NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna scores on a 'Michigan' attempt from behind the Prince Albert net in the third period of Game 3 April 16 at the Art Hauser Centre against the Raiders. The goal came in the third period of a 6-3 win for the Tigers in the second-round series.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Gavin Mckenna has already been crowned the WHL’s best in the regular season. He and the Medicine Hat Tigers are four wins away from being the tops of the league in 2025.
The Tigers forward was named the WHL’s player of the year for 2024-25 on Wednesday, two days before they hit the ice at Co-op Place for Game 1 of the Western Hockey League’s Championship series with the Spokane Chiefs.
McKenna came second in the regular season scoring race with 41 goals and 129 points in 56 regular season games. He was held pointless in just three games all season, finishing the regular season with a 40-game streak that has risen to 53 games entering the WHL’s Championship Series, setting a modern Canadian Hockey League record (2000-present) for points in consecutive games (regular season, playoffs and Memorial Cup).
They’re milestones and markers McKenna says he couldn’t have achieved without those around him.
“Can’t do it without some talented players around you, so I had that and they obviously helped,” McKenna said. “But hockey isn’t about individual player awards, it’s about the big ones and team sports. So, like, the coolest award would be the Ed Chynoweth Cup.”
The WHL’s player of the year award was one of three goals McKenna set coming into his sophomore season in the WHL, with playing for Canada at the World Juniors in December 2024 being another, just like winning WHL and CHL rookie of the year was last year. So far all goals he’s taken on he’s crushed. He says setting goals for himself had helped him throughout his young career, giving him motivation through the everyday grind.
“For me to kind of achieve the two big goals in my career of getting rookie of the year and then player of year, it’s been pretty cool,” McKenna said. “It’s been a lot of work and it’s just the start.”
He has one more goal left for this season, raise that banner. He’ll get his first shot at inching closer to that dream with Game 1 tonight, a contest he says they’re yearning to get underway.
“We’ve all been super excited, we just want to get out there and play,” McKenna said. “It’s been a long wait, but it’ll be worth it. I think the city, there’s a buzz around here and it’s probably one of the biggest things they’ve seen in this rink. So we’re excited and we’re ready to go.”
McKenna sits third in playoff scoring with eight goals and 35 points in 13 games. He’s two points back of the leader, Andrew Cristall (20 goals, 37 points) from the Chiefs and second place Berkly Catton (eight goals, 36 points), also from Spokane.
McKenna’s tally has him third in the Tigers’ all-time points for a single playoff run, trailing Tom Lysiak (1973) with 12 goals and 39 points in 17 games and Lanny McDonald (1973) 18 goals, 37 points in 17. His 27 assists tie McDonald for the most in a single playoff run, with the NHL Hall of Famer doing so in 1973. Both Lysiak and McDonald won a championship in their record-setting years.
As they break into the series, with the anticipation having over a week to build, McKenna says they have to approach the finals as just another section in the schedule.
“Just look at it as some more games,” McKenna said. “You don’t want to get too nervous or get too ahead of yourself. Obviously, there’s a lot of motivation and it’ll be pretty easy to give it your all.”
He’s continued to soar past expectations as the games tack on, reaching new levels and recording highlight after highlight. With his brightest stage in the WHL coming into focus with the finals, head coach Willie Desjardins says there’s nothing more he can ask of McKenna than to be himself. The Tigers bench boss, like hockey fans tuning into the series, is just as excited to see what kind of magic he has in store this time.
“He’s got to be McKenna, he’s got to play the way he plays,” Desjardins said. “He’s always loved big games, they’re going to be key in on him, so nothing’s going to be easy for him.
“But we’re super excited that he’s on our side. And you know, I look forward to watching him.”
