Long before Gavin McKenna’s name was called first in the NHL Entry Draft, his development was being shaped in a Whitehorse training facility by a coach who recognized his unusual potential at an early age.
McKenna, a Whitehorse native who was selected first overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer, began working with Ben McPherson when he was only eight. McPherson, originally from Napanee, Ont., is now based in the Yukon and co-owns Northern Strength Academy, where he works as a strength and conditioning coach.
The relationship began when McKenna arrived at the facility with an under-13 representative team, despite being much younger than the players around him. McPherson said that first exposure made it clear the young player was operating at an exceptional level.
“When he was eight, he was playing with the U13 team. He was coming in with those guys. That’s when I started to see him.”
A young player already competing above his age group
McKenna’s early progress was reflected in the level of competition he was able to handle. At age 11, he was playing for the Yukon’s Tier 1 under-15 representative team, an opportunity that placed him among players several years older.
McPherson recalled that McKenna had already attracted attention at a major Edmonton showcase for 10-year-old players. Although the source does not identify the tournament by name, McPherson described McKenna as being ranked at the top of his age group internationally and said his ability helped explain why the Yukon team placed him in an older competition.
The age gap did not prevent McKenna from producing. McPherson said the young forward could sometimes record six points in a game while playing against older opponents. Those performances offered an early indication that his path would likely extend well beyond minor hockey in the territory.
| Milestone | McKenna’s age or stage |
|---|---|
| First worked with McPherson | Eight years old |
| Played on Yukon Tier 1 U15 team | 11 years old |
| Joined RINK Hockey Academy | 12 years old |
| Entered the Western Hockey League | 14 years old |
| NHL draft selection | First overall |
From Yukon minor hockey to major junior
McKenna moved to the RINK Hockey Academy at age 12 before entering the Western Hockey League at 14. The progression took him from Yukon minor hockey into a more demanding national development system, but his connection with McPherson continued.
After McKenna completed his first WHL season, he returned home to train at Northern Strength Academy. That period allowed the pair to examine how McKenna was preparing during the season and identify areas that needed attention. McPherson said they recognized gaps in his in-season training, suggesting that the work extended beyond simply adding strength in the gym.
For a young athlete moving through increasingly competitive hockey environments, conditioning can be one part of a larger development picture. In McKenna’s case, McPherson’s role involved helping him prepare physically while adapting the work as the player moved from underage hockey to major junior competition. The source does not provide a detailed training plan, but it makes clear the relationship lasted across several stages of McKenna’s rise.
A Yukon facility with an expanding sporting legacy
Northern Strength Academy has trained elite athletes from a range of sports over the past decade, according to the source material. McPherson’s work with McKenna adds the most prominent hockey achievement yet associated with the Whitehorse facility: a first-overall draft selection who grew up in the territory.
McKenna is not the only Yukon athlete connected to McPherson to reach a high draft position. Yukon native Dylan Couzens was selected seventh overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2019. The two selections give the territory another point of connection to the top levels of hockey and show how local training relationships can remain important even as athletes move outside the North.
Those achievements also carry significance beyond the draft rankings. For young players in Yukon communities, McKenna’s route illustrates that development can begin at home, with local coaches and facilities playing a role before athletes move to larger hockey programs. His story includes national academies and major junior hockey, but it also includes years of training in Whitehorse with a coach who first saw him as an eight-year-old playing up an age group.
McPherson’s contribution is part of a longer process rather than a single moment. The first-overall selection was the visible milestone, but the foundation was built through repeated training, competition against older players and adjustments as McKenna advanced. Northern Strength Academy’s role in that process connects a major professional hockey accomplishment back to the Yukon community where McKenna grew up.
