For young hockey players entering the NHL, getting drafted is supposed to be the beginning of their dream, but for some of the league’s biggest prospects it can also become the beginning of unbelievably high expectations.
The moment a player gets selected near the top of the NHL draft — especially with the first overall pick — fans and media begin looking towards what comes next. How many goals will they score? How many points will they put up? Can they turn around a struggling franchise? All this weight on their shoulders, and they are still developing as people.
The expectations can become almost immediate and 18-year-old Gavin McKenna is the latest example.
The first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft landed in one of the biggest markets in the sport with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After putting up 51 points in his freshman season at Penn State, he is entering the NHL as one of the most highly anticipated prospects.
There is a reason McKenna was selected first overall. Toronto did not make that decision because they expected an average NHL player. Being the first pick can quickly turn into an expectation that a player needs to perform like a superstar immediately.
That pressure could be even greater for McKenna because of where he is starting his NHL career.
The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2016 and the organization has made moves to get back into playoff contention. McKenna will not be entering a team that can allow him to develop for a season. He is joining one of the NHL’s biggest markets, on a team that wants to compete for a Stanley Cup.
That does not mean McKenna should be protected from criticism, but being selected first overall comes with expectations and he will eventually be judged on his performance.
But there should be a difference between expecting a young player to become a star and expecting him to already be one.
Matthew Schaefer is a good example of why this conversation is complicated.
The New York Islands selected Schaefer first overall in 2025, and he immediately showed that a young player can make a major impact in the NHL. Schaefer recorded 59 points in 82 games as an 18-year-old defenseman and won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie.
The same can be said for Macklin Celebrini.
The San Jose Sharks drafted Celebrini first overall in 2024, and last season he followed his rookie campaign with one of the best seasons by a player his age in recent NHL history. He recorded 115 points in all 82 games, breaking the Sharks’ single-season points record.
Celebrini’s season shows that some young players can enter the NHL and immediately become elite.
It also creates a difficult comparison for players like McKenna.
McKenna does not need to score 115 points as a rookie to justify being the first overall pick. Celebrini’s season should be viewed as an example of what is possible, not a requirement for every young star who follows.
A player can have an excellent season and still be asked when he will become the superstar everyone predicated. That is the reality of being a top NHL draft pick.
For McKenna, that pressure will be even harder to avoid in Toronto. Every part of his game will receive attention, and he said he knows he will have to earn his opportunity rather than simply being handed a spot.
Now that training camp is underway, that process has officially begun.
McKenna has already been skating with Toronto’s veteran players who have experienced the pressure of being a first overall pick themselves. Auston Matthews and John Tavares were both selected first overall, giving McKenna two teammates who understand the attention that comes with the position.
That support could be important as McKenna adjusts to the NHL. There is a difference between expecting a first overall pick to become a star and expecting him to already be one.
Young players still must adjust to the physical demands, longer schedule and pressure of the NHL.
McKenna has plenty of time to learn from his teammates and former first overall draft picks like Macklin Celebrini, Matthew Schaefer and Connor Bedard, but his career will ultimately be his own.
Being selected first overall means there are expectations. It should not mean McKenna has to become a superstar overnight.