Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna keeps showing why the hype around his puck skills has been there from the start. What’s becoming clearer now, though, is that there’s another part of his game that can’t be ignored: his speed.
Just five games into his NHL season, McKenna flashed it in Toronto’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. He hit 23.34 miles per hour, or 37.57 kilometers per hour, the fastest speed recorded by an 18-year-old since NHL Edge began tracking the data in 2021-22.
That mark puts him ahead of the other 18-year-olds who’ve cracked the 23-mile-per-hour barrier in that span. Center Macklin Celebrini reached 23.10 miles per hour, while New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer was right behind him at 23.09.
McKenna’s top speed against Vegas also sits in the 99th percentile of the NHL. And this season, his 23.43-mile-per-hour burst is the fastest on the Maple Leafs roster.
This isn’t exactly a complete surprise to everyone around the team. After Toronto’s second preseason game on Sept. 23, Hiller pointed to McKenna’s skating as the part of his game that stood out most.
"If you ask me what's the one part of his game that has caught you off guard, I would say it's his skating," Hiller said after the Leafs' second pre-season game on Sept. 23.
"It's his speed. I don't know if he was talked about that way, but his skating and his straightaway speed has been really good.
Of course, we know he's got great agility, but that's the thing that's jumped out at me so far.
McKenna has kept the production coming, too. He picked up an assist against Vegas and added another one Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche, giving him four points in six games.
That leaves the Maple Leafs rookie tied for the league lead in rookie scoring with Chicago Blackhawks ' Anton Frondell and Boston Bruins ' James Hages.
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