Is Scott Laughton Mike Richards Reincarnated ?

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

I don't know if Laughton will ever put up the numbers that Richards put up during Mike's time in Philadelphia. With that being said, I could see Laughton very easily becoming a Patrice Bergeron type of centerman, but with more physicality in his game.

[canoli]

 I don't think it's fair to compare these guys like that. Mike is Mike and Scott is Scott. Laughton skates better than Mike ever did, we will have to see if Scott has the same penchant for scoring big goals during desperate times.

 

Yes, and giving it his all (and then some) to make a play - to read the opposing offense better than most in the NHL (particularly shorthanded) - to deliver KO hits that sometimes maybe were borderline but had an effect on the game - to win big draws - to make other players around him better ...

 

Maybe he was a mopey interview and he probably rubbed the older vets the wrong way sometimes - but I'm glad for all his success in LA.

[flyercanuck]

@canoli

 

 I was a huge Richards fan, and also agree it's not a great idea to put the pressure of being someone else on a prospect. But if you liked the way Richards played, Laughton certainly has some of that in his game.

 

 Here's a write-up from the HF boards from a guy doing all the OHL prospects for every NHL team....

 

 

 http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/2014/07/30-teams-in-30-days-philadelphia-flyers.html

 

 

 Scott Laughton - Oshawa Generals

Laughton was fantastic this year, helping to lead the Generals to a surprising first place finish. His leadership this year has to considered an integral part of that. Laughton has developed into an elite all around player whose game has so many different components to it. He can beat you off the rush, with improved speed and improved confidence in his ability to drive the net. He can beat you in the corners and off the wall by working the cycle. He can beat you by forcing turnovers on the forecheck and by being an intimidating physical presence. He's going to tie you up one on one in the defensive end and is great at getting his stick in passing lanes, especially on the penalty kill. Laughton can just beat you in so many ways. I think one of the biggest differences I noticed this year was the increased confidence in using his shot from anywhere on the ice. He's really improved his wrister and it was a very dangerous weapon for him this year. With his intensity level, combined with Philadelphia's current cap issues, I'd fully expect Laughton to be a Flyer come opening day. I don't think we'll see him in the AHL. He's probably not going to get a ton of ice time, but if he could put together a 10/10 year in his rookie season with somewhat limited minutes, that'd be a big success I think.

[jammer2]

@flyercanuck  Nice find fc. That report falls in line with my initial gut instinct on Scott's coming season. The guy is a winner with an evolving skill set, he's gonna be very tough to muscle out of the picture as far as the Flyers go. His defensive acumen is certainly a feather in his cap, they would not have to worry about him being a defensive liability, to the contrary, he could end up being one of the teams better defensive forwards, any offense he supplied would just be a bonus. Like we always say, whatever is best for him is ok by me.

[mojo1917]

What he needs to do every year going forward is grind the **** out of Olli Maata when the head to head meetings arise.

 

No ****, that will be my gauge of his success level , especially early on.  

 

I look forward to seeing him play, @podien25 told us all to simmer down after he was drafted with Maata still on the board and that Laughton was going to be a really good pro... so we'll see.

 

If there's a spot for him great,  I'd rather see him get important minutes in the A than 7 a night in a grinder role with the big club, better to round out his game so he truly becomes a monster in his own right.

[Commander Clueless]

I'm not 100% clear on the rules of reincarnation, but I thought you had to be dead in order to be reincarnated?

 

Plus, with Mike Richards' dirty partying habits, I'm 95% sure he'll be coming back as a dung beetle.

 

This guy....

 

 

..yeah i know i threw up too......

 

Good Lo...

 

I'm not even a Flyers fan, but right now I feel like if I had one run in a time machine, I would go back in time and stop you from posting this.

 

Well, maybe if I had two chances. The first run would certainly be to go back and ensure Daniel Alfredsson has a solid career. In golf.

[Podein25]

@mojo1917

That Podein fella knows his stuff!

The thing I really like about Laugton is his sneaky offensive side. His defensive game is so advanced (not to mention faceoffs) that his offensive skills get overlooked.

Some scouts - like Kyle Woodlief - mentioned this as at the time, as did people who saw him regularly like @jammer2

As for Maatta, watch him have the sophomore slump while Laughton surprises by not only making the team, but scores 20!

[mojo1917]

As for Maatta, watch him have the sophomore slump while Laughton surprises by not only making the team, but scores 20!

 

Well the league is littered with defensemen that start out "a house afire" and then lose their way for a couple of years only to emerge as solid pros .  Maata was so poised when I saw him in the NHL last year, I have a hard time pegging him as sophomore slump material, but  I also didn't watch the Pens enough to really see what the kid was up to on the daily so maybe I only saw "the good stuff" about his game.

 

BTW i name dropped you with regard to Laughton out of respect... I'd never heard of him and was shocked by the pick it seemed like a huge reach (not to mention our team was so thin with defensive prospects at the time) and your posts about him around that time help me to come around.

 

The other thing that has helped is the young guy has done and said every right thing since the day he was picked, so thanks to your counsel i'm on the band wagon.

Edited July 31, 2014 by mojo1917

[flyercanuck]

@mojo1917

 

 The funny thing about Maatta is, the playoff before he made the Pens he looked totally lost for the Knights. He kept making bad turnovers, losing control of the puck and was terrible in his own end. I thought he looked years and years away from an NHLer. 

 Meanwhile, same playoff run and Laughton was easily the best player on the Gens, putting up almost 2 ppg while playing excellent everywhere on the rink and qbing the pp.

[Podein25]

@mojo1917

Lol, I was really trying to convince myself in trying to convince you. 'Cause I was a huge Maatta fan, having owned him in fantasy since he was 16.

I knew Laughton was good, but saw him more as an elite checker. But he has more offensive upside than many realize. Will it be realized at the NHL level? Only time will tell, but I think his desire and hockey IQ will certainly help him do so.

[mojo1917]

The funny thing about Maatta is, the playoff before he made the Pens he looked totally lost for the Knights. He kept making bad turnovers, losing control of the puck and was terrible in his own end. I thought he looked years and years away from an NHLer.

 

That series was shown in the US so I got to see a couple of  games  , and I was right there with you.  Maata was rubbish in that series.

I was thinking Laughton doesn't have to pan out beyond 4th line and he'd be better than Maata...I guess Oli was tired or something vs Barrie because Scheifle turned him inside out about 10 times . in the couple of games I saw...Maata sucked.  

 

what a difference a year can make, because he was great when I watched the Pens last year, small sample size but I didn't notice him except when he was making good , smart hockey plays.