Marc McLaughlin signing with the Bruins wasn’t quite a foregone conclusion. He talked to other NHL teams after Boston College’s season ended over the weekend and considered other offers. But this was certainly the outcome the Billerica native was hoping for.
McLaughlin grew up a Bruins fan and always wanted to play for his hometown team. Patrice Bergeron was his favorite player. He attended their development camp last summer. So when he talked to the Bruins earlier this week and it became clear that the interest was mutual, McLaughlin’s decision became an easy one. The center signed a two-year entry-level contract with Boston on Tuesday.
“I definitely considered a little bit of different options or whatever, but as soon as I talked to the Bruins and they expressed their interest and how they felt my game would translate to the next level, it was really a no-brainer,” McLaughlin said Wednesday. “This is the jersey I’ve always wanted to wear, being a hometown kid. So it was definitely an easy decision.”
The 22-year-old McLaughlin will begin his professional career with AHL Providence this week. While there will be plenty to learn and adjust to, he does at least have some idea of what to expect in terms of how the Bruins organization operates because of that week in development camp.
“I feel like I kind of got an inside look at how things operate here,” McLaughlin said. “Felt like I learned a ton there from guys like Adam McQuaid, Chris Kelly. So yeah, it definitely swayed my decision a little bit, getting an understanding of how things operate.”
McLaughlin’s path to this point took him from Billerica to Cushing Academy to the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL and then to BC for four years. Along the way, he never got drafted by an NHL team. It’s not hard to understand why: Teams didn’t think he was going to score enough.
McLaughlin had 16 points in 60 games in his first USHL season. He scored more frequently in his second year -- 20 points in 21 games -- but also battled injuries. At BC, he had 20 points in 73 games as a freshman and sophomore.
McLaughlin kept working at it, though, and his efforts paid off the last two years. As a junior and senior, he posted 56 points in 57 games. This year, he tied for fifth nationally in goals with 21 in 33 games. He also served as the Eagles’ captain both years, made the U.S. Olympic team in February, and turned himself into one of this year's top college free agents.
“I think experience really played a huge part in that, kind of learning how to have success in Hockey East and at the college level,” McLaughlin said. “I think that during the summer, I really worked on my individual skill, my poise with the puck. I think that went a long way towards finding success in my junior and senior year.”
The defense and physicality were already there for McLaughlin. He was named Hockey East’s Best Defensive Forward last year and was a runner-up for the same award this season. That shouldn’t be surprising given how much he watched Bergeron growing up.
“Grew up a Bruins fan, so I’ve always been a massive fan of Bergeron,” McLaughlin said. “The way he plays the game, how responsible he is in both zones and how hard he competes is something that I always try to bring to my game as well.”
Bergeron isn’t the only Bruin McLaughlin identified with and tried to learn from over the years.
“Guys like Sean Kuraly and Noel Acciari are guys I kind of tried to emulate when I was following the Bruins growing up, too,” he said. “Those are guys that I feel like I kind of play like, that have an edge to their game and play tough and play in both zones.”
If McLaughlin can be the next Kuraly or Acciari, the Bruins would be quite happy. Those were valuable depth players on good teams who have carved out nice NHL careers for themselves. If he can be something more than that, they’d be absolutely thrilled.
McLaughlin knows he has work to do before that NHL career becomes a reality, though. Asked about areas he wants to work on, McLaughlin immediately identified his skating.
“I think my skating can come a long way,” he said. “I think that’s a big part of my game that I want to focus on now that I’m part of this organization, and work with [Bruins skating coach] Kim Brandvold. Definitely this summer I want to target that, for sure.”
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