NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers Gavin McKenna skates with the puck in the first period of their 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Giants at Co-op Place on Tuesday.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Gavin McKenna has only played two games in the Western Hockey League and is already starting to gain confidence.
The 14-year-old was recalled on an emergency basis after the Medicine Hat Tigers sent Tomas Mrsic and Cayden Lindstrom to the U17 Hockey Challenge in Langley, B.C. Mrsic had a goal in Team Canada Red’s first game.
McKenna dressed in the Tigers’ 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Giants on Tuesday and didn’t put up any points to match his four assist WHL debut, but carried the puck with confidence and already sees spots where he can improve.
“It was obviously a bit of a tighter game, so you have to make every chance count, which I think I could have done better out there,” McKenna said. “But it was a good second game, I had lots of chances, but like I said, just kind of bearing down.
“You don’t get many opportunities, so when I have the opportunity, just bear down on it and shoot to score.”
McKenna was no stranger with the puck against Vancouver, with multiple stretch passes and a couple shifts in overtime where he was pushing for the game winner. Associate coach Joe Frazer commended McKenna’s passing and says the young prospect is getting better every day.
“We got to remember he’s 14 and this is the best junior league in the world. It’s big, it’s fast but, it’s not like it’s too much for him,” Frazer said. “When he plays he’s creating offence, which is extremely hard to do, especially as a 14-year-old, and when you watch him at practice he’s at the front of the lines and he’s leading the tempo of practice, playing to win in the small areas of the game.
“It’s just him getting comfortable and figuring out what the league is all about.”
Playing with SAHA, McKenna has found early offensive success and led the CSSHL’s U18 level with 25 points (11G, 14A) in eight games before joining the Tigers.
McKenna’s recall will last as long as Mrsic and Lindstrom are at the Hockey Challenge tournament, which wraps up Nov. 12, giving McKenna a possible six games with the Tigers not counting toward his five-game draft-year limit. The Whitehorse product is looking to take advantage of this opportunity.
“Just get a feel for the game and the pace up here and just help me get ready for next season when I’m playing full time with the Tigers,” McKenna said.
What McKenna won’t need help with is fitting in with his Tigers teammates, who have embraced him with a younger brother mentality. While McKenna was speaking with the News on Thursday, Tigers forward Oasiz Wiesblatt joined the scrum and asked his own set of questions, using his stick as a microphone.
Wiesblatt: “What’s your favourite food.”
McKenna: “Tacos.”
Wiesblatt: “Do you put veggies on your tacos?”
McKenna: “Just lettuce.”
Wiesblatt: “No tomatoes?”
McKenna: “No.”
Wiesblatt: “No onions?”
McKenna: “No, no onions.”
In his own interview, Wiesblatt could not contain his smile while talking about McKenna.
“I love the guy; at school he’s a great kid, it’s unreal that he’s 14 but he’s just my brother,” Wiesblatt said. “He’s a good kid at school, we talk to each other all the time.”
McKenna says he is always excited to be around his teammates and be a Tiger.
“The guys are all treating me well, it’s been fun,” McKenna said. “Being able to practise up here full time, they’re always pushing me, so it’s a good experience.”
McKenna and the Tigers were in Calgary on Friday taking on the Hitmen, though that game was not complete by time of press. Visit medicinehatnews.com/sports for a full game story. They team hosts Lethbridge on Saturday night at Co-op place.
