McKenna motivated to help Canada rebound at 2026 World Junior Championship

Gavin McKenna was overwhelmed with emotion in the moments after Canada lost 4-3 to Czechia in the quarterfinals of the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa.

It marked the second straight tournament in which Canada had been eliminated by Czechia and finished fifth at an event it has won 20 times in 49 tournaments.

But those memories are providing a driving force toward a better result at the 2026 WJC in Minnesota.

Canada’s first game, coincidentally, will be against Czechia at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis on Friday.

"We're moving on from last year and getting ready for this year," said McKenna, the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. "Last year wasn't the result we wanted and we made some changes. I'm excited with the group we've got."

That group will be keyed by McKenna, who scored one goal and averaged 15:23 of ice time in five games at the 2025 WJC.

He's expected to have a far more significant role this time, potentially including a spot at left wing on the top line alongside center Michael Misa (San Jose Sharks) and right wing Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers).

He's also expected to face more pressure. The forward, who turned 18 on Saturday, has 18 points (four goals, 14 assists) in 16 games as a freshman at Penn State, where he's testing himself against older, more physically developed competition.

It's certainly been a step up from junior hockey, where he had 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League last season and was named player of the year in the WHL and the Canadian Hockey League.

"I'm confident going into the tournament," he said. "There's a lot of chatter on my year and stuff. I think it's a growth year for me, playing against harder guys. I could have stayed in the [WHL] and put up a bunch of points but I wanted to challenge myself this year and I've been getting challenged. Being in the NCAA prepared me for this tournament and hopefully I have a good one."

Canada's World Junior staff is excited to see what McKenna will be able to do playing against players closer to his own age.

"I watched him play a couple times this year," said Mark Hunter, the head of Canada's WJC management group. "He makes elite passes. He's an elite playmaker. ... You see his brain, how it works and how quick he gets pucks to the net and how he can set up people for open nets."

He showcased some of that during Canada's first pre-tournament game, a 2-1 win against Sweden on Dec. 17 that saw McKenna have the primary assist on two goals by Brady Martin (Nashville Predators).

"He put pucks in spots where I can get them," Martin said. "He's a really good player so it's pretty easy to play with him.

"The way he sees the ice and his skating, he's just all-around elite. His hands, he always makes the right play. If you just get open he'll find you. It's pretty easy to play with him."

But McKenna wants to be more than just an offensive force.

"I expect a lot," he said. "I expect to be one of the top guys. I want to lead this team. I want to be a leader, I want to show the guys what it takes. Hopefully lead us to a gold medal."

He'll have help in that regard, including six players with NHL experience this season: defensemen Harrison Brunicke (Pittsburgh Penguins) and Zayne Parekh (Calgary Flames), and forwards Braeden Cootes (Vancouver Canucks), Jett Luchanko (Flyers), Martin and Misa.

Misa especially should invigorate a Canada offense that scored seven even-strength goals in five games at the 2025 WJC, when Canada was seventh of 10 teams on the power play at 21.1 percent (4-for-19).

He has three points (one goal, two assists) in seven NHL games after leading the CHL last season with 134 points (62 goals, 72 assists) in 65 games with Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League.

"I think he adds another dynamic offensive player, another guy that can make your special teams [better]," Canada WJC general manager Alan Millar said. "I think Misa adds another element and adds another level in terms of our skill and sense. You want to have details, you want to play with structure, you want to play the right way, you want to keep pucks out of your net. But at the same time, as we found out a year ago, you've got to score goals as well."

There's also a need for more discipline after Canada had tournament highs of 34 minor penalties and 113 penalty minutes, including 55 in the quarterfinal loss to Czechia.

"Watching last year and the last game, discipline problems with some big hits," coach Dale Hunter said. "The rules are a little different than our leagues. We've got to abide by the rules and play hard, but we've got to make sure we don't put ourselves in a predicament like that."

A crestfallen McKenna said last year, "I wish I could have done more for the fans and the people of Canada. It [stinks] we had to go out this way. Hate to say it, but there's always next year."

Next year is here, and McKenna is out to make sure he leaves Minnesota with a different feeling than the one he took with him when he left Ottawa.

"The way we finished these last two years, Canada should never finish fifth," he said. "Coming into this year, there's a lot of eyes on us to do well and I think that's the motivation, to do it for the country. We've let them down a few times now and we owe it to them."

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger contributed to this report