NHL Draft watch party ‘perfect event’ for McKenna’s hometown Yukon

When Gavin McKenna was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, fans at Takhini Arena in Whitehorse, Yukon went crazy.

“It was jubilant,” said Dan Johnson, a longtime friend of the McKenna family. “People were yelling and screaming and pretty happy.”

Johnson organized a watch party at the local ice rink in Whitehorse, McKenna’s hometown, to help celebrate the unique talent.

He said the event, which included mini stick games, a hardest shot competition, and more activities throughout the evening, was “perfect.”

“The one area was just pure chaos with kids playing mini sticks, hardest shot and accuracy shooting,” Johnson said. “It was a bit of controlled chaos. Great to see the kids and the families there.”

About 500 people showed up, based on Johnson’s headcount, including past and present local politicians and “old time hockey people.”

“It was true mix of the spectrum of Yukon hockey,” Johnson said. “For a lot of us it was pretty special. That rink holds a lot of good memories, and we just had another one.”​

The event also served as a fundraiser for Hockey Yukon and Special Olympics. Johnson, who serves as president of Hockey Yukon, said the fundraising total was over $10,000 to be split between the two organizations.

With those funds, Johnson said he’ll be able to start a development program through Hockey Yukon.
“And for Special Olympics, just continuing their path of developing athletes in their world,” he said.
And while the pick may not have been a complete surprise to McKenna’s fans in Whitehorse, it’s certainly a moment to remember for everyone there.

“There was a lot of emotion,” Johnson said. “There were a lot of people there who followed Gavin’s story or were involved with Gavin’s story. Just a lot of joy and pride, and at the end of the day just a really cool event.

“A lot of these kids who are 7 to 15 (years old) are going to remember where they were when Gavin got drafted,” he added.