BUFFALO, N.Y. -- As expected, the Toronto Maple Leafs made Penn State winger Gavin McKenna the first pick in the NHL draft on Friday. The announcement didn't come, though, without a touch of Hollywood-esque drama.
Rather than NHL commissioner Gary Bettman revealing the Maple Leafs' choice, it was celebrity fan Justin Bieber taking the microphone and welcoming McKenna to Toronto. The partnership was fitting given McKenna -- a native of Whitehorse in Canada's Yukon Territory -- planned to use Bieber's song "Yukon" as his walk-up music when he donned the sweater of whichever team called his name.
Suddenly, though, Bieber was in position to practically serenade McKenna with the song himself.
"Mr. McKenna," Bieber boomed from the draft stage at KeyBank Center after serpentining his way through the floor of eager prospects. "We would like to draft you to the Toronto Maple Leafs."
Being selected into the NHL -- first no less -- was a milestone for McKenna. How it played out wasn't anywhere close to being on his bingo card.
"This isn't what I imagined when I was a young kid," McKenna said. "This is so much better. It's a special moment. One I'll remember for the rest of my life."
In addition to Bieber playing a role in his draft night, Toronto captain Auston Matthews -- a friend of Bieber's too -- sent a video message welcoming McKenna to the club and sharing how, "we are all working to write the next big chapter together."
McKenna expressed his awe over Matthews, adding "that's a guy I'm really looking forward to meeting." And he hoped they would be paired sooner than later on the ice, too.
"He's on the first line," McKenna said. "I'll have to prove myself to play with a player like that, but that's my goal. [The fit] is my game is a playmaker. He's a shooter. I think we could complement each other pretty well."
And of course, Bieber was confident in McKenna doing just that.
"It's a dream, bro," Bieber of Toronto drafting who he hopes is the franchise's next superstar forward. "I know this guy [McKenna] is going to kill it."
McKenna, 18, was widely projected to go No. 1 on the strength of a junior hockey and collegiate career that showcased his elite scoring and playmaking capabilities. He debuted with the Western Hockey League's Medicine Hat Tigers in 2022 and played there until 2025, winning a WHL championship that season and being the 2025 WHL Player of the Year while collecting 79 goals and 165 points in 133 games over the course of his tenure with the club.
It was also in 2025 that the NCAA changed its rules on eligibility for skaters, who had previously suited up in the Canadian major junior leagues, including the WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. McKenna was one of the first players to take advantage by joining the Nittany Lions for the 2025-26 season.
That shift to face bigger, tougher competition further highlighted McKenna's all-around game. He was an elite talent for Penn State, scoring 15 goals and setting the program's freshman records in assists at 36 and points at 51 in 35 games. That culminated in McKenna being named Big 10 Freshman of the Year. It added up to McKenna being a practically unanimous choice to be taken first.
McKenna's defensive game will need to catch up with his dynamic offensive abilities, but the Maple Leafs should still offer him ample opportunity to step right into the NHL this fall and boost its attack up front with his creativity and impressive release -- elements Toronto has been missing since the departure of Mitch Marner in last offseason's sign-and-trade deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.
McKenna also made the most of his momentous draft occasion by honoring family, particularly his Indigenous history. His suit contained several orange elements in the lining with photos of his loved one and wolf clan beads hand beaded by his sister adorning the front. It was because of them, McKenna stated, that he was able to reach this pinnacle -- and even gave a shoutout to his younger self in being key to the journey.
"We got it done," McKenna said, speaking to that other version of him. "It's the next step in a new chapter of my life."
Toronto held the top selection in Friday's event after winning the draft lottery on May 5. It was exactly 10 years ago -- and also in Buffalo -- that the Maple Leafs last held that No. 1 choice and used it to select Matthews. Toronto just missed the postseason for the first time since drafting Matthews, and that put the Maple Leafs in contention to pick at No. 1 again.
Since the NHL's largest prospect event has been decentralized, the Maple Leafs will officially introduce McKenna with team brass Saturday. General manager John Chayka issued a statement Friday following the selection that lauded McKenna and what he will bring to the club.
"Gavin is an exceptional young man with tremendous talent and character," Chayka said in the release. "Throughout this process, we had the opportunity to get to know him and his family, and each interaction strengthened our belief in him as both a player and a person."
McKenna comes into the mix with Toronto at a point of transition on multiple fronts. This was Chayka's first draft for the Maple Leafs after being hired -- along with senior advisor Mats Sundin -- in May. Also, Toronto just formally introduced its new coach, Jim Hiller, on Thursday. Chayka and Hiller replaced Brad Treliving and Craig Berube, respectively, after both were fired in the spring.
There's an undeniable pressure in entering the Toronto market as a top selection, something Matthews can certainly assist McKenna in navigating. The Maple Leafs haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1967 and have advanced to the second round of the playoffs -- and no further -- only twice since a pre-salary cap era semifinals appearance in 2003-04.
It's an understatement to say Toronto is hungry to succeed. The teen is, regardless, attempting to keep a positive attitude about what's ahead.
"When you go to a fanbase like that and you do well, it's the best spot to be," McKenna said. "It's the greatest market out there. I'm confident in myself, and I want to do good. So, hopefully the fanbase falls in love with me and it's a good time. I'm super excited and honored to be part of this team."
Before the draft, Toronto landed pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Darren Raddysh in a sign-and-trade with Tampa Bay. Chayka inked him to an eight-year, $68 million extension to be a top pairing defender.
The Maple Leafs were also busy making deals ahead of the draft. Toronto targeted pending UFA defenseman Darren Raddysh in a sign-and-trade with Tampa and inked him to an eight-year, $68 million extension to be a top-pairing defender.
The Maple Leafs also moved starting goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to Philadelphia for a package that included goaltender Samuel Ersson, a pending restricted free agent whose rights they subsequently flipped to Ottawa on Friday afternoon.