff game on May 5 with Matthew Knies when word arrived that Toronto had won the draft lottery. His stunned reaction was immediate: “We won the lottery? Are you kidding me?”
Now McKenna is in camp after a season at Penn State University, and the Leafs have placed him with two of their most accomplished forwards on the opening day of camp. Nylander called the arrival of the rookie a major shift for the club and said the organization’s roster-building approach has changed with McKenna in the fold.
“I’m really excited,” Nylander said after the first session. He liked the scoring looks the trio created in practice, while stressing there is no reason to rush the process. The group’s focus, he said, is to keep building one day at a time.
McKenna gets a veteran runway
New coach Jim Hiller’s opening combinations put McKenna in a favorable spot. The teenager is living with the Tavares family, giving him a daily chance to observe the veteran center’s preparation and ask questions away from the rink as well as during practice.
Nylander said the veterans will be available when McKenna needs guidance, but the key is allowing the young forward to play freely.
“You help him if he has questions and guide him when you can,” Nylander said. “Sometimes you might point something out that you see, but you have to let him play.”
Hiller said McKenna has been hard to miss, even in a camp full of established NHL players. The coach cited one sequence from Thursday’s workout, when Chris Tanev had McKenna pinned near the corner. Rather than lose the puck, McKenna escaped the pressure and slipped a soft pass into open ice.
“You see a play like that and recognize it is at a high level,” Hiller said.
Tavares believes McKenna’s ability to create in tight quarters can open room for Nylander, one of Toronto’s most dangerous finishers.
“His passing through traffic is elite,” Tavares said. “That is what makes him special, not only when there is time and room, but when the ice is crowded.”
McKenna said Thursday’s pace and physical edge were a step up from the informal skates he had joined with teammates in recent weeks. Still, he welcomed the opportunity to start beside Tavares and Nylander.
“It’s good to know the coaches have confidence in me by putting me with players like that,” McKenna said. “It was fun.”
He described Tavares as a tireless worker and Nylander as exceptionally gifted, and said his own job is to stay true to his game, make plays, get to the net and trust that chances will come with linemates of that caliber.
Matthews and Roslovic reunite
Toronto’s other projected top line also carries some familiar history. Captain Auston Matthews opened camp at center between Knies and offseason addition Jack Roslovic.
Matthews and Roslovic played together in the U.S. National Junior Program and have remained close since their teenage years. Hiller said Matthews appreciates Roslovic’s skill set and sees him as a natural complement on the wing.
With McKenna receiving an immediate look next to Tavares and Nylander, and Matthews reconnecting with Roslovic alongside Knies, the Leafs began camp with their top-six picture taking shape quickly.
