The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ newest star, Gavin McKenna, doesn’t have a game in the NHL under his belt yet, but he’s training as if it’s the difference between the end of the world and the end of the season.
The 18th overall pick has been spending some of his crazy offseason with San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini in Vancouver. The sessions were new territory for McKenna, even one amazing week that saw him spend around 17 hours on the ice.
During his chat with The Hockey News about the hectic schedule, McKenna quipped that “Celebrini is crazy.” But there was a lot of respect for the Sharks center’s endless dedication to on-ice and off-ice training under the funny guy.
McKenna gets a chance to observe what it takes to be great at the NHL level when he trains next to Celebrini. Last year, the star of the Sharks opened the scoring by going off and posting 40 goals and 75 assists for 115 points over the course of the season. He was then rewarded with a five-year, $94 million contract extension with an annual value of an NFL record $18.8 million, according to Reuters, by the San Jose squad.
The summer has been more than just lifting weights and honing his skating prowess for McKenna. He has been on the road for months, trying to adapt to the life of the most-watched young player in Toronto and attend the events. He has also become part of the Maple Leafs team chats and has been given guidance on how to deal with the pressure that comes with the club by captain Auston Matthews.
But no matter how big the expectations, McKenna is not playing the stereotype of the rookie who has to assume a major role. He knows that it’s something that has to be earned during training camp and something that he needs to get while he is playing in the Maple Leafs lineup.
This mindset should thrill Toronto fans. It wasn’t just a great offensive pickup; it was someone willing to learn from one of the NHL’s most diligent young superstars.
If McKenna can bring Celebrini’s fire to his rookie campaign, Toronto might have the new frontman it’s missing.
