Laughton emerges as leader, example for Flyers

PHILADELPHIA -- Scott Laughton had a different experience opening night than he's had in his previous nine NHL seasons.

It was John Tortorella's first game as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, and after delivering a short message in the locker room, he handed Laughton the lineup card to read off the starters. It was a small gesture but spoke volumes to the regard Laughton is held.
Laughton was the only player wearing a letter on the front of his jersey as alternate captain. The Flyers don't have a captain.
"I've obviously built very close relationships with people around here and I want to be a part of something special here," Laughton said. "So yeah, it was a nice touch."
Laughton then went out and showed why he is the personification of everything Tortorella wants in a player with his grinding, feisty style.
Just watch his second shift against the New Jersey Devils in the season opener. A hard forecheck helps win a battle along the wall in the offensive zone, then he cuts to the net, takes a pass from Travis Konecny and tries to jam it under goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. As Blackwood covers the puck, Laughton starts pushing and shoving with New Jersey's Damon Severson and Miles Wood, drawing whistles and players from both sides.
"He drags people into it with him," Tortorella said. "Teammates see what he does, all the different things that he does and the willingness that he has. It almost forces them, the guys that aren't as willing, it forces them to bring that to their game."
It's a style of play Laughton has worked hard to develop. Selected by the Flyers with the No. 20 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, Laughton has evolved from a 40-goal scorer in his final season of junior hockey with Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League to a Swiss Army knife, capable of playing anywhere in the lineup, chipping in offense and being more than willing to agitate the opposition.
"I remember actually his first year in the League when I was in Toronto, he was already getting under my skin and that was in his first couple of games," teammate James van Riemsdyk said. "So he's definitely got that style to his game and definitely part of what makes him so effective."
He scored the game-tying shorthanded goal in the Flyers' 3-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, and through two games has played left wing on the top line and center lower in the lineup. He's also been a big part of the penalty kill and played at the net front on the power play.

But that's not all that makes Laughton such an important piece for the Flyers.
"The intangibles that Scotty brings sometimes outweighs what he does on the ice," Tortorella said. "He wore an 'A,' and I think that's for a reason. Other people didn't. It was only one 'A' [the first two games] and I thought he deserved that. So he brings a lot of that stuff to us."
Those intangibles, that "stuff" Tortorella mentioned, include a growing voice in the leadership group and a seemingly bottomless reservoir of positivity.
"He's definitely a guy who makes it fun for us to come to the rink every day and everyone gets along so great with him," van Riemsdyk said. "He is pretty much the guy everyone gravitates to. I think when things are going tough those are the guys that are so important for things to say sort of even keeled in the locker room."
Laughton credits his wife, Chloe, and his parents, for keeping him positive. He also has learned how to focus on his mental well-being to help him stay in the moment.
"I do a ton of stuff in the summer where it's more mental, a little bit of meditation, breathing, things like that," he said. "I think it goes a long way in your game. ... I try and be in the present as much as I can and not look in the future or the past.
"Everyone's going to have their [tough] days, but anytime you play in the NHL, I think it's a pretty big blessing to be able to walk into these doors every day and play a game as an adult."
Laughton is quick with a laugh, he's also not afraid to speak up when something needs to be said. Holding teammates accountable is a pillar of Tortorella's oft-stated goal of changing the culture in Philadelphia, and at age 28 he isn't shy about raising his voice.
"Not just the younger guys, but sometimes it's the older guys too," he said. "And that's something that I think we need to continue to get better at as a group, of holding each other accountable for different things. ... On the ice it's always been pretty vocal for me and in the room, just little things that that can help."
Rookie forward Noah Cates said Laughton has been a role model for him on and off the ice since he joined the Flyers after signing a two-year, entry-level contract March 27.
"He was awesome with me last year and at the beginning of this year, so definitely a key guy to this team and just kind of the winning aspect," Cates said. "He makes winning plays all over the ice and whether they show up on the score sheet or not, he doesn't care, he does it for the team. Such an important player and I honestly think he's a guy I can model my game after and be very similar to just with his versatility, his [penalty] killing, net-front play, different things, his little details. So that's huge for me to watch every night."
The Flyers have started the season with two wins, but there certainly will be bumps along the way; they started 2-0-1 last season but finished last in the Metropolitan Division.
To sustain their current success they'll need Laughton to be a leader on and off the ice.
"He's one of the best teammates I've been with," Konecny said. "He does all the little things during a game. ... He's one of our all-around best players that just does all the little things. When you have a player like that every single person follows him."