Wikipedia

Scott Laughton

Scott Laughton (born May 30, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Scott Laughton
Laughton with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2023.
Born (1994-05-30) May 30, 1994 (age 30)
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 177 lb (80 kg; 12 st 9 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team Philadelphia Flyers
National team  Canada
NHL draft 20th overall, 2012
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 2013–present

Growing up in Oakville, Ontario, Laughton spent his junior ice hockey career playing for the Toronto Marlboros Minor Midget AAA of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) before being drafted by the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Following his sophomore season in the OHL, Laughton was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 NHL entry draft.

Internationally, Laughton has represented Canada at various tournaments.

Early life

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Laughton was born on May 30, 1994, in Oakville, Ontario, Canada,[1] to parents Craig and Bonnie. His father coached him in ice hockey from the age of five to 14, when Laughton began to play major junior ice hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).[2] He also captained the Mimico Mountaineers Peanut Rep lacrosse team in 2000 and led them to an undefeated season.[3] Growing up, he was a fan of Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB).[4]

Playing career

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Youth

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Growing up in Oakville, Ontario, Laughton attended the Holy Family Elementary School and Holy Trinity High School while captaining the Toronto Marlboros Minor Midget AAA of the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL).[5] While playing for the team, he named Jarome Iginla and Steven Stamkos as his role models and inspiration.[6] In his final season with the Marlboros, Laughton also skated in two games with the St. Michael's Buzzers of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL). He concluded the 2009–10 GTHL season with 55 goals and 40 assists in 76 games for the Marlboros.[1]

As a result of his minor ice hockey achievements, Laughton was drafted third overall in the 2010 OHL Selection Draft by the Oshawa Generals.[7] In his rookie season with the Generals, Laughton skated in 63 games and accumulated 12 goals with 11 assists as the team qualified for the 2011 OHL playoffs.[8] During the postseason, Laughton recorded one goal and one assist over 10 games as the Generals fell to the Niagara IceDogs.[8]

 
Laughton's 2012 Top Prospects Game jersey

Laughton returned to the Generals for his sophomore campaign during the 2011–12 season, where he recorded 21 goals and 32 assists in 64 games.[1] His play earned him a roster spot on the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game,[9] and a ranking of 40th amongst all North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's mid-season rankings.[10] In spite of his strong season, the Generals failed to qualify past the first round of the 2012 OHL playoffs, losing to the IceDogs in six games.[8]

Following his sophomore season, Laughton was drafted in the first round, 20th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 NHL entry draft.[11] He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Flyers on August 8, 2012, but returned to the OHL for the 2012–13 season.[12] He was suspended twice during the season, resulting in him only playing 49 games.[1] His first suspension came on October 24, as a result of a hit during a game against the Ottawa 67s.[13] Upon coming back from his 10-game suspension, Laughton said "I want to finish every check, I think I did that (in Sunday's return) and I don't want to stray away from my game at all."[14] His second multi-game suspension of the season occurred on April 8, 2013, following a hit on Zach Hall of the Barrie Colts.[15] In spite of this, Laughton recorded a career-high 56 points over 49 games to conclude the season.[1]

Professional

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Following the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Laughton made the Flyers out of the team's abbreviated training camp and made his NHL debut on January 19, 2013, at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played 12:14 of ice time alongside Wayne Simmonds and Matt Read in a 3–1 loss, giving the Flyers five more games to decide whether he remained in the NHL or returned to major juniors.[16] After going pointless in five games with the Flyers, Laughton was reassigned to the OHL where he competed in the 2013 OHL playoffs and recorded 13 points in seven games. Following their second round elimination, he was promoted to the Flyers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, for the remainder of the season.[17]

Following the Flyers' training camp for the 2013–14 season, Laughton was loaned back to the Oshawa Generals of the OHL after failing to remain with the NHL club to start the season.[18] When reflecting on his training camp experience, he admitted to feeling overconfident and did not "play to his ability."[19] In his first game back in the OHL on October 3, 2013, Laughton recorded four points in an eventual 7–1 win over the Peterborough Petes.[20] He continued to have a breakout season and recorded 24 goals and 26 assists in 29 games by December, earning him the captaincy title for Canada under-20 team at the 2013 World Junior Championships.[21] He ended the season as the second-leading scorer for the Generals as Oshawa finished first in the OHL's East Division and reached the Eastern Conference finals.[8] On May 14, 2014, Laughton was named to the OHL's First All-Star Team.[22] Flyers head coach Craig Berube later said that choosing to reassign Laughton to the OHL "helped him" and called him "one of the best players in all of junior hockey."[23]

 
Laughton with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2015.

Laughton was invited to the Flyers' training camp prior to the 2014–15 season, but was reassigned to their new AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, on October 1, 2014, after being a healthy scratch for one game.[24] To begin his first full professional season, Laughton was recognized with the CCM/AHL Player of the Week award after recording four goals in two games during the week ending on October 19.[25] He was recalled to the NHL on December 3, and recorded his first career NHL goal 10 days later during a 5–1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on December 13.[26] Laughton split the rest of the season between the AHL and the NHL, recording 27 points over 39 games for the Phantoms and six points in 31 NHL games.[27]

For the third time in his NHL career, Laughton made the Flyers' opening night roster prior to the 2015–16 season.[28] He played in 71 games for the Flyers in a bottom six role and recorded seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points.[27] As the Flyers met with the Washington Capitals during the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, Laughton suffered an injury following a collision into the boards and was stretchered off the ice. He was released from the hospital the following day but the team announced he would not rejoin the lineup.[29] Following his shortened postseason berth, Laughton returned to the Flyers during their 2016 preseason games but suffered a lower-body injury and was expected to miss three to four weeks at the beginning of the 2016–17 season.[30] He was then reassigned to the Phantoms for the majority of the season, but was protected by the Flyers in the 2017 NHL expansion draft.[27] On July 11, 2017, the Flyers re-signed Laughton to a two-year, $1.925 million contract worth $962,500 annually.[31]

In the final year of his contract, Laughton continued to fill the role of a third and fourth line centre and penalty killer for the Flyers. Playing in his sixth professional season, he set a new career-high in goals, assists, and points over 82 games, the first full season in his NHL career.[32] He spent the majority of his playing time alongside Taylor Leier, Michael Raffl or Jordan Weal, and ended the season with the team's third-best possession numbers.[27] Their play was noticed by hockey scouts, who said their pairing had the possibility to be "the best fourth line in the league."[33] As a free agent at the conclusion of the season, the Flyers re-signed Laughton to a two-year, $4.6 million contract worth $2.3 million annually on July 12, 2019.[34]

Laughton suffered a broken finger on his right hand at the start of the 2019–20 season during the second period of a 7–4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, and was expected to miss four weeks.[35] He was activated off injured reserve nearly a month later on November 22, 2019, following surgery to repair his finger.[36] Following his return, he suffered a groin injury in December, which sidelined him for seven more games.[37] In spite of his slow start due to injury, the 2019–20 season proved to be successful, with a new career-high in goals set with 13 for a total of 27 points through 49 games. He played on the third, fourth, and second line throughout the shortened season while averaging 14:36 of ice time per game.[38] The team rewarded his efforts by gifting him the team's 2020 Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy as the team's most improved player.[39]

 
Laughton (left) battles for position against Jamie Oleksiak of the Seattle Kraken in 2023.

When the NHL returned to play after being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Laughton and the Flyers faced off against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs as the first seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the round-robin qualifying tournament. During the series, he played on a line with Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny.[40] Laughton recorded a two-goal and one assist game on August 6, to send the Canadiens on the brink of elimination.[41] They pushed past the Canadiens the following game to qualify for the second round of the playoffs against the New York Islanders.[42] As they faced elimination against the Islanders by game five, Laughton helped the team recover from a lost lead and recorded the overtime game-winning goal off an assist from Konecny. It was his second point of the night and first overtime goal (playoff or regular season) in his career.[43] As a result, Laughton became the sixth player in franchise history to score an overtime goal to keep the team in the series.[44] During the next game, he recorded the game-tying shorthanded goal in the third period in an eventual 5–4 overtime win to send the series to the seventh game.[45] In game seven Laughton recorded a fight and six hits in a 4–0 shutout loss to the Islanders.[46]

On February 7, 2021, Laughton recorded his first career hat trick in a 7–4 win against the Washington Capitals, with goals on Vítek Vaněček and Craig Anderson.[47] On the last day of the NHL trade deadline, Laughton signed a five-year, $15 million contract extension with the Flyers.[48]

International play

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Medal record
Representing   Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
  2023 Finland/Latvia

On December 28, 2010, Laughton was named an assistant captain for Team Ontario while competing at the 2011 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.[49] Following his first season in the OHL, Laughton was invited to compete for Canada under-18 team at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament,[50] where he won a gold medal.[51]

As a result of a successful 2011–12 season, Laughton was named to Canada's roster for the 2012 IIHF World U18 Championships,[52] during which he recorded seven points and led the team to a bronze medal.[53]

On May 5, 2023, Laughton was named to Canada men's national ice hockey team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship where he recorded three goals and five assists in ten games and won a gold medal.[54]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 Toronto Marlboros Minor Midget AAA GTHL 76 55 40 95 109 — — — — —
2009–10 St. Michael's Buzzers CCHL 2 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2010–11 Oshawa Generals OHL 63 12 11 23 58 10 1 1 2 11
2011–12 Oshawa Generals OHL 64 21 32 53 101 6 2 3 5 17
2012–13 Oshawa Generals OHL 49 23 33 56 72 7 7 6 13 11
2012–13 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 5 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2012–13 Adirondack Phantoms AHL 6 1 2 3 0 — — — — —
2013–14 Oshawa Generals OHL 54 40 47 87 72 9 4 7 11 17
2014–15 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 31 2 4 6 17 — — — — —
2014–15 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 39 14 13 27 31 — — — — —
2015–16 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 71 7 14 21 34 3 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 60 19 20 39 40 5 2 1 3 2
2016–17 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2017–18 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 81 10 10 20 42 6 1 0 1 6
2018–19 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 12 20 32 53 — — — — —
2019–20 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 49 13 14 27 26 15 5 4 9 21
2020–21 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 53 9 11 20 39 — — — — —
2021–22 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 67 11 19 30 35 — — — — —
2022–23 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 78 18 25 43 50 — — — — —
2023–24 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 13 26 39 69 — — — — —
NHL totals 601 95 143 238 365 24 6 4 10 27

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2011 Canada Ontario U17   5 2 2 4 4
2012 Canada U18   7 2 5 7 4
2023 Canada WC   10 3 5 8 0
Junior totals 12 4 7 11 8
Senior totals 10 3 5 8 0

Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
OHL
First All-Star Team 2014 [22]
Philadelphia Flyers
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy 2020 [39]
Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award 2020 [55]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Scott Laughton". eliteprospects.com. Elite Prospects. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  2. ^ Miller, Randy (March 29, 2019). "Flyers' Scott Laughton gets tires changed by dad one day, treats his 'inspiration' to first goal on next". nj.com. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  3. ^ @MimicoLax (September 1, 2020). "True Story: Scott Laughton was the Captain of the Mimico Mountaineers undefeated peanut rep team in 2000" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Boruk, John (November 8, 2017). "Scott Laughton, Claude Giroux remember Roy Halladay". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  5. ^ Ellis, Steven (December 20, 2013). "Oakville Native Laughton Named Canadian World Junior Team Captain". oakvillenews.org. Oakville News. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  6. ^ Kalchman, Lois (March 18, 2009). "Scott Laughton, Toronto Marlboros Bantam AAA". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  7. ^ "Third Overall Pick Scott Laughton Commits to Generals". ontariohockeyleague.com. Ontario Hockey League. June 17, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d "Scott Laughton". hockeysfuture.com. Hockeys Future. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "21 OHL Players Named to 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game". ontariohockeyleague.com. Ontario Hockey League. December 15, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  10. ^ "65 OHL Players Listed in 2012 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings". ontariohockeyleague.com. Ontario Hockey League. January 11, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  11. ^ "20th Overall – Scott Laughton". ontariohockeyleague.com. Ontario Hockey League. June 24, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  12. ^ "Flyers re-sign Bourdon, ink Laughton". nhl.com. National Hockey League. August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  13. ^ "Generals' Laughton suspended 10 games". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. The Canadian Press. October 26, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  14. ^ Cayley, Shawn (November 23, 2012). "Scott Laughton vows to play the same way following suspension". durhamregion.com. Durham Region. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  15. ^ "OHL suspends Generals' Laughton five games". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. April 8, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  16. ^ Baicker, Sarah (January 20, 2013). "Physical Laughton impresses Laviolette in NHL debut". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  17. ^ "Laughton and McGinn to Phantoms". oursportscentral.com. April 10, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  18. ^ "Flyers loan Laughton to OHL's Oshawa". nhl.com. National Hockey League. October 3, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  19. ^ SanFilippo, Anthony (October 2, 2013). "Laughton Sits... And Thinks". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  20. ^ McNair, Brian (October 3, 2013). "Oshawa Generals welcome back Scott Laughton". durhamregion.com. Durham Region. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  21. ^ Joyce, Gare (December 19, 2013). "Meet Scott Laughton, Team Canada captain". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  22. ^ a b "OHL Announces 2013–14 All-Star Teams". ontariohockeyleague.com. Ontario Hockey League. May 14, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  23. ^ Blockus, Gary R. (September 16, 2014). "Laughton says he'll be disappointed if he doesn't make the Flyers". The Morning Call. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  24. ^ "Flyers assign Laughton, Gostisbehere to Phantoms". phantomshockey.com. Lehigh Valley Phantoms. October 1, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  25. ^ "Phantoms Scott Laughton Named CCM/AHL Player Of The Week". phantomshockey.com. Lehigh Valley Phantoms. October 20, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  26. ^ "Oakville's Laughton nets first NHL goal". insidehalton.com. Inside Halton. December 13, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  27. ^ a b c d Gilbert, Ryan (May 22, 2020). "Scott Laughton had to become an underdog to work his way back to the Flyers". msn.com. MSN. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  28. ^ "Flyers Set Opening Night Roster". nhl.com. National Hockey League. October 6, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  29. ^ Simmons, Jeff (April 21, 2016). "Flyers' Scott Laughton released from hospital after scary injury". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  30. ^ "Scott Laughton out with lower-body injury". nhl.com. National Hockey League. October 6, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  31. ^ Hall, Jordan (July 11, 2017). "Flyers sign Scott Laughton to 2-year extension". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  32. ^ Born, Brian. "Top Moments: Scott Laughton Season in Review". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  33. ^ Friedman, Elliotte (October 24, 2017). "31 Thoughts: Path to Olympics for CHL players not clear". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  34. ^ Hall, Jordan (July 12, 2019). "Scott Laughton, Flyers agree to 2-year, $4.6 million contract". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  35. ^ Hall, Jordan (October 27, 2019). "With injured Scott Laughton out, what's next for Flyers' lineup?". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  36. ^ Hall, Jordan (November 22, 2019). "Scott Laughton returns to Flyers, Nolan Patrick placed on long-term injured reserve". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  37. ^ Carchidi, Sam (December 31, 2019). "Slowly getting healthy, Flyers welcome back Scott Laughton as third-line center". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  38. ^ "Meltzer's Player Profiles: Scott Laughton". nhl.com. National Hockey League. March 24, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  39. ^ a b Meltzer, Bill (July 8, 2020). "Teammates Honor Laughton with Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  40. ^ Moser, Nathan (August 7, 2020). "Flyers' Laughton Steps Up Offensively in Round Robin". thehockeywriters.com. The Hockey Writers. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  41. ^ "Scott Laughton scores twice to lead Flyers past Montréal". sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet. Associated Press. August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  42. ^ Satriano, David. "Flyers will play Islanders in Eastern Conference Second Round". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  43. ^ Carchidi, Sam (September 1, 2020). "Flyers stay alive, outlast Islanders, 4-3, in OT on Scott Laughton's goal". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  44. ^ @PR_NHL (September 1, 2020). "Scott Laughton joined Ville Leino (2011 CQF), Simon Gagne (2010 CSF & 2004 CF), Joffrey Lupul (2008 CQF), Dave Poulin (1989 CF) and Don Blackburn (1968 QF) as the sixth @NHLFlyers player to score an overtime goal in a game when facing elimination. #NHLStats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  45. ^ O'Brien, James (September 3, 2020). "Flyers force Game 7 vs. Islanders thanks to double OT win". nhl.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  46. ^ Meltzer, Bill (September 5, 2020). "Postgame 5: End of the Road". nhl.com. National Hockey League. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  47. ^ Carchidi, Sam (February 7, 2021). "Scott Laughton's hat trick, Sean Couturier's strong return carry Flyers past Caps, 7-4". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  48. ^ "Flyers sign Scott Laughton to five-year contract extension". nhl.com. National Hockey League. April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  49. ^ "Team Ontario Names Captains and Alternates for 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge". ontariohockeyleague.com. Ontario Hockey League. December 28, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  50. ^ "12 OHL Players Named to Canada's National Summer Under-18 Team". ontariohockeyleague.com. Ontario Hockey League. August 2, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  51. ^ "12 OHL Players Win Gold with Canada U18 at Ivan Hlinka". ontariohockeyleague.com. Ontario Hockey League. August 14, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  52. ^ "10 OHL Players Named to Canada's World U18 Championship Team". ontariohockeyleague.com. Ontario Hockey League. April 4, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  53. ^ "10 OHL players win bronze with Canada U18". ontariohockeyleague.com. Ontario Hockey League. April 22, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  54. ^ "20 players named to Canada's National Men's Team for 2023 IIHF World Championship". Hockey Canada. May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  55. ^ Hall, Jordan (July 7, 2020). "Scott Laughton earns Flyers' 2019-20 Yanick Dupre Class Guy Award". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
edit
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Philadelphia Flyers' first round draft pick
2012 		Succeeded by
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