The 2026 NHL Draft is just days away. With the No. 1 overall pick, the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to target the best player in this year's class, rightfully so.
Since before his Penn State men's hockey commitment, forward Gavin McKenna has been projected to be the No. 1 selection in this year's draft. Taking into consideration how he and other top prospects performed over the past year, though, Nittany Lion fans shouldn't get too comfortable with that top overall pick just yet.
Toronto is in need of a forward, yes; and McKenna is a generational talent. He's an elite, creative playmaker who's projected to be a future franchise player. From this perspective, the Penn Stater seems like an automatic shoe-in for No. 1 overall.
When taking a look at who else the Maple Leafs could go with, though, it's not that easy of a decision despite face value.
McKenna is a left-winger. While he has that playmaking ability and strong presence on the ice as both a goal scorer and creator, he doesn't have that versatility to play all around the line. Toronto can certainly mold him into the winger it needs, and McKenna's talent will unquestionably transfer over to the other side of the ice.
The Maple Leafs have another option, however, if they decide to go with a more versatile and still highly-talented player.
Forward Ivar Stenberg is "the most complete winger" and can pass Gavin McKenna for No. 1 overall in the 2026 NHL Draft
Ivar Stenberg, a Swedish forward, is listed as a left-winger, but can slot in as a right-winger if need be. That is exactly what Toronto needs and that's exactly who Stenberg can easily be.
If this option didn't exist, there wouldn't be any questions about where McKenna will land in the draft. As some NHL scouts have pointed out, though, this isn't a draft class where one player stands tall above the rest. That's a huge statement in regards to what Stenberg brings to the table, too, given what McKenna is projected to be in the league.
For Frolunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Stenberg logged 33 points on 11 goals and 22 assists in 2025, which one scout pointed to as record-breaking numbers for the SHL. The 18-year-old also played in the World Juniors Championship, totaling 10 points on 4 goals and six assists over seven games. Stenberg participated for Sweden's national team in the 2026 IIHF Men's World Championship in May where he had eight points on four goals and four assists.
Stenberg can produce — clearly — but so can McKenna.
The Swedish forward brings versatility and strength. At 6-foot, 181 pounds, Stenberg is the sturdier prospect in comparison to McKenna at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. The Nittany Lion can certainly develop his versatility and will definitely add on that weight to compete with the pros, but Stenberg comes ready in both of those areas.
Stenberg is also a scoring machine who can beat goaltenders almost anywhere on the ice. The playmaking is there, but it's more so as an independent player rather than creating for his teammates. That's where McKenna has the upper hand. Head coach Guy Gadowsky has praised the forward for his vision, creativity, and ability to share that wealth with his teammates.
Like McKenna, that's an area Stenberg can and will develop with whichever team drafts him. Both prospects have improvements to make. Putting them side-by-side, it really comes down to which areas Toronto wants its No. 1 overall draft pick to come equipped with already. McKenna happens to be the one who lacks what the Maple Leafs need if they were to get nit-picky on draft night.
"Stenberg is the most complete winger in the draft class,” another NHL scout said. “His combination of skill, three-zone detail and overall compete stands out. Stenberg is equal parts play driver and shooter and a future first-line NHL forward who can be deployed in all situations if required."
It's not a knock on McKenna or his talent at all. In the second half of Penn State's 2025-26 season, the Canadian forward put all the pieces together and put together an all-around campaign to set records within the program and the Big Ten Conference.
He has already proven that he can respond well and reach the next level of his game promptly. That should be a comforting fact if you're Toronto. It's not getting a work-in-progress prospect in McKenna, even if it needs to be willing to allot a bit of time. It's still getting a generational talent.
Stenberg just has the little bits already pieced together that McKenna doesn't. The question for the Maple Leafs is whether they want to go with a player with immaculate vision on the ice who they'll need to put a little more work into or go with the already-versatile player who can slot into that right wing quicker.
So, though Toronto is going to choose the best player available, it has the luxury of two fantastic options who bring different skill sets that the team can benefit from immediately. Deciding which skill set to go with and which one to pass up on is what makes this selection much less luxurious.
Add us as a preferred source on Google