The McKenna Project provides glimpse into hockey’s next superstar navigating draft year pressure
“The Yukon is a rugged, cold place that I think produces what would be the ideal hockey player: tough, winterized, and a few years ago, someone said there’s this kid coming from the Yukon who is 13 or 14 right now, who will be the next guy we’ll talk about. What’s his name again? Gavin McKenna.”
There was tremendous buzz surrounding McKenna entering his year at Penn State, and his outstanding release, playmaking and ability to navigate small spaces were self-evident from the start. It wasn’t always a smooth ride for McKenna, who spoke about the adjustment of playing against players who were up to eight years older than him. After a quick start, McKenna’s production tailed off a bit, and the documentary details how McKenna deals with his game under a microscope, both at the NCAA level, and on the international stage at the World Juniors.
“This year is kind of my first year where I’ve dealt with backlash and criticism towards my game,” McKenna says. “Seeing all that stuff online, it’s kind of hard to avoid, it’s always on your feed and stuff.”
McKenna recorded four goals and 14 points in seven games at the World Juniors, but after Canada walked away with the bronze medal, some believed that Ivar Stenberg closed the gap. This documentary provides a window into how McKenna deals with analysis about his draft status, as he clearly is dead-set on going first overall, and how a young, confident player can still be affected by the volume of social media.
McKenna was initially charged with felony aggravated assault on January 31, following an incident outside of a bar. After reviewing security footage, the felony charge against McKenna was dropped. In the film, McKenna doesn’t speak about the incident specifically, but it’s somewhat compelling to see the hockey world spin the incident into an endorsement of his character. This is perhaps where the documentary could use a more critical lens, but it’s apparent all parties in the hockey world have moved on, after McKenna wasn’t deemed to be the aggressor.