Gavin McKenna Named Tempo WHL Player Of The Week

Calgary, Alta. – Medicine Hat Tigers alternate captain Gavin McKenna has been named Tempo WHL Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, March 16, 2025, the Western Hockey League announced Monday.

 

This is the third time McKenna has earned the weekly award this season in addition to Player of the Month wins for September/October and January.

 

The Whitehorse, Yukon product paced all WHL players with four goals and seven assists for 11 points in two games while continuing a historic point streak.

 

McKenna piled up a goal and three assists as the Tigers pulled off an overtime comeback against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on March 14. He already had a secondary assist under his belt with the Tigers trailing 4-2 in the third period and lit the lamp himself by driving the net to snap a Veeti Vaisanen (Utah Hockey Club) rebound past the Hurricanes’ netminder to bring the Tigers within one. Less than three minutes later, McKenna wove through the offensive zone before feeding Captain Oasiz Wiesblatt in the slot for the equalizer. The match would require overtime, where McKenna and Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk teed up Wiesblatt for the game-winning goal in a 6-5 decision.

 

The 6-foot, 165-pound winger followed it up with a career-best seven-point (3G-4A) night in a 7-3 rout of the Red Deer Rebels. The overtime-winning trio linked up again for the game-opening goal, with Molendyk striking first at Co-op Place. After the Rebels leveled the game, McKenna restored the lead by popping the puck up and over a sprawling netminder. He dished up the primary assist on another Wiesblatt goal two minutes later and capped off the first period with a lethal wrister on the powerplay. McKenna completed the natural hat trick with a top-shelf shot on a shorthanded breakaway in the second period. He closed out the night with two more assists to seal the win and take first-star honours. This marks McKenna’s first seven-point game, surpassing his previous career best of six points (1G-5A) on January 1, 2024, against the Tri-City Americans.

 

McKenna has reached historic ground with a 38-game point streak (28G-64A) that dates back to November 6, 2024. The run marks the longest point streak in modern WHL history (1996-present), surpassing Connor Bedard’s (Chicago Blackhawks) and Logan Stankoven’s (Carolina Hurricanes) 35-game runs in the 2023-24 season. McKenna has also outstripped hockey great Sidney Crosby’s 37-game streak from 2004-05 to take sole possession of the second-longest point streak in the Canadian Hockey League in the 21st century.

 

He’s only been held off the scoresheet three times in 2024-25.

 

With 37 goals and 84 assists for 121 points in 54 games, McKenna is hot on the tail of Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall for the lead in the WHL points race.

 

The 17-year-old leads all skaters in assists and plus/mins (54) and sits third among all CHL skaters in points.

 

And he isn’t eligible for the NHL Draft until 2026.

 

McKenna’s meteoric rise has seen him amass 236 points (75G-161A) in 131 regular-season games across parts of three seasons since being selected first overall in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.

 

Earlier this season, the reigning WHL Rookie of the Year became the third-fastest player in modern WHL history to hit 200 points after reaching the milestone in 118 regular season contests.

 

McKenna has also bolstered his international resume with his first appearance at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2025, where he recorded one goal in five games. He previously set a new record for points by a Canadian (20) at the IIHF U18 World Championship during a gold-medal run in 2024 and won gold at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

 

Medicine Hat (45-17-3-1, 94 points) has won eight straight games to stay on top of the Central Division and Eastern Conference standings in the final week of the WHL’s regular season.

 

McKenna and the Tabbies will spar with the Lethbridge Hurricanes (41-20-3-2, 87 points)) before closing out the regular season against the Calgary Hitmen (43-16-3-3, 92 points) in a hotly-anticipated showdown on Sunday, March 23.

 

The regular season finale, which could determine first place in the Eastern Conference, will be available to stream for free on the WHL’s YouTube in a special edition of Wednesday Night in The Dub.

 

2024-25 Tempo WHL Player of the Week
September 23, 2024: Roger McQueen, Brandon Wheat Kings
September 30, 2024: Nathan Behm, Kamloops Blazers
October 7, 2024: Shea Van Olm, Spokane Chiefs
October 15, 2024: Mazden Leslie, Vancouver Giants
October 21, 2024: Ben Kindel, Calgary Hitmen
October 28, 2024: Nathan Behm, Kamloops Blazers
November 4, 2024: Brady Birnie, Swift Current Broncos
November 11, 2024: Koehn Ziemmer, Prince George Cougars (Los Angeles Kings)
November 18, 2024: Tomas Mrsic, Prince Albert Raiders (St. Louis Blues)
November 25, 2024: Andrew Cristall, Kelowna Rockets (Washington Capitals)
December 2, 2024: Gavin McKenna, Medicine Hat Tigers
December 9, 2024: Tyson Jugnauth, Portland Winterhawks (Seattle Kraken)
December 16, 2024: Gracyn Sawchyn, Edmonton Oil Kings (Florida Panthers)
December 23, 2024: Rilen Kovacevic, Moose Jaw Warriors
December 30, 2024: Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips
January 6, 2025: Evan Friesen, Wenatchee Wild
January 13, 2025: Andrew Cristall, Spokane Chiefs (Washington Capitals)
January 20, 2025: Berkly Catton, Spokane Chiefs (Seattle Kraken)|
January 27, 2025: Quinn Mantei, Brandon Wheat Kings
February 3, 2025: Andrew Cristall, Spokane Chiefs (Washington Capitals)
February 10, 2025: Cole Reschny, Victoria Royals
February 18, 2025: Berkly Catton, Spokane Chiefs (Seattle Kraken)
February 24, 2025: Gavin McKenna, Medicine Hat Tigers
March 3, 2025: Teydon Trembecky, Victoria Royals
March 10, 2025: Hunter Laing, Saskatoon Blades (Calgary Flames)

 

About the Western Hockey League

Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for close to 60 years. The WHL is also a leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.

 

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