Tigers take Gavin McKenna with first overall pick

By Ryan McCracken on May 19, 2022.

The Medicine Hat Tigers have selected Rink Hockey Academy forward Gavin McKenna with the first overall selection in Thursday’s Western Hockey League Prospects Draft.

The pick came as no surprise, as the 14-year-old Whitehorse product had garnered significant buzz as the consensus No. 1 heading into the draft.

“It’s awesome. It’s not every day you get to be selected first overall to such a great program,” McKenna said in an interview on the WHL’s draft livestream. “I’m a dynamic playmaker who likes to play with lots of speed, sees the ice very well and is very competitive and loves to win.”

McKenna — Medicine Hat’s first top draft selection since taking Ryan Hollweg in 1999 — joins the Tigers after racking up 23 goals and 42 assists over 35 games with RHA’s U18 program in Kelowna. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound left winger was the only player eligible in the draft who competed at the U18 level this season, and he led the Canadian Sport School Hockey League in scoring.

Just a few minutes after the selection, the Tigers announced they had signed McKenna to a standard player agreement.

“I know it’s going to be an exciting time for fans to see a player of this calibre,” Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins said on the livestream. “His vision is outstanding… I think he’s a player who gets faster when the has the puck.”

Fifteen picks later, the Tigers were back on the clock. Using the 16th overall selection — obtained from the Seattle Thunderbirds in the trade for overage forward Lukas Svejkovsky — the Tabbies drafted Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 prep forward Hayden Harsanyi.

The 5-foot-7, 140-pound Calgary product put up 31 goals and 36 assists in 25 games with NAX this season.

Second round

The Tigers went back to Rink Hockey Academy to open the second round, using the 23rd overall pick on 6-foot-2, 178-pound centre Kadon McCann.

The Cochrane product recorded 22 goals and 23 assists over 30 games with RHA’s U15 prep squad this season. He also posted three goals and two assists in three games at the U17 level, and one goal in three games at the U18 level.

Third round

Medicine Hat moved to the blue line in the third round, taking OHA Edmonton U15 prep defenceman Matt Paranych at 45th overall.

The 5-foot-7, 141-pound Edmonton product managed 13 goals and 39 assists over 30 games with OHA this season, as well as two goals and nine assists in nine games at the U16 level.

Also in the third round, Medicine Hat’s Ryan Miller was selected at 66th overall by the Portland Winterhawks.

The NAX centre produced 26 goals and 33 assists in 30 CCSHL games this year.

Fourth round

The Tigers kept things local in the fourth round, selecting South East Athletic Club Tigers defenceman Hudson Gainer with the 77th overall pick.

The 5-foot-6, 140-pound Hatter put up 14 goals and 16 assists in 34 games with SEAC this season.

Fifth round

The Tabbies had a pair of picks in the fifth round, adding another defenceman in Jack Kachkowski, of the St. Albert Sabres, and a goaltender in NAX’s Jordan Switzer.

Kachkowski, a 5-foot-11, 155-pound blueliner from St. Albert, had 14 goals and 17 assists in 33 games with the Sabres this year.

Switzer, a 5-foot-11, 160-pound product of Edmonton, posted a 12-1-0 record with a 2.06 goals against average and a .917 save percentage over 14 games for NAX.

Sixth round

The Tigers added their fourth defenceman of the draft to open the sixth round, spending the 114th overall pick on Leduc Oil Kings blueliner Cohen Carter.

The 5-foot-11, 162-pound defenceman from Drayton Valley had five goals and seven assists in 29 games with the Leduc this year.

Seventh round

Medicine Hat added two more players in the seventh round, taking RHA Winnipeg right winger Brody Green at 133rd overall and Minnesota Blades defenceman Kyle Heger at 135th.

Green, a 5-foot-11, 157-pound Winnipeg product, scored 19 goals with 29 assists in 30 games this season.

Heger, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound blueliner from Eagan, Minn., had seven goals and 29 assists in 51 games.

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