F Gavin McKenna - Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL (2026 Draft)

[jj cale]

You’re more than free to put me on ignore, happy new year

lol.

Happy new year to you also

 

[Beukeboom]

No, it can't. Because January 2006 birthday and December 2006 birthdays have played together their whole development.

You're being purposely obtuse at this point.

I'd argue the truth lies somewhere in the middle? As you say, playing together over x years as 07s matters more than NHL's arbitrary September cut off. But being a whole year older (McDavid vs Mckenna) is not nothing as a teenager. I would actually compare Mckenna's performance this year with McDavid's 4 points in 7 games campaign.

 

[Namejs]

I mean who looks insanely good in this tournament except for ASP ? Hagens ?

Well, Murnieks looked quite a bit better than McKenna, and he's 7 months younger and a triple underager.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Well, Murnieks looked quite a bit better than McKenna, and he's 7 months younger and a triple underager.

Did he? Or he just scored a little more?

I get that McKenna didn’t meet expectations, but I think if he was Gavins McKennicks who was a relative unknown from Latvia and showed what he did that people would’ve been impressed that he showed off some fancy skills and moves and would care less that the execution wasn’t there yet.

 

[Namejs]

Did he? Or he just scored a little more?

I get that McKenna didn’t meet expectations, but I think if he was Gavins McKennicks who was a relative unknown from Latvia and showed what he did that people would’ve been impressed that he showed off some fancy skills and moves and would care less that the execution wasn’t there yet.

I don't want to make this into a pissing contest, but I respectfully disagree.

I think McKenna got manhandled, his fancy moves often ended up with Canada losing possession. I was waiting and expecting to be impressed by him, but it never happened.

His game wasn't very efficient. And he ended up being the only player on Team Canada with a negative +/-.

Murnieks was extremely efficient and unexpectedly so.

 

[Bubbles]

3A tonight, back to his usual self.

 

[ninetyeight]

His draft year is next year this is his d-1 besides look at the list McDavid and Crosby weren't as impressive as others but they turned out yo be generational talents

Sorry to bump this back to off topic, but to me that list and probably d year list (does anyone have that?) suggests that wjc performance is overrated in relation to nhl success. It's a different style of hockey and a short tournament where luck and "getting hot" plays a huge part. Lafreniere was like 2.0ppg in wjc and is yet to break 60pts in nhl after 4 (soon to be 5) years.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Sorry to bump this back to off topic, but to me that list and probably d year list (does anyone have that?) suggests that wjc performance is overrated in relation to nhl success. It's a different style of hockey and a short tournament where luck and "getting hot" plays a huge part. Lafreniere was like 2.0ppg in wjc and is yet to break 60pts in nhl after 4 (soon to be 5) years.

You aren’t sorry. You wanted to make this a deliberate hit on Lafreniere. Don’t know that it’s going to go over well with the audience of Canadian hockey fans that read this thread either.

Lafreniere’s stats have went up every year of his career. Unlike some teams, the Rangers have been competitive since his first year in the league and he had to earn his role and ice time. We didn’t play uncompetitive games for 2-3 years and give him unlimited ice time and situations to do whatever he wants, like some teams. His stats could theoretically go up this year again (you fail to reference that you say 60 points because he hit 57 last year), as he’s been streaky this year, like the whole team.

Nothing wrong with developing like Lafreniere. No, he’s not McDavid or Crosby, but he’s a first line NHL’er and pretty much right there with any player from the 2020 draft.

 

[Mathieukferland]

5 points behind Misa for the CHL lead; I say he does it and becomes the first d-1 since Crosby to lead the CHL in scoring

 

[ninetyeight]

You aren’t sorry. You wanted to make this a deliberate hit on Lafreniere.

Oh cmon.. My point was that McKenna can easily become a superstar regardless of his wjc success this or next year. Not the first time I've defended him in this forum. Lafreniere, just like Bedard is just a good example that wjc domination doesn't translate to nhl domination right away.

 

[Faceboner]

Sorry to bump this back to off topic, but to me that list and probably d year list (does anyone have that?) suggests that wjc performance is overrated in relation to nhl success. It's a different style of hockey and a short tournament where luck and "getting hot" plays a huge part. Lafreniere was like 2.0ppg in wjc and is yet to break 60pts in nhl after 4 (soon to be 5) years.

I don't have a list but I think it's something to consider and not put much stock into as you said players have great wjc that inflate their hype and others have very underwhelming ones and go on to be way better than one little short tourney lead you to believe. I honestly think it's only a good indicator for Czechs