McKenna to face Celebrini for first time in NHL when Maple Leafs host Sharks

TORONTO -- Gavin McKenna has played just nine NHL games. Even in that short time, the No. 1 pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2026 NHL Draft has experienced his share of ups and downs.

If he is looking for inspiration while navigating through his rookie season, he'll need only look across the ice when he will face Macklin Celebrini for the first time in the NHL when the Maple Leafs are home against San Jose Sharks at Scotiabank Arena on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN+, NBCSCA).

Celebrini, the Sharks captain in his third NHL season, is the most recent forward prior to McKenna to be selected No. 1 when San Jose chose him in the 2024 NHL Draft.

"He's a young player, very talented and I got to see that this summer in skating with him and see how hard he works and how talented he is," McKenna told NHL.com. "Honestly, it's no surprise to see what he's doing. He's a super-inspirational guy and to see what he's doing as a young kid, for me coming into the League, it's a big motivator."

McKenna and Celebrini spent part of the summer training together in Vancouver. That gave McKenna an up-close look at how Celebrini goes about his business, which has quickly led him to becoming one of the best players in the NHL just 158 games into his own career.

Celebrini had 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) in 82 games last season, nearly doubling his production as a rookie (63 points; 25 goals, 38 assists in 70 games. He was a nominee for the Ted Lindsay Award given to the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by fellow members of the National Hockey League Players' Association. He has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in six games this season.

"Just how hard he works," McKenna said of what he noticed training with Celebrini. "We spent a lot of time on the ice and in the gym and I think honestly that translates to his on ice stuff.

"When you're working hard off the ice, it just improves your game. To see him have that motivation at a young age is pretty cool."

Being the No. 1 pick always carries immensely high expectations, though each situation is different. For Celebrini, the Sharks were still in a building phase when he entered the League in 2024-25, allowing them to be more patient as he acclimatized.

For McKenna, the Maple Leafs began this season with the expectation of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, meaning they're looking develop him while prioritizing wins. That means less patience for mistakes, and doing all of this under the spotlight of one of the busiest hockey media markets in the League can be daunting for an 18-year old.

Maturity, McKenna's sense of humor notwithstanding, is a word often used to describe the native of Whitehorse, Yukon.

"He's mature in some ways," Maple Leafs forward Nick Paul said. "I mean, I sit beside him and his jokes are still 6-year old-eque but he's a mature guy. He knows he has the support of the team, and he knows it's going to be better moving forward."

After starting the season without a point in three games, McKenna was on a four-game point streak (two goals, three assists) until he was benched from the 10:32 mark of the second period and played just 6:36 in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

"Obviously, you want to play, but yeah, we (coach Jim Hiller and himself) had a good talk," McKenna said before a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders in Toronto on Saturday. "We have a good relationship together, me and Jim.

"He said it had nothing to do with my play, which is obviously nice to know. It doesn't really take away from your confidence at all, so (I) appreciated him reaching out, and I trust him. I trust the team. That's what they want to do, so I'm willing to play whatever role this team wants."

McKenna played a season high 17:56 on Saturday, the third-highest among Maple Leafs forwards, and had four shots on goal while also being elevated to the top power-play unit in the absence of forward John Tavares, who is week to week with a lower-body injury.

Celebrini started his rookie season with four points (three goals, one assist) in his first three games but then went through the coldest stretch of his NHL career with just one goal in his next eight before finishing with 59 points in his final 63 games.

Tavares, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft and who McKenna is living with this season, said it is not unusual for high-end young players to look to their peers as comparisons like he did with Steven Stamkos, the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft who entered the League one year before.

"Especially first picks, to see how they're doing and maybe how you can impact the League and especially someone you grew up playing with and against," Tavares told NHL.com. "It's interesting to have that opportunity to play against each other in the NHL. I'm sure that will be cool for them (McKenna and Celebrini).

"It may happen from time to time, but you try not to (watch each other too closely). Everyone is their own player. It's a different team, different environment, different scenario, there's a lot of factors that play into everything. You try to just focus on your own trajectory and own development, but I was always interested to see how guys were doing and what's making themselves and how things are going in their situations. So, you're keeping tabs that way but you're not trying obviously to compare all the time."

So early into his NHL career, McKenna admitted every game still carries great excitement but the chance to face Celebrini head-to-head will be special.

"Yeah for sure," McKenna said. "Every single game you get excited so to play against him, he's a special talent. When I skated with him in the summer, I got pretty close with him, so I'm looking forward to it."