There's the first 'oh my god, Gavin McKenna' moment, as he tossed a pass to Harry Nansi from a really tough angle for a good look. Nothing came of it, but there's the raw skill on display.
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Leafs development camp scrimmage notebook: McKenna’s playmaking, Koblar shines, Nansi wins superlatives, quick hits
Photo credit: Steven Ellis
Jul 4, 2026, 14:30 EDTUpdated: Jul 4, 2026, 14:24 EDT
After an exciting yet gruelling week, we all had some fun at the Ford Performance Centre on Saturday. To conclude the 2026 Maple Leafs development camp, the team held their annual scrimmage. Gavin McKenna was the clear standout, but there were plenty of players that shined during the scrimmage, where Team Blue emerged with a 6-4 victory over Team White.
McKenna was situated with Tinus Luc Koblar and Harry Nansi throughout the morning, where he spent the scrimmage effectively making plays for his linemates, while working on his off-the-puck work. The 18-year-old provided a candid assessment of his scrimmage, along his week overall in Toronto, what he’s enjoyed the most about the city, and of course, his new No. 92.
“I’m going to go number 92. I said that 9 and 27 are up in the rafters and wanted to have a little bit of both in there. So 92, 9 replacing the 7,” McKenna said of his decision.
It’s been an exceptionally busy week for McKenna, who attended the Portugal-Croatia FIFA World Cup game with Alexander Bilecki, and has been subject to the intensity of the hockey capital of the world. McKenna has handled the spotlight, both on and off the ice, with tremendous poise.
Hayley Wickenheiser on McKenna: He's a really impressive kid. He's been through a lot in the last month and I thought he did a great job throughout the week. You can see the skill set is evident, his thinking, his ability to process some of the small plays that he makes out here.
Here are some other observations from Saturday’s scrimmage.
Hayley Wickenheiser endorses Harry Nansi as most improved player
Harry Nansi put together a terrific week at development camp. I thought he was the most improved player during Thursday’s on-ice sessions, because of his improved skating. Nansi scored during the scrimmage from the slot, and hunted for offence without sacrificing positioning. It’s an assessment that Maple Leafs assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser shared as well. Wickenheiser was responsible for running this year’s camp, and spoke to reporters again following Saturday’s scrimmage.
Harry Nansi gets one back!
“I thought Harry has been our most improved prospect. He’s very gifted physically. I don’t know if he’s realized himself how strong he can be and There’s a couple of plays down low here where I was thinking, just take it to the net and he deferred to a pass. So those are just little areas where I think that that’s the next level for him. But we are really excited about the player that he can be and his skating still has a ways to go, but it’s come a long way.”
Nansi spoke about where he’s improved in his game, with skating as a clear point of emphasis. Maple Leafs director of amateur scouting Mark Leach addresses Nansi’s skating as a weakness, following the 2025 NHL Draft, and he’s shown significant improvement, both as a straight-line skater, and using his resting speed to pick his attack lanes in the offensive zone.
“I think I’ve improved puck battles, you know, like my skating’s helped me be more stable on the ice and getting knocked out less in the corners, so I think that’s helped out.”
On a much lighter note, Nansi confirmed Drake’s Shabang is the favourite song among camp invitees. Drake’s ICEMAN was blaring throughout the arena, with National Treasures as a particular banger among the players.
will have more on this shortly but Maple Leafs AGM Hayley Wickenheiser shared the assessment that Harry Nansi was the camp’s most improved player @TLNdc @DailyFaceoff
Tinus Luc Koblar was the 2nd-best player, after Gavin McKenna
Gavin McKenna may not have lit up the scoresheet but he was obviously the best player in development camp by a mile. Tinus Luc Koblar was the best non-McKenna at development camp, and floated off the gravity his esteemed linemate created on the ice. Koblar continued to push his away into the slot, a quality that allowed him to have a breakout performance for Norway at the IIHF World Championships. It seems apparent that the Maple Leafs view Koblar among their premier forward prospects.
‘Tinus obviously had an outstanding year,” Wickenheiser said of Koblar on Saturday. “I think he was great throughout this whole camp. You know, many days you can see the separation that him and Gavin have and the way they think. They played that pro game in the World Championships. He’s a bit of a man out here, you know, you can see that. And so it’s just about building on that. And I thought he did a good job throughout the whole week.”
Koblar spoke to reporters for the second time this week, following the scrimmage.
“I think my overall weekend was pretty good and I think today was good. I think our line created a lot of chances. I think me, Gavin, and (Harry) Nansi had some good plays, and I think we just didn’t manage to score on our chances, but I think overall we had a really good game.”
Koblar said he wants to continue on his puck skills and where he receives the puck. This is a good start, but he made himself available as an outlet for McKenna and Nansi, forechecked well, and communicated well with his wingers in transition. We can’t wait to see how Koblar looks at training camp, even though he’s widely expected to return to Rogle.
I’ll have a lot more reporting in my notebook, but the scrimmage standouts aside from Gavin McKenna: Harry Nansi (most improved player) Sam McCue, Felix Caron (compete level) Alexander Bilecki, Kieran Cebrian, Tyler Hopkins.
Quick hits
- The scrimmage briefly stopped as Alexander Bilecki was slow to get up, but he shook off a trainer as he went to the bench. Bilecki was certainly no worse for wear, defending a rush chance against McKenna well on his next shift. He’s poised with the puck, he skates well, he defends gaps well, and could be the quickest graduate to the NHL from the 2026 class, McKenna obviously notwithstanding. I’d liken him to Alec Martinez with better offence.
- Sam McCue had an excellent day. McCue scored a goal, he forechecked with intensity, he finished his hits, and he drove to the net in transition with real ferocity. McCue hasn’t lit the OHL up as a scorer, but he could develop into a solid professional despite his poor production at the major junior level, if the details in his game continue to improve at this rate. Not bad for a 2024 seventh-round pick!
- Felix Caron’s compete level was off the charts. Caron was hitting players, flying on a line with Miroslav Holinka and Nick Moldenhauer and popped throughout the scrimmage. Holinka is a prospect in high-esteem, Moldenhauer floundered, while Caron took charge due to his energy. He didn’t take a single shift off.
- Tyler Hopkins is going to be a compelling prospect for the Maple Leafs, and he was looking to score. Hopkins drew praise from the media assembled on Saturday. He was a prolific scorer at the youth level, before morphing into a two-way presence in the OHL. Although Brad Treliving’s tenure won’t be viewed fondly, he may found two real NHL players in Koblar and Hopkins from the 2025 class.
- Camp invite Kieran Cebrian scored twice in the scrimmage. Cebrian won a national championship at Denver. Among the free agents invited to camp, Cebrian made the greatest impact. We’ll see what this means for his future prospectus down the line.
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