Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna was named the WHL rookie of the year Tuesday after a 34-goal, 97-point debut season.NEWS FILE PHOTO
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The Western Hockey League’s youngest rookie came out on top of the rest in the 2023-24 season.
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna was named the WHL’s rookie of the year and winner of the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy on Tuesday.
McKenna was one of the youngest players on an active roster during the season, only turning 16 years old on Dec. 20. He put together a season of 34 goals and 97 points in 61 games, putting him second in rookie scoring and 12th among all WHL skaters.
He trailed B.C.-division nominee Terik Parascak in the rookie scoring race, with the soon-to-be 18-year-old and 2024 NHL draft candidate putting up 43 goals and 105 points in 68 games. Saskatoon Blades goaltender Evan Gardner and Everett Silvertips forward Julius Miettinen were the other nominees.
The 16-year-old Whitehorse, Yukon product was unavailable for comment while returning home from winning gold with Team Canada at the U18 men’s world championships held in Finland, where he set a new record for points by a Canadian with 10 goals and 20 points, but shared his emotions on the award win in a league release.
“It is a true honour to win this award,” McKenna said. “I want to congratulate Terik, Evan and Julius on your guys’ incredible seasons. The future is extremely bright for our league with upcoming players like you guys in it.
“I want to thank all my amazing teammates for being there for me and guiding me through such an amazing and unforgettable year. I want to thank the Tigers coaching staff and everyone in the Tigers organization for everything they do for me behind the scenes, and most importantly, I’d like to thank my family for being my motivation every single day and always being there for me no matter what.
“I’m extremely honoured and can’t wait to get next season started.”
Head coach Willie Desjardins says it was a well deserved award for McKenna.
“It’s a pretty incredible season all the way around. If you look at the U18s, you look at this, it just caps everything” Desjardins said. “There are a lot of really good rookies in our league, like really good rookies. But it’s a well deserved honour for him, I thought he had a great year for us and he battled every game.”
McKenna’s rookie of the year win marked the first time a Tigers player has received the honour since Neil Brady won the award in 1985-86. Forward Cayden Lindstrom was a nominee last season. Desjardins says snapping that streak showcases their scouting staff and the work they’ve put in.
“Bobby Fox and his scouting staff, he’s done a great job and we have lots of high-end young players coming into our program and that’s encouraging when you’re looking forward,” Desjardins said. “It’s exciting to have a guy like that who you know is going to be back, probably through the next couple of years anyway.”
McKenna set a franchise record for most points by a 16-year-old, surpassing Al Conroy’s previous marker of 95 points, set back in the 1982-83 season. He had a career-high six-point night (one goal, five assists) against the Tri-City Americans in Jan. 6 and registered 14 games where he tallied three or more points, including two hat tricks.
In the WHL’s announcement on social media, the league released a video of Tigers alumni and hall-of-famer Lanny McDonald sharing his well wishes for McKenna.
“We could not be happier for you and prouder of how you played and represented the Medicine Hat Tigers logo this year,” McDonald said. “And everyone else noticed as well, 34 goals, 63 assists, 97 points is an absolutely outstanding year.
“Congratulations on the Jim Piggott Western Hockey League rookie of the year award, keep up the great work, have a great summer and comeback with a vengeance, and go Tigers go.”
