Gavin McKenna scoring surge challenges Vancouver Canucks draft board
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Daniel Lucente
Mar 8, 2026 (11:07)
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Photo credit: Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Rick Dhaliwal says Vancouver has Ivar Stenberg ahead of Gavin McKenna today, and that is the Canucks story that matters most right now.
Stenberg is 18, a 2026 draft-eligible winger, and Patrik Allvin recently scouted him in Sweden. Gavin McKenna is also 18, a 2026-eligible winger, and Penn State brought him in after his monster Medicine Hat run.
The cap angle is simple. A June pick carries no immediate NHL cap hit, but a first-overall talent usually arrives on a three-year entry-level deal fast, so Vancouver cannot miss this evaluation.
Stenberg's push is real. He has 32 points in 40 SHL games for Frölunda, and his contract there runs through 2025-26.
McKenna's push is louder. Penn State reported that he owned a new single-season assist record with 33, while his 48 points now surpass Denis Smirnov's freshman mark.
"This draft is so huge for the Canucks, it is. I was told the Canucks right now have Stenberg rated higher than McKenna, but those change like weekly and monthly, right? They change. Allvin just saw Stenberg two-to-three weeks ago in Sweden. Things can change, but Jason a lot of teams have Stenberg at number one, they really do. McKenna, as good as he's been, eight points last week, he is not number one on a lot of team's boards."
- Rick Dhaliwal
- Rick Dhaliwal
That matters because McKenna did rewrite Penn State's single-game book with eight points and seven assists against Ohio State.
Gavin McKenna is making Vancouver look twice
Canucks fans are going to split hard on this, because McKenna feels like the flash pick and Stenberg feels like the scout's pick.
Stenberg screams pro pace. His speed, middle-lane attacks, and work off the rush look like clean top-six translatable tools, not junior-only offense.
McKenna brings more pure creation. At Penn State he has driven offense from the half wall and on the man advantage, the exact kind of skill Vancouver still lacks behind its core.
The next game does not change Vancouver's board by itself. But every McKenna touch and every Stenberg shift now feels like part of the same draft argument, and Allvin has to get that call dead right.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 8|348 ANSWERS Gavin McKenna scoring surge challenges Vancouver Canucks draft board Should Patrik Allvin take Gavin McKenna over Ivar Stenberg if the Vancouver Canucks pick first overall? | ||
| Yes | 276 | 79.3 % |
| No | 72 | 20.7 % |
| List of polls | ||