5 things we learned at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase

TORONTO —Twenty-six NHL hopefuls congregated at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Monday for the ninth annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase.

At the renovated Maple Leaf Gardens, the youngsters posed for the cameras as Upper Deck produced stills and video for trading cards and promotional material.

Here are five things we learned from Monday’s media availability:

McAVOY SOMEHOW STILL STANDING

Charlie McAvoy is only 19 and has plenty of runway. Decades from now, though, the defenceman might look back on the 2016-17 hockey season as the wildest of his career.

It was a whirlwind from September 2016 through May 2017 for the 2016 first-round pick. McAvoy played for five teams: The Boston University Terriers,…