McKenna plans to use World Juniors as springboard to big second half as draft pressure rises

Team Canada defeated Finland 6-3 at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul on Monday to win the bronze medal at the 2026 World Juniors in Minnesota.

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Gavin McKenna said he was fuelled by draft-year critics heading into the World Juniors. Now that the tournament is over, how does he feel about his performance?

“I feel good,” the Team Canada left winger said. “I’m sure people will still say things. In terms of this tournament and myself, it brought some confidence. People obviously will still say things, like I said, and for me it’s just trying to stay away from that. The second half is going to be a big one for me and staying mentally well will be a big part of it.”

McKenna produced a goal and three assists on Monday to help Canada beat Finland and win the bronze medal. The Penn State freshman finished the tournament with four goals and 14 points, which was second overall in the scoring race behind only linemate Michael Hage.

Teammates appreciated how McKenna handled being in the spotlight.

“He’s calm,” said Hage, who is a sophomore at the University of Michigan. “He doesn’t worry about it too much. He does a better job than I would’ve done if I was in his position, like, not looking at the media and just worrying [about] what he has to do. He had a great tournament. Like, he’s one of our best players and his production showed that too. He’s just special with the puck. There’s obviously stuff that needs to be worked on, and that’s like everybody’s game, but you can’t teach what he does with the puck. I was happy for him.”

McKenna was a big reason why Canada’s power play clicked at a tournament-best 50 per cent. TSN analyst Frankie Corrado described McKenna’s set up on a Sam O’Reilly man-advantage marker on Monday as “an NHL pass”

But despite the impressive point total, McKenna still received mixed reviews in Minnesota.

“He’s an incredible talent,” Corrado said. “But his game, at times, leaves a little bit to be desired with some of the puck pursuit, the battles, the play on the wall. No doubt Gavin McKenna is going to get points over the course of his NHL career but, just evaluating this tournament, the points are there, but you still have a bit of a lukewarm feeling about what you saw on the ice.”

With draft-eligible winger Ivar Stenberg featuring prominently in Sweden’s run to the gold medal, the race to go first overall in the 2026 NHL draft is only going to get tighter.

How will McKenna, who entered the season topping most draft boards, handle the pressure?

“There’s no, really, answer to it,” the 18-year-old from Whitehorse said. “There’s a lot of pressure on a young kid like me, but I always try to think back to my family. I’m doing it for them. They’ve done a lot for me growing up so that’s my motivation. If I’m getting too down on myself I always got them to call.”

“He gets a lot of crap for a lot of stuff that’s really undeserved,” said Team Canada defenceman Zayne Parekh. “At the end of the day, he’s an 18-year-old kid trying to find his way so people gotta be less hard on him and kind of let him breathe from time to time. He’s got enough pressure on his shoulders and he’s just a really good kid. He’s a really good kid to be around and, for how much pressure and stuff he deals with, he handles it really well and he’s a great teammate.”

After dominating the Western Hockey League while racking up 129 points in 56 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers last season, McKenna generated four goals and 18 points in 16 games in NCAA play to start this year. He’s hoping the World Juniors will be a springboard to a big stretch drive.

“The main goal is to win a national championship,” he said. “We got a great team over at Penn State. For myself, I want to just start to have a bit of a better second half in terms of producing and stuff and stuff like that. It wasn’t there the first half and if I can do that in the second half it will help me.”

McKenna hit the scoresheet in all seven games at the World Juniors, but was limited to one secondary assist in Canada’s semifinal loss to Czechia. McKenna tied for Canada’s plus-minus lead at plus-seven.

“He’s had so much pressure for so long and he’s dealt with it great,” said Team Canada captain Porter Martone, who is a freshman winger at Michigan State. “He gets knocked down a lot. I talked to him, I went through it my draft year, sometimes you gotta avoid the outside noise and really just focus on yourself and what you can control. You can’t control the uncontrollables. He did an amazing job. He was unbelievable for us and I expect big things from him in the coming years.”

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Stenberg sealed Sweden’s win with an empty-net goal on Monday night, which capped a three-point performance.

“It was like a black out, all emotions,” he said. “All the guys were celebrating and so happy. I was just like, ‘Wooo!’”

Czechia had scored twice with the goalie pulled to draw within 3-2 late in the third period.

“I was nervous,” Stenberg said. “I was happy I could step onto the ice because then I get not so nervous.”

The 18-year-old also picked up two assists on Monday as Sweden celebrated only its third ever gold medal at the World Juniors and its first since 2012 in Calgary.

“It’s a f—king dream,” Stenberg said.

Stenberg saved his best for last in Minnesota. He also recorded a goal and an assist in the semifinal win against Finland.

“Not the best in group play, but now in the playoffs I stepped up,” he said. “That’s important to me. I think I play better against better teams. Like, Germany is a slow game and stuff like that. I’m better when it’s more pressure.”

Stenberg set up the game-winning goal by defenceman Sascha Boumedienne on Monday night.

“The guy’s unreal,” said Boumedienne, who is a Winnipeg Jets prospect. “He does whatever he wants out there. He has a sense of urgency, but is calm at the same time. Yeah, he’s such a cool mind and knows exactly what to do at all times.”

How high can Stenberg rise in the draft?

“Ah, top one,” said Swedish forward Anton Frondell with a smile. “We’ll see, but he’s so good and so talented and he shows it every game here.”

Stenberg has racked up 24 points in 25 games this season while playing for Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League.

“He’s a great guy. Great player. Wow, he’s first overall,” raved Swedish defenceman Victor Johansson, who is a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect. “Yeah, he’s first overall. By far.”

Stenberg finished the World Juniors with four goals and six assists.

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Hage and McKenna hit it off early in Canada’s training camp.

“Since Game 1 of pre-tournament we kind of clicked,” McKenna said. “He’s a great player. He’s producing in college. It’s a hard league to score in and he did it here as well. He’s obviously a great player.”

Hage was tied for second in NCAA scoring with 20 points in 28 games when he left to join Team Canada.

“He’s a special player,” said Team Canada forward Cole Reschny, who is a Calgary Flames first round pick. “I think he’s played college for a year and a half now and he’s learned to play hard against older guys. I guess [that helps] when you come here and play against your own age group. He showed up, and a lot of credit goes to him. He’s a dialled guy. He’s a great player and a great guy too.”

Hage started on the wing at Canada’s camp, but quickly shifted back to centre on a team where most of the forwards play down the middle. He started on the second power-play unit before quickly earning a promotion to the top unit.

Hage finished the World Juniors with two goals and 13 assists. What did he show in Minnesota?

“Just the player that I am,” the Montreal Canadiens prospect said. “[I] try to be someone who steps up in big tournaments, in big moments. A lot of the credit goes to how good these guys were around me. It was fun to be a part of this team.”

Hage hit a couple posts during the semifinal loss to Czechia. He also failed to convert on a strange penalty shot sequence in the second period. Michal Orsulak tripped Hage on the first attempt, which led referees to award another shot.

“It felt like the first [post], we scored two minutes later so I wasn’t too worried,” the 19-year-old from Oakville, Ont. said. “And same with the other one. But the penalty shot, that’s one I want back.”

Hage tried the same move, but the Czech goalie was ready this time.

“First one I had an empty net and he tripped me,” he explained. “I just thought he bit so hard I’d try the same thing and he just read it that time.”

Hage responded with a four-assist effort in the bronze-medal game. How did he regroup?

“A lot of guys have moments, personally, that they want back from that [semifinal] game whether it’s offensively or defensively,” he said. “So it’s one of those things where you gotta let it go. That’s the game. You play the game and it’s imperfect so you have to accept it and move on.”

Like McKenna, Hage hit the scoresheet in all seven games. He led the team with 26 shots on goal and scored an overtime winner against Latvia in the preliminary round.

“He showed how good he was,” said Parekh. “His first year of junior he got hurt and he kind of went under the radar and people slept on him and maybe wrote him off a little bit. He’s still a first-round pick (21st overall) at the end of the day, but he really proved what type of player he is this tournament.”

Hage was voted to the media all-star team as one of the three forwards.

“If he doesn’t hit a post or if he scores on one of those penalty shots, is he the MVP of this tournament?” said TSN analyst Cheryl Pounder. “I mean, that’s how good this guy was. In the offensive zone, he was dynamic. He used his speed up and down the ice, through neutral ice. The way he worked with McKenna and [Brady] Martin, it was a trifecta. Those guys were all over the offensive zone. One of the things you always noticed was No. 29.”

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With 13 points, Parekh set a new single-tournament scoring record for a Canadian defenceman at the World Juniors breaking the previous mark of 12 shared by Alex Pietrangelo (2010) and Bryan McCabe (1995).

What did Parekh think about making history for Canada?

“Not too much,” the Calgary Flames rookie said. “Just disappointed we didn’t come away with gold. At the end of the day, that’s the ultimate goal. I mean, no one will remember this because we didn’t win gold and it’s really unfortunate.”

Despite the disappointment, Parekh has plenty to be proud of. The 19-year-old from Nobleton, Ont. joined Team Canada after a tough, injury-plagued start in the NHL where he mustered just one assist in 11 games. Parekh seemed to rediscover his mojo in Minnesota.

“I gained a little bit more confidence, a little bit more belief in myself,” Parekh said. “It’s been tough. I didn’t know if I would come in here and play too well or what. I didn’t really have too much expectations for what would happen at this tournament, but I’m glad I put forward an effort and put my front foot forward and just tried my best. It wasn’t enough, but I really tried.”

“Everything he does out there is pretty crazy,” said McKenna with a smile. “The way he can shoot the puck. The way he can make plays at such a nonchalant pace it’s, like, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player like him. He was a lot of fun to be around in the locker room and on the ice. I wish him the best going forward.”

Parekh scored five goals, which was tied for second in the tournament. He twice eclipsed 30 goals in the Ontario Hockey League with the Saginaw Spirit, but even those who’ve seen him up close previously learned something new at the World Juniors.

“I didn’t think he had a shot like that,” said Canada coach Dale Hunter, who runs the bench of the London Knights. “I knew he had a good shot, but it was a danger shot.”

Parekh is now set to rejoin the Flames.

“It was nice to get in a groove again and nice to contribute and play well,” he said. “I hope I can bring it back to Calgary. That’s the plan.”

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Parekh also stood out for his personality at the World Juniors. He was very open with the media and during a New Year’s Day session with reporters explained why.

“It’s more watching NHL guys be robots and, you know, not having any personality,” he said with a smile. “I think you need some personality and it’s kind of the best way to grow the game. I don’t want to come in here and be a robot. I mean, when I’m in Calgary I definitely have a lot of guys that are telling me to give really simple answers, but here I can kind of do what I want.”

That comment raised eyebrows, especially back in Calgary, and Parekh was not made available to the media again until after the gold-medal game.

Parekh was asked about the reaction to the comment.

“Some things got spun out of proportion,” he said. “Probably worded things wrongly ... I sincerely apologize to the Flames organization and my teammates. At the end of the day, that’s not acceptable and that can’t happen.”

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Canada led the tournament with 42 goals, which was seven more than Sweden. Canada had the best power play and second best penalty kill. Canada also ranked third in save percentage.

So, why did they win bronze and not gold?

“Well, sometimes you just have to admit you lost to a team that played better than you,” said Alan Millar, who is in his first year as the first full-time general manager for Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence. “Were they a better team than us? I don’t know, but [Sunday] night they were better than us. We knew going in they were a big, heavy team, very well-coached, very well-structured in terms of how they played. I thought that their back end was a real difference in the game and in the tournament in terms of their depth, their size, their mobility.”

Adam Jiricek matched Parekh with five goals while playing 22:46 per game. Tomas Galvas produced nine points while logging 20:57 per night. Jakub Fibigr played 22:30 per game.

Parekh led Canada in average ice time at 19:10.

“You look at the pool of players, you look at the balance in terms of what you need back there, and that’s what we felt was the best group in the pool of players that we had,” Millar said of his defence.

New York Islanders rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer was, understandably, unavailable, but Hockey Canada had hoped Sam Dickinson, who played for Hunter in London, may be loaned out by the San Jose Sharks.

“Would have I liked to have Sam Dickinson back there? I think we were really missing that No. 1 guy that you could throw on the ice for a PK or at the end of the game that just kind of led you out of trouble,” Millar said. “We had some guys do it in spurts. At the end of the day, they were a good group. We had some young guys in the mix. I’m not sure we had that true No. 1 guy that we could rely on in certain situations. So, they did the best they could.”

Canada kept fighting back in the semifinal against Czechia, but every time they pushed, Czechia was able to push back.

“You just gotta give Czechia credit,” Millar said. “They were the better team. I’m not sure that we got to our best. I thought we needed to defend a little bit harder in certain situations particularly when we made it 3-3 and again when we made it 4-4. We were a minute away from getting to overtime. I’ll be honest, I liked our chances if we got to overtime, but we didn’t get there. Full credit to Czechia on a helluva game.”

Czechia emptied the tank against Canada and couldn’t get back to that level in the gold-medal game against Sweden.

“Our legs weren’t going,” said Czechia head coach Patrik Augusta. “It took a lot of energy out of us, the game against Canada, not even physically, but mentally too with the emotions. It was a big game for us.”

“Canada was a great team,” said Czechia forward Vaclav Nestrasil. “We were over-hyped against them and that probably bit us at the start of the gold-medal game.”

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Amid the mix of shock and devastation after the loss on Sunday, comments from top-line centre Michael Misa stood out.

“They just played grittier the whole game, outcompeted us,” the Sharks rookie said. “They just out-competed us. There’s nothing much else to say really.”

Misa also took responsibility for Czechia’s game-winning goal.

“Bad bounce at the end,” the second overall pick in last June’s NHL draft said. “Tried to box the guy out and it hit his skate. I don’t know. Yeah, I blame myself. I gotta be better.”

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Team Canada’s lines in Monday’s bronze-medal game:

(Goals - Assists in the tournament)

Iginla (4-4) - Misa (2-5) - Martone (6-3)

McKenna (4-10) - Hage (2-13) - O’Reilly (4-4)

Desnoyers (0-6) - Beaudoin (3-4) - Reschny (4-1)

Greentree (0-1) - Cootes (2-0) - Luchanko (0-1)

Reid (0-1) - Parekh (5-8)

Carels (0-1) - Brunicke (0-2)

Aitcheson (1-3) - Danford (0-1)

MacKenzie (1-4) - Verhoeff (0-4)

George (.868 save percentage in 4 GP)

Ravensbergen (DNP)

Scratches: Martin (4-4), Bear (0-0), Ivankovic (.917 in 3 GP)