Jun 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; The draft board is seen following the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Top Prospect Looking to Chase Down Gavin McKenna

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jon Alfano | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 8:00 AM ET

For a while now, Gavin McKenna has been the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and for good reason. He's one of the most-anticipated prospects of the decade, probably the most-anticipated behind only Connor Bedard, and put up video game numbers last season with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL. Now that he's taking his talents to Penn State, more hockey fans will have a chance to watch him in action in his draft year.

However, another top prospect isn't going to let McKenna become the top pick without contest.

Defenseman Keaton Verhoeff is taking a very similar path to McKenna, going from the Victoria Royals of the WHL to North Dakota in the NCAA. The Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, native put up 21 goals and 45 points in 63 games with the Royals last season, and boasts impressive size at 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds.

It's still very early, but the possibility of surpassing McKenna and becoming the No. 1 pick, however unlikely, is strong motivation for Verhoeff.

"I'm super competitive, so it's always in the back of my mind," Verhoeff said earlier this summer, per Sportsnet. "It's good to have a guy to chase down. I think for me, it's going to be about the season and focusing on what I can do to help the team. But I think if I do the right things and put my best effort in at the gym, at practice and in games, I think there's obviously a chance. There's nothing said and done. For me, I think it's just going to be going in every day with that mindset of trying to chase him down a bit and close that gap a little bit."

"It was a really tough decision for me," said Verhoeff, who had 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points in 63 games for Victoria in his lone full season in the WHL.

Another way Verhoeff can help his case, and already has, is in international play. He is the captain of Canada's under-18 team for the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, and scored a goal and an assist in a 5-3 win over Finland in the tournament opener on Monday. He also helped Canada win gold at the IIHF World U18 Championship in the spring.

Should he get the nod for the World Junior Championship this winter, it will be another great bullet point on his impressive resume.

"Obviously, (the World Junior has) been a dream of mine forever," Verhoeff said. "I'm going to try to work towards it. In the end, whatever the decision is will be good for me. I'm just going to try to do my best at the start of the season to prove that I can maybe make that team and show I'm a good candidate for it."

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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