Lets get to know the Philadelphia Flyers 2012 – 1st round draft choice, Scott Laughton. Laughton stands 6’0” and weighs a light 177 pounds. He turned 18 years old May 30.  He is a native of Oakville, Ontario.

Laughton began his career in 2009-10 with the Toronto Marlboros where he scored 55 goals and 95 points in 72 games, while accumulating 109 penalty minutes.

Following the 2009-10 season Laughton was drafted 3^rd overall in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection by the Oshawa Generals. In 2010-11, Scott scored 12 goals and added 11 assists in 63 games. He added 58 penalty minutes. As a 17- year old in 2011-12 Laughton stepped up his game. He scored 21 goals and added 32 assists in 64 games with 101 penalty minutes.

 Oshawa Generals General Manager Jeff Twohey said, “We are very pleased for Scott and proud of him for what he has accomplished, both today at the draft and in his career so far. He is a talented player who works hard for everything he achieves. He will be a significant element in the Generals leadership core and future success. Scott is a good combination of skill and grit, he competes hard at both ends of the ice and there are few players that work as hard as Scott, both offensively and defensively,”

There seems to be two different expert opinions regarding Laughton. The first is this, “regarded as a great two-way forward with a quick and accurate slap shot. Laughton has good offensive instincts and he is strong with his defensive positioning. To be a competitive player at the next level, Laughton needs to bulk up and improve his skating. His game is comparable to Mike Richards and Brad Marchand.”

The second opinion from an unidentified scout makes Laughton sound like nothing more than a 3^rd line player. “Laughton is a high character player who is willing to do whatever it takes to win. He’s slightly undersized but he’s a smart player who gets in the right position in the offensive end. He tends to look to distribute too often instead of trusting his shot. He is a tough player who is willing to drop the gloves to energize his team. His skating needs some improvement as he lacks the speed to separate from defenders. Laughton can be trusted in the defensive zone since he has a good understanding of positioning. He may not become a consistent scorer at the next level, but he projects to be a solid two-way forward if he can add some bulk, which should help the Flyers shut down the opposition when he’s ready to make the jump to the NHL.”

The expectations seem to be that Laughton will need to spend some time in the minors before making the Flyers. The hope here is that he develops in to the player that warrants being selected #20 in the draft. Of everything we’ve seen, and heard, on Scott, the thing we’re the most impressed with is part of the quote above, “Laughton is a high character player who is willing to do whatever it takes to win.” I’ll take a team full of players like that any day.

Welcome to the Flyers Scott Laughton.

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