Steve Sullivan, the head coach of the Toronto Marlies, compared star prospect Gavin McKenna to Clayton Keller of the Utah Mammoth.
McKenna, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, spent the week practising with the rest of Toronto’s rookies at the 2026 NHL Prospect Challenge.
Sullivan, who will oversee many of these young players while coaching the Marlies this year, said that he seems similairities between McKenna and Keller, the Mammoth star who is one of the best American-born hockey players in the world.
Steve Sullivan Compares Gavin McKenna to Clayton Keller
Speaking to reporters in Toronto, Sullivan favorably compared McKenna to Keller, whom he worked with while the two were part of the Arizona Coyotes organization.
“A smaller statured player (McKenna is 5-foot-11, 170 pounds), their games are a little bit different; Keller is a little more of a shooter, Gavin is a little more of a play maker but style of play and how they look on the ice, that was my first impression,” Sullivan said (via NHL.com).
It’s an intriguing comparison from Sullivan, as the 5’10” Keller is an excellent player, and one whom McKenna can clearly take some things from, as they are both terrific hockey players who are on the smaller side.
Keller was the 7th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 683 regular-season NHL games, scoring 222 goals and 596 points along the way, while also winning an Olympic Gold Medal with Team USA at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
Steve Sullivan Praises Gavin McKenna
Speaking of McKenna, Sullivan had nothing but praise for the youngster, who is preparing to start his NHL career in just a few weeks.
“His deception, the way he thinks the game, he’s a step ahead of everybody else with his execution. We’re just coming out of summer hockey and we are trying to implement a little bit of structure today, but he was still able to execute when things are out of structure, when things are not perfect, he still finds a way to make the play so that’s very impressive,” Sullivan said.
Maple Leafs Coach Compares Gavin McKenna to Team USA Star