Game Day Gutcheck, Lineups & Stats: Ivar Stenberg vs Gavin McKenna I

October 19, 2026

A historic matchup unfolds tonight as the NHL’s two top 2026 draft prospects square off in a clash of rookies. San Jose Sharks forward **Ivar Stenberg** and Toronto Maple Leafs winger **Gavin McKenna**—the only players selected ahead of each other in last year’s draft—will face off for the first time, marking a decade since Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine met in their NHL debuts.

Both are leading the Calder Trophy race among rookies, with Stenberg (two goals, six points in nine games) slightly ahead of McKenna (two goals, five points in 10 games) despite Toronto’s stifling penalty kill, which ranks first in the league at 96.4%. The Leafs’ power play, meanwhile, converts at the seventh-best rate (26.7%), adding another layer of danger for the Sharks, who lack their own special-teams advantage in this series.

Injuries further complicate Toronto’s lineup, with Chris Tanev and John Tavares sidelined and William Nylander’s availability in doubt due to illness—a blow for a team that has thrived against San Jose, with Nylander and Nick Blankenburg scoring at elite rates in past meetings. On the other side, Sharks captain **Macklin Celebrini** has yet to score in four games against Toronto, while **Sergei Bobrovsky** enters with a dominant record against San Jose (15-6-2, .932 SV%, 2.25 GAA) in recent matchups.