"The child in me is ecstatic right now," Bieber said before announcing the pick chosen by his home team, the Toronto Maple Leafs
Credit: Bruce Bennett/Gett
NEED TO KNOW
- Justin Bieber announced the number one overall pick at the NHL draft on Friday, June 26
- Bieber’s surprise appearance was in support of his home team, the Toronto Maple Leafs
- “The child in me is ecstatic right now,” Bieber said before announcing Gavin McKenna as the first overall pick
Justin Bieber made a surprise appearance in support of his home NHL team on Friday, June 26.
Bieber, 32, announced the number one overall pick at the 2026 NHL Draft on behalf of the Toronto Maple Leafs. "What's going on Buffalo?" he announced to applause as he entered the arena, as seen in a video shared by the team on X. "What's up Toronto?"
"Man, what an incredible night," the Swag artist continued. "Oh man, the child in me is ecstatic right now. I've been a Leafs fan since I was just a little boy."
He added that he was "so grateful" to be present for the "special night." The musician enthusiastically greeted fans as he made his way to the main stage to join NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.
After embracing Bettman, Bieber made the big announcement, announcing Penn State forward Gavin McKenna, 18, as the 2026 NHL Draft's top overall pick.
"Mr. McKenna, we would like to draft you to the Toronto Maple Leafs," Bieber said.
McKenna "completed his first season at Penn State, where he was named Big 10 freshman of the year, after ranking fifth in NCAA scoring," an announcer said during the draft, noting that McKenna is the highest drafted NHL player ever to hail from Canada's Yukon region.
Bieber's hit song "Yukon" soundtracked the moment.
Credit: Bruce Bennett/Gett
McKenna was handed a No. 26 Maple Leafs jersey and posed for photos with Bettman and Bieber after the selection was announced.
The pick comes four months after McKenna was arrested and charged with four counts of aggravated assault following an altercation with a 21-year-old male, according to a press release from the State College Police Department on Feb. 4.
Two days later, on Feb. 6, the felony charge was dropped, according to a press release from the Centre County District Attorney's Office.
McKenna still faces a misdemeanor simple assault charge, still faces a misdemeanor simple assault charge, along with charges of harassment and disorderly conduct. A pre-trial conference on the charges has been set for July 13, according to court records viewed by PEOPLE.
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Bieber, a lifelong Maple Leafs fan, is already passing along his love of hockey to his son, Jack Blues Bieber, whom he shares with wife Hailey. The singer shared a sweet snap of the little one in a tiny Maple Leafs jersey in June 2025 while on a family vacation.
22-month-old Jack repped Auston Matthews, who is a center and captain for the NHL team, and Matthews, 28, had a sweet response.
Matthews acknowledged the support, commenting “💙,” on one of the singer's posts. The Maple Leafs also recognized the shout-out, writing, “💙💙💙,” in the comments of another carousel of photos of Jack at the time.
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