The Maple Leafs used a stack of Oreos to reveal who they're taking first overall

Nothing is sweeter than an Oreo, except perhaps a first overall pick and for the Maple Leafs they used their brand collaboration to announce who they're choosing.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made waves last season when they removed all of the letter O's from their name as part of a marketing ploy to announce a partnership with Oreo cookies, with milk later coming in as a sponsorship to take over the Maple Leafs with a fresh take on an old classic.

But with the 2026 NHL Draft coming up Friday, the team decided to use their branding to give fans a sneak peek as to who they may be selecting.

Cookies, cream, and Gavin McKenna, oh my!

On their official social media page, the Toronto Maple Leafs ended up putting out a teaser with a gigantic portion of Oreo cookie packages and some eagle-eyed fans will notice that there happens to be 71 packs of cookies - with the helmet being number 72.

What's the significance of this? Well it all happens to do with the fact that Gavin McKenna's jersey number just so happens to be the exact same one. It's why fans are speculating heavily that the cat is essentially out of the bag when it comes to who the Maple Leafs are going to be choosing first overall:

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While his talent won't affect your teeth, McKenna's play is no doubt an absolute treat and he's going to bring a lot of excitement to go along with his immense hype. He seems up to the task, and the Maple Leafs just got another incredibly marketable face to help promote their various partnerships.

Expect McKenna to find himself in every aspect of the Maple Leafs going forward and no doubt he is going to have dozens of endorsement deals lined up and just waiting to sign once his name is called.

Toronto's use of brand deal marketing is a neat way to keep fans involved

Combine this with a defrosting ice block that the team has been teasing for the last several weeks and you can see the team is trying everything possible to get their fans hyped up for the festivities.

Scotiabank Arena is holding a draft watch party and fans are going to be able to take part in various activities, have alumni appearances and no doubt there is going to be a few McKenna jerseys that may be poking around as well. It's not really an expensive endeavor for fans, and it's meant to bring everyone together.

That's been a huge onus for John Chayka this year, as it seems like he in tandem with Mats Sundin are trying to change the culture not only in the locker room but in the arena. They want the fans excited, they want the cheering and most of all? They want to see 'The Passion.'

It's been a much more corporate atmosphere recently with the Maple Leafs and bringing in those diehard loyal fans will be crucial in making the game fun again. If the crowd's into it, so is the team, and they can feed off each other's momentum.

The fans are the lifeblood of a team. It doesn't matter who you have, if the fans are not going to show up then you lose not only millions in revenue but you also find yourself fighting desperately to win them back.

All it took was a first overall pick for Toronto so I guess it's a little easier said than done.

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