McKenna wins CHL’s player of the year

By Medicine Hat News on June 14, 2025.

Gavin McKenna has put the final stamp on an historic sophomore season in the Canadian Hockey League.

The Medicine Hat Tigers’ star forward was named the CHL’s player of the year during an awards ceremony Friday in Toronto, becoming the third youngest skater to win the CHL’s player of the year behind Sidney Crosby and John Tavares. He’s the first Tiger to receive the CHL’s player of the year award. It’s also the second straight year he’s honoured by the CHL, named rookie of the year last season.

“It means a lot,” McKenna said shortly after winning. “I think going into the year, that was my goal, and it’s pretty special obviously to win that award now.

“I know my family will be proud, and my teammates, and obviously I couldn’t have done it without them.”

The Whitehorse, Yuk. product was held off the scoresheet just three times all season and closed out the regular season with a 40-game point streak that amassed 32 goals and 100 points, helping propel the Tigers to an Eastern conference championship. He extended that streak to 54 games during the 2025 WHL playoffs, setting a modern CHL record (since 2000) for the longest point streak in a single season, spanning the regular season, playoffs and Memorial Cup as the Tigers’ captured their sixth Ex Chynoweth Cup.

The 17-year-old forward finished third in CHL scoring with 41 goals and 129 points, trailing only Michael Misa of the Saginaw Spirit (134 points) and Andrew Cristall of the Spokane Chiefs (132 points). McKenna’s 2.54 points per game however, were tops in the country. Misa was the OHL nominee for player of the year, Jonathan Fauchon of the Rimouski Océanic was the QMJHL nominee.

“I don’t think you win an award like this without your teammates,” McKenna said. “You need every single guy, and those guys all helped me, pushing me every day in practice and helping me out during the games. A lot of credit to those guys.”

McKenna’s 88 assists led all skaters across both the WHL and CHL. Early in the 2024-24 season, McKenna reached the 200-point milestone in just his 118th career game, becoming the third-fastest WHL player to do so since 1996 – behind only Regina Pats alum Connor Bedard (107 games) and Calgary Hitmen product Pavel Brendl (96 games).

While the league hasn’t won the Memorial Cup since 2015, the Tigers losing in the title game June 1, but Mckenna is the fourth straight WHLer to win the CHL’s top player award, following Jagger Firkus from the Warriors last season, Bedard in 2023 and Kamloops alum Logan Stankoven in 2022.

Mckenna spoke of the impact head coach Willie Desjardins has had on his game.

“He’s just an unbelievable coach,” he said. “We were all obviously so happy to win (the WHL Championship) for him. He’s helped us all, he’s a guy who cares so much, he’s for the players. He’d do anything for us and he’s a great role model as well.

“You see around Medicine Hat how important he is to the community, and it’s because of how great a guy he is.”

Other top award winners

Everett Silvertips defenceman Logan DuPont became the second youngest player ever to win the CHL rookie of the year, behind only Tavares in 2006, and becomes just the third player with exceptional status to do it. DuPont is the first defenceman to win the award in 30 years, with Bryan Berard doing so with the Detroit Jr. Redwings in 1995.

Moncton Knights bench boss Gardiner MacDougall was awarded the Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year trophy, becoming just the third to do so in their debut season. His group won the QJMHL championship following just nine regular season losses, eventually losing the London Knights in the Memorial Cup semifinal.

Sam Dickinson of the London Knights put up 91 regular season points this year, just the 11th D-man since 2000 to do so. Dickinson became the second blue liner in Knights history to pick up CHL Defenceman of the Year honours.

Jack Parsons from the Kitchener Rangers won goaltender of the year, Spokane’s Berkly Catton won sportsman of the year, Mathieu Cataford from Rimouski won scholastic payer of the year, while Maxwell Jardine from the Charlottetown Islanders was named humanitarian player of the year. The projected first overall pick in this year’s NHL Draft, Matthew Schaefer of the Erie Otters, was named draft prospect of the year.

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