2026 NHL Draft phenom Gavin McKenna sets Canadian points record at U-18 World Championship

Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna has set the record for the most points by a Canadian at the Under-18 Men’s World Championship.

McKenna notched his 16th point of the tournament, scoring a goal in Connor McDavid-esque fashion. McKenna has tallied seven goals and nine assists.

The Whitehorse, Yukon product ranks second among tournament leaders, trailing USA’s James Hagens, who broke Nikita Kucherov’s point record earlier today.

The goal made it 2-0 Canada over Sweden, who Canada is looking to beat for the second time in the tournament after taking the 6-3 win last week.

Connor Bedard had the previous record of 21 points in 2021 and 2022. McKenna is also tied for first in Canadian single-tournament scoring, knotting it up with linemate Porter Martone.

McKenna now sits one point back of Cody Hodgson to tie the all-time assist record of 10. He now ties Connor Bedard and Matthew Wood for third all-time with seven goals in a u18 tournament.

Connor Bedard’s 100-point season in the WHL during the 2021-22 campaign is the gold standard among 16-year-olds. McKenna notched 34 goals and 63 assists for 97 points in just one fewer game during the 2023-24 regular season.

What makes this all even crazier is the fact that McKenna isn’t draft-eligible until 2026, meaning he has two more seasons to tear up the WHL and international tournaments. McKenna will now look to make Canada’s under-20 World Junior roster this winter.

The championship game of the U-18 World Championship will commence at 11:00 AM ET on Sunday, with USA advancing with a 7-2 win over USA earlier in the day.