Owen McLaughlin received a bona fide offer from the Philadelphia Flyers. There aren’t any specific details, but the bona fide offer is more or less an extension of good faith.
A native of Phoenixville, PA, the seventh-round selection from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft is due an entry-level contract.
Before Philadelphia chose McLaughlin, he spent most of his time with Mt. St. Charles Academy in 2020-2021. He finished on the US National Team. Last season, he shredded for the Sioux City Musketeers, averaging more than a point per game. McLaughlin could sign with the Flyers at the age of 19. He intends on playing at the University of North Dakota in 2022-2023.
Of the unsigned center prospects available, McLaughlin is the only selection made by Chuck Fletcher. Jay O’Brien and Gavin Hain are both 22-years-old but chosen by Ron Hextall. O’Brien was a first-round selection and Hain a sixth, both from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
The local product was ecstatic to be drafted by the Flyers in 2021. McLaughlin confesses to modeling his game around Mathew Barzal for his shiftiness. Brent Flahr had a relationship with the head coach of the Penn State University hockey team, but McLaughlin did ultimately commit to the University of North Dakota. Flahr and Fletcher remain confident in their selection per the bona fide offer.
Lifting the Clark Cup will keep the faith in a draft selection. McLaughlin is a seventh-round pick who could have been a sixth. It’s tough to make value selections as the draft grows deeper. Fletcher has found a way, and Flahr contributes massively.
McLaughlin led the Musketeers in points and assists, totaling 72 (28G, 44A.) He was the top playmaker on the powerplay, contributing the most assists (15) with the man-advantage for Sioux City (Damien Carfagna totaled 19, but only 6 with the Musketeers.) A spark plug, McLaughlin scored first the most often for his team. More importantly, his shot selection is impressive. McLaughlin ranked top five on Sioux City in shots on goal while remaining the only player to convert 20% or higher of his shots into goals.
Topics to address on the Flyers feature the worst powerplay unit in the NHL within a lineup ranked 31st in team scoring, all while averaging 31 shots per game (16th in the NHL.) In theory, McLaughlin is a player who could help those areas. Perhaps he will receive the opportunity, and that journey will begin with an entry-level deal.
(Photo Credit: Alex McIntyre)
