Scene involving Gavin McKenna at the NHL draft combine is raising serious questions

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Skyler Walker
June 6, 2026  (10:41)

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Photo credit: Screenshot

Gavin McKenna had Willie Desjardins' name attached to him all year, and Saturday he gave everyone at the NHL combine another reason to stare.

The projected top pick ripped through the Wingate bike, one of the nastiest tests on the floor in Buffalo.

It's 30 seconds of pure strain, and McKenna didn't pace himself for a second.

This is leaving everyone was the simple question: what is he being doubted to go first overall?

Nobody is on this kids level.

That matters because this test isn't about style points.

It's a straight check on lower-body drive, stamina, and how much power a player can hold when the legs start to burn.

McKenna didn't just survive it. He blew it open.

He posted a 15.8 peak power mark, and nobody around him touched that number. The gap jumped off the board right away.

Simas Ignativius was next at 14.1, while Chase Harrington, William Hakansson, and Kayden Lemire each came in at 13.9. McKenna wasn't edging the field. He was clear of it.

For scouts, this is the kind of result that backs up everything they already see on the ice.

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McKenna plays with pace, pushes defenders back, and keeps attacking when shifts get heavy.

The bike doesn't decide a draft on its own.

Teams know that. But when the player carrying first-overall buzz also crushes one of the toughest tests at the event, it only adds weight to the file.

That's the real takeaway here. McKenna showed up with pressure all over him, stepped into a setting built to expose weakness, and turned it into another win.

There's still more testing to come, and clubs won't build their list off one station at the combine. They'll still work through interviews, medicals, and the full on-ice picture.

But this kind of showing sticks. Front offices remember who looks comfortable when the room gets tense, and McKenna looked like he wanted the moment.

That's why this clip is moving fast around the hockey world. The top name in the class didn't play it safe. He attacked a brutal test and made the rest of the group chase him.

Previously

Police lay down charges and are actively searching for a former NHL enforcer: It won't end well for Link Gaetz

Vegas receives major Brayden McNabb Game 3 update after scary hospitalization in the Finals

Kent Hughes and the Canadiens face bizarre accusations just weeks into their offseason

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4 HOURS AGO   |   347 ANSWERS Scene involving Gavin McKenna at the NHL draft combine is raising serious questions Did Gavin McKenna just lock up the No. 1 pick even tighter ?

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