NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna embraces the crowd after scoring his hat trick goal as part of a seven-point night in a 7-3 win at Co-op Place over the Red Deer Rebels on March 15.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Gavin McKenna wants to help give Co-op Place its moment of glory.
The Medicine Hat Tigers’ arena is still searching for its defining moment, something their former home, The Arena, had in spades. Those plays that turn into legacy and ever-lasting memories aren’t easy to come by, often dictated by playoff success.
As they kick off the 2025 playoffs, McKenna is enthralled at the idea of giving Co-op Place its glory.
“You look at our regular season success and it was pretty special, and our team gets better in the high-pressure moments,” McKenna said. “So that’s a little preview of what playoffs is going to show from our team. You’re going to get a lot out of this team.”
The Tigers enter their first-round series with the Swift Current Broncos off the heels of clinching their first Eastern conference title since 2006-07 and first Central division banner since 2017-18. But the true special season came from the ‘wonder kid’ from Whitehorse as the Yukon product finished a historic season with a 40-game point streak, amassing 41 goals and 129 points in 56 games.
He surpassed the 200-point plateau, becoming the third-fastest WHLer to reach 200 points in a career in modern history. His point streak is the second-highest in the CHL since 2000, surpassing the likes of Sidney Crosby and Connor Bedard. It’s a streak McKenna says he found himself getting nervous about halfway through before he settled in and just watched it grow.
“I was thinking about it too much,” McKenna said. “Then by the end of it, from 30 to 40, I honestly didn’t go into games hoping to keep the streak alive. I just wanted to keep playing the way I can play. Once I did that, the more points started to come, and it was a lot better.”
He saw improvements in his defensive game, earning trust from the coaching staff to play on the penalty kill and improving his even-strength play. Last season, with 97 points, he had a -4 plus/minus. This year, he was +60.
What more can be asked of the 17-year-old who has cemented himself as the first overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft? For head coach Willie Desjardins, who has seen McKenna rise from the age of 15 where he took over play to now where he’s taking over games, there’s not a lot more to ask beyond being the star he is.
“He’s done all this with people keying on him, every guy knows they have to shut him down,” Desjardins said. “It’s even more special when you see what he’s done with everybody looking at him. So I don’t have any expectations coming into playoffs, he’s always played great in big games and he’ll play as hard as he can.”
McKenna has had his fair share of big games over the last 12 months, winning gold twice for Canada at the U18s and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He suited up in the World Juniors for Canada and led the Tigers through the season, dominating in the 5-0-1 U.S. road trip.
Big games mean bright lights and more eyes, and it’s when McKenna says he’s at his best.
“When I’m going into those games, I’m trying to just look at it as another game,” McKenna said. “If you think about it too much, the nerves might get you but you just want to stay calm and collected, it is just another game. When this time comes, if we get to a Game 7, I think that’s where our team will be the best.”
He’s suited up in nine playoff games so far in his WHL career, tallying a goal in the 2023 first-series with the Winnipeg Ice and added two goals and six points in five games last year against the Red Deer Rebels. With the 2025 playoffs getting underway Friday, McKenna sees a spot in his game where he needs to find that next level this year.
“There’s times in games where maybe I’m taking a shift off or I didn’t back check as hard as I could; in playoffs, there’s no room for that,” McKenna said. “I have to make sure every single shift that I’m giving my all for the team. It doesn’t matter about the individual stuff anymore, it’s all about the team. So I just have to make sure I’m doing what I’m doing and hopefully it rubs off on all the guys.”
