Who is Connor Bedard’s cousin Gavin McKenna?
ALL EYES have been on Connor Bedard leading up to the 2023 NHL Draft.
He is projected to be selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks and in a few years, he could be joined in the league by his cousin, Gavin McKenna.
Who is Connor Bedard?
Connor Bedard is a top hockey prospect who was born on July 17, 2005, in Vancouver, Canada.
He has been on the radar of several teams for years and is often considered one of the greatest prospects of his generation.
Since 2020, Bedard has played for the Regina Pats Hockey Club of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
He was selected first overall in the 2020 WHL Draft and has since been named captain of the Regina-based team.
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Because of his skills on the ice, he is projected to be selected first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Who is Connor Bedard’s cousin, Gavin McKenna?
Like Bedard, Gavin McKenna is a high-profile hockey prospect.
He was born on December 20, 2007, in Whitehouse, Canada, and has quickly followed in his cousin's footsteps in terms of success.
In 2023, at the age of 15, he set the record for the most points scored in a men’s hockey tournament at the Canada Winter Games after recording 29 points in six games.
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He was able to compete at the games after being granted exceptional player status the year prior.
In hockey, exceptional player status is given to a player "whose qualities not only on the ice, but as a person, deem the player deserving of the rare privilege of participating in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) at a young age," according to Sportsnet.
Statistics from the Canadian Sport School Hockey League indicate that McKenna is only the third player to be granted exceptional player status by B.C. Hockey and Hockey Alberta, behind Bedard and Buffalo Sabres prospect Matthew Savoie, according to CBC News.
"His vision is really exceptional," former NHL coach Willie Desjardins said of the young star, via CBC News.
"He's got lots of growth, lots of things to do. He's got lots of things to overcome.
"It's a process," Desjardins added. "So where he ends up remains to be seen a little bit. But he's certainly well on his way."
Prior to competing at the Canada Winter Games, he played in the U18 division at RINK Hockey Academy-Kelowna, where he scored 23 goals with 42 assists.
McKenna is still a few years off from declaring for the NHL Draft, but some say he could go first overall in 2026.
Who drafted Gavin McKenna?
McKenna followed in Bedard's footsteps in 2022 after he was selected first overall in the WHL draft.
At the time, he was only 14 years old, but because of his exceptional player status, he was able to be selected by the Medicine Hat Tigers.
"I kind of knew that I was bound to accomplish something," McKenna said of the selection during an interview with CBC News.
"But, yeah, it came quick. So, uh, it was a bit surprising."
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The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team that has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships, and seven division titles.
They were established in 1970 and are based in Medicine Hat, Canada.