KITCHENER, Ontario -- Gavin McKenna and Brady Martin grew up worlds apart from each other.
Three time zones and about 3,300 miles apart.
That’s the distance between Whitehorse, Yukon, McKenna’s northerly hometown, and the Martin farm near the southern Ontario community of Elora, where Brady still spends his summers.
Their common thread: the sport of hockey, which both excel at, albeit in different ways.
Indeed, their skill sets are as different as the places they’re from. McKenna is the slick playmaker with elite vision, Martin the gritty competitor with a special combination of hustle and muscle.
Yet in the end, these two contrasting forwards might be the perfect fits as linemates for Canada heading into 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, set to take place in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota from Dec. 26-Jan 5, 2026.
That was the big takeaway from Canada’s 2-1 victory against Sweden in a pre-tournament game at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Wednesday, a game in which McKenna set up Martin for both Canada goals.
“Playing with Gavin is so easy,” Martin said. “He’s such a smart player, and he always finds a way to get the puck to you or to a good spot on the ice.
“We had some good chemistry tonight, and I thought the guys worked hard.”
McKenna, who turns 18 on Saturday, was encouraged by the way he and Martin clicked together.
“He’s a lot of fun to play with,” McKenna said of Martin. “And he’s a great guy to be around. So he’s pretty easy to mesh with on and off the ice. And he has a thing for scoring big goals.
“He’s a great player.”
The urgency of players meshing early like this is key in a tournament in which there is not much preparation time for a group of players who for the most part are unfamiliar with playing with each other.
The game against Sweden was the first tune-up for both teams as they work their way to the World Juniors, so nothing is etched in stone when it comes to lineup combinations. At the same time, coach Dale Hunter has to be encouraged by how Canada’s top players like McKenna and Martin have come in trying to make a statement as difference-makers, something Canada has lacked in their previous two appearances in this tournament, back-to-back losses in the quarterfinals.
In an attempt to end that drought, Canada finds itself with no shortage of high-end talent, led by McKenna and Martin.
McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, is tied for fifth among NCAA freshmen with 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 16 games with Penn State, despite not playing since Nov. 22. He had one goal in five games for Canada at the 2025 WJC, and he’s determined to help this team make amends.
Martin, selected by the Nashville Predators with the No. 5 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, began the season in the NHL and had one assist in three games before being returned to Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League. The 18-year-old has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) and is plus-7 in 13 OHL games.
“He’s a hard-nosed player, but with skill,” Hunter said. “It’s very hard to find players like that. He plays hard, he knows how to score, he goes to the net and he’s hard to play against.
“At the end of the night the opposing team will say, ‘He’s hard to play against.’ And that’s what you want to hear.”
Canada’s offense received a further boost Wednesday when San Jose Sharks forward Michael Misa, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 Draft, joined the group. The 18-year-old, who last season lead the Canadian Hockey League with 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games with Saginaw of the OHL, was a surprising omission from Canada’s 2025 World Junior team and will have plenty of motivation this time around.
“He’s been with these guys at different levels, and they all know him,” Hunter said of Misa. “We had him at our summer (camp). He brings skill, more skill, and he’s a center, which helps a lot.”
Canada’s next pre-tournament game will be against Sweden again, this time at Canada Life Place in London, Ontario, on Saturday.
It’s first game at the World Juniors will be against Czechia on Dec. 26 (8:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, TSN), the team that’s defeated Canada in the quarterfinals each of the past two tournaments.
