NHL EDGE stats: McKenna sets fastest skating speed by 18-year-old

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we look at three underlying metrics storylines surrounding rookie Gavin McKenna's early impact with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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1. Skating speed

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Gavin McKenna, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, reached a max skating speed of 23.34 mph against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 8, which is the fastest burst by an 18-year-old in the League's tracking era (since 2021-22). The only other 18-year-old skaters to reach 23.00 mph were Macklin Celebrini (23.10 mph in 2024-25) and Matthew Schaefer (23.09 in 2025-26). 

McKenna's skating speed mark ranks fourth in the entire NHL in that category this season. McKenna is tied with teammate Kirill Marchenko for ninth in the entire League in 18-20 mph speed bursts (47) this season and ranks highly among forwards in 20-plus mph speed bursts (11; 84th percentile).

It’s also noteworthy that McKenna had the hardest shot of his NHL career (75.66 mph; saved) against the Predators on a shot that came off the rush. As McKenna’s comfort level grows in his ongoing transition to the NHL, he’s likely to showcase his max speed even more often over the course of his rookie season.

2. Mid-range offense

McKenna scored his first NHL goal against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 6, sparking a comeback for Toronto, which trailed 2-0 in the game but rallied to win 5-4 in overtime. McKenna, who was held without a point over his first three NHL games, responded with a multipoint game against Nashville, including a primary assist on John Tavares’ goal in the second period. McKenna then had a secondary assist against Vegas on Oct. 8, giving him three points in first five games.

McKenna’s first NHL goal, which was assisted by Toronto captain Auston Matthews, came on a mid-range shot on goal against Nashville. McKenna became the youngest Maple Leafs player (18 years, 290 days) to score his first career NHL goal since Luke Richardson on Oct. 16, 1987 (18 years, 204 days).

Through five games, McKenna has three mid-range shots on goal, which ranks in the 83rd percentile among forwards. McKenna, who was tied for fifth in the NCAA with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games at Penn State University as a freshman last season, had a career-high six shot attempts in the game against Nashville.

NHL EDGE IQ insights 🏒: McKenna’s first career goal came on a shot that had a Projected Goal Rate (PGR) of 2.61 percent, making it a low-probability attempt. He was 25.28 feet from the goal line at the time of the release.

3. Offensive zone start percentage

New Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller is entrusting McKenna with a prominent offensive role early on in his career; McKenna ranks in the 95th percentile in offensive zone starts percentage at 5-on-5 (51.4). McKenna is also seeing frequent power-play time early on in the season (1:59 per game).

Per NHL EDGE IQ, McKenna’s first career goal came on an offensive zone play (at least five seconds after puck crosses offensive blue line). Of McKenna’s 12 inferenced shot attempts this season, 11 have come on offensive zone plays; inferenced shot attempts exclude those taken from outside of 60 feet, beyond the goal line, and empty-net situations. McKenna has played mostly on a line with Tavares and William Nylander at 5-on-5 this season, but his first goal was assisted by Matthews and Jack Roslovic.

McKenna is also showing significant puck-possession improvement; after having a combined minus-23 shot attempts differential at 5-on-5 over his first two NHL games, he has been a combined plus-14 in that category over his next three games. Last season, Toronto finished last in the NHL in two key puck-possession metrics, offensive zone time percentage (38.9) and 5-on-5 shot attempts percentage (45.5), but has revamped its offense with the additions of McKenna, Marchenko and defenseman Darren Raddysh.

Ongoing adjustments from McKenna, both in terms of individual scoring and advanced metrics, should keep him as one of the front-runners for the Calder Trophy. And the impact of Toronto's offseason upgrades, including goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, could help the Maple Leafs contend for a Stanley Cup Playoff spot in the difficult Atlantic Division after missing the postseason last year.