Gavin McKenna gave Jim Hiller another flash of why Toronto made him the first overall pick, putting his skill on display against Ottawa.
The Maple Leafs' top prospect produced one of the sharpest individual sequences of Wednesday night's preseason action when he went one-on-one with Senators forward Michael Amadio.
This wasn't McKenna dancing around another prospect trying to survive camp. Amadio is an established NHL forward, and McKenna attacked him with the confidence of somebody who expected to win the matchup.
Toronto has been giving the 18-year-old meaningful preseason opportunities, and the shift showed exactly what can happen when he gets space with the puck on his stick.
McKenna carried toward Amadio, sold the initial direction and snapped the puck across his body. Amadio committed, McKenna changed lanes, and suddenly the Senator was reaching while No. 92 escaped.
The separation happened in an instant, with McKenna pulling the puck away from Amadio before accelerating past him along the boards.
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McKenna's skill is translating against NHL players
That's the part Toronto wanted to see. Junior or college highlights can create enormous expectations, but preseason gives McKenna a chance to test those same reads against players with NHL timing and experience.
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He arrived with plenty of offensive evidence behind him. McKenna recorded 15 goals and 36 assists across 35 NCAA games with Penn State last season before Toronto selected him first overall.
The hands are obvious, but the confidence behind the move mattered just as much. McKenna didn't pull up or settle for moving the puck safely when Amadio closed his gap.
He challenged him directly.
That's an encouraging detail for Hiller as Toronto continues sorting out where McKenna fits. Skill only changes a lineup when a player is willing to use it under pressure.
McKenna has already been skating in Toronto's top six during the preseason, including alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. That gives him skilled targets when he creates separation.
One preseason move won't define McKenna's rookie year. But making an experienced NHL opponent reach and miss is exactly the kind of sequence that explains why Toronto called his name first.
Will Gavin McKenna become a top-six force for Toronto immediately?
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