McLaughlin: ‘I’m Ready to Make Push to Make the Team’

BOSTON – Marc McLaughlin admits that it was a difficult end to his training camp last fall.

Despite a strong showing, the Boston College product found himself in Providence to start the 2022-23 season with the Bruins’ roster fully solidified for what became a historic campaign.

“At times it can be, yeah,” McLaughlin said when asked if it was “tough to swallow” his demotion last fall. “But, they had a great team last year. You can't get frustrated about that. I think I definitely had things I needed to go and work on in Providence and I think I made some good strides there.

“I think I made a lot of strides this summer, too, working on all kinds of different things with the skating coaches here and around Massachusetts. So, I'm excited for this year.”

The Billerica native tallied 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 66 games for Providence last season, his first full pro campaign. McLaughlin played just two games with Boston after suiting up for 11 contests (with three goals) at the end of the 2021-22 season upon his arrival from Chestnut Hill.

“I think I made a lot of strides towards the end of the year in Providence and kept getting better and better and getting used to the pace of the pro-style,” said the 24-year-old. “I'm ready to try to make a push here to make the team.”

McLaughlin is well aware of the opportunity within the Bruins’ forward group, particularly down the middle of the ice following the departures of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. As such, the 6-foot, 203-pounder has put a focus on rounding out his 200-foot game.

“Obviously, there's a lot of guys fighting for a little amount of spots,” said McLaughlin. “I'm trying to control what I can, right? And that's my effort and it's going out there and working 110% and just being a master of the details. And then taking care of that end and playing a good two-way game is what I take pride in. So, I'm looking forward to doing that.”

McLaughlin added that another one of his focal points has been adjusting to the grind of the professional schedule, which is over twice as long as what he was used to at the college level.

"You definitely become accustomed to it and you learn how to kind of take care of your body, the battle with nutrition and all those different things that that makes you a good pro,” he said. “I think I'm definitely getting a grasp on that and I'm feeling really good heading into camp.”

Bruins coach Jim Montgomery has been pleased with McLaughlin’s versatility, noting that he has “stood out” to this point in training camp.

“He did have a good camp last year. You’re bang on on that,” said Montgomery. “I think that this year he's having another good camp so far. He's stood out and we talked to him about how we're going to give him opportunities on right wing and center because we just don't know the makeup of our team this year like we did last year as far as centers, especially.”

During Saturday’s session, Montgomery had McLaughlin centering fellow Boston College alum Patrick Brown and one of his childhood idols Milan Lucic.

“That was really cool,” McLaughlin said of skating with Lucic. “When I grew up, he was one of the guys I looked up to and the way he played, the style, the amount of heart he plays with. So, it's pretty cool now to be having some conversations with him and getting our skate alongside him.

“He's won the Cup…he plays with so much emotion and he brings it every single day. And he's a great leader from what I've seen so far. There's definitely a lot to take away from his game and that type of person he is.”

Moving on Up

After skating with Brett Harrison and Jayson Megna for the first two days of camp, Oskar Steen bumped up to the right side with Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle for Saturday’s session. The 25-year-old, who has 26 games of NHL experience on his resume, is aiming to become a permanent fixture in the lineup this season.

“It was fun. Two great players. It's easier to play with good players. So, it just makes me better too,” said Steen, who played just three games with Boston in 2022-23 after a 20-game stint the season before.

“I'm working hard out there and trying to do my best every minute…just trying to do my best and hopefully get into the lineup this year.

“There are some big opportunities this year. A lot of players left, so I want to be the guy that steps in the lineup this year.”

The Sweden native said he made improving his quickness, speed, and strength his primary areas of focus over the summer, all of which – along with his experience – he hopes will benefit him this season.

“I’ve got more experience this year and I feel more comfortable,” said the 2016 sixth-round pick, who added that the coaching staff was pleased with his pace and shot selection during his short stint with Boston last season.

“I'm just trying to do my best here every day, don't think too much and just do my job.”

Montgomery has noticed a level of urgency in the winger’s approach thus far.

“I think he's very comfortable, too,” said Montgomery.  “He's been very good. We're looking to improve as a team. We want to be physical at net fronts. He's been physical when he's on top of his game. That's what he's doing is getting to hard areas, driving to hard areas, making it hard on other teams to have time and space.”

Getting Up to Speed

Another Bruins prospect looking to make a name for himself this fall is centerman Georgii Merkulov, who was signed as a college free agent out of Ohio State to a three-year, entry-level deal in April 2022.

The 22-year-old spent a large chunk of the offseason in Boston, training with as many NHLers as possible, as he aimed to get more accustomed to the speed and strength of the NHL level.

“I was trying to skate with NHL guys as much as I could,” said Merkulov. “You work at the gym hard starting when the season's over. You have to go to the gym and work hard because NHL guys are way bigger and stronger than AHL guys. In order to win battles, you have to be stronger. So that's the main focus.”

Merkulov centered Brett Harrison and Jake DeBrusk during Saturday’s camp session.

“It's been great…couple of hard practices and today was a little bit of a shorter practice than the first two days. But it's been great,” he said. “I think for the battle's down low I was better the second day. I was trying to be harder on pucks than the first day. I think that was to me the main difference.”

Wait, There’s More

• Montgomery said Brandon Bussi is expected to start and play the entire preseason opener on Sunday evening against the New York Rangers. The full roster can be found here.
• Bruins defense prospect Mason Lohrei skated alongside Brandon Carlo on Saturday. “I mean, anytime you get to play with somebody like that – he's an unbelievable player and whatever I can do to learn from him while playing with him, I'll add to my game,” said Lohrei. “And then on top of that, he’s one of the nicest guys here. So, it makes it makes it easy to go out there and feel comfortable.”
• Montgomery called Lohrei as “pleasant surprise how he’s been good all three days so far,” adding that he “really had no expectations of him coming to camp as far as what the ceiling was or maybe what he needed to work on, because I really haven't seen him. He's been good so far in camp.”
• Boston’s bench boss has likewise been pleased with the performance of Jakub Lauko through three days of camp and believes the winger could play up in the lineup if called upon. “He's had a very good camp. Day 1, very impressive…he was making some creative plays that I hadn't seen from last year within camp. So, he's done well…we talk to him all the time about being a pro every day and to become a really good NHL player that we can rely on all the time. It's that consistency you build up in your game of how to be a good pro, manage games and yourself.”
• Montgomery said he has also liked what he’s seen from A.J. Greer, who was bumped up to the left wing with Matthew Poitras and David Pastrnak on Saturday. ““Yeah, it's more just to move guys around, see different combinations,” said Montgomery. “We were playing tonight in last year's camp, so we didn't have three days. I just want to see some different looks and give guys an opportunity to see them. I think Greer had a great first few days, so we bumped him up to see what he looked like with Pasta.”
• Montgomery on players looking to seize opportunity during camp. “That's what you're looking for…guys that are sitting around waiting for things to happen, they get passed by. It's called try-outs for a reason. You try or you're out.”