McKenna (5-foot-11, 170 pounds), No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters, finished tied for fifth among NCAA players with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 35 games as a freshman at Penn State, and his average of 1.45 points per game was second. McKenna was named freshman of the year in the Big Ten and was a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top men’s NCAA hockey player.
Stenberg, No. 1 on Central Scouting’s final ranking of International skaters, had 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 43 SHL games. He also helped Sweden win the gold medal at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship and was voted one of Sweden’s three best players at the 2026 IIHF World Championship.
The 2026 draft will be a pivotal moment for the Maple Leafs, who have the No. 1 selection for the first time since 2016, when they picked center Auston Matthews.
A decade later, Matthews has cemented himself as a foundational player for Toronto.
The hope is they can repeat that level of success this time around, especially after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season for the first time since 2015-16.
“I think anytime you get the No. 1 pick, you have an opportunity to really help change your team,” Leach said. “Those picks don’t come along the way every year, obviously. I’ve been in this business 32 years, first time I ever had the No. 1 pick. … But it does immediately help your organization take a step.”
To listen to the full interviews with McKenna, Stenberg and Leach, you can find “NHL Draft Class” on all podcast platforms, including iTunes and Spotify. It’s free to download and subscribe, and the podcast also is available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
