Dylan McLaughlin No Longer Committed to Northeastern

Dylan McLaughlin, a forward from Lancaster, NY is no longer a Northeastern recruit.   As of this time, it is unclear whether he initiated the decommittment or the coaching staff suggested that he look for another place to play.

McLaughlin (no relation to former captain Mike) is a ’95 birthdate who committed to Northeastern in February last year, while Greg Cronin was still the Head Coach.    He was playing for the Buffalo Regal Midgets at the time and expected to arrive at NU in either 2013 or 2014.    Later that spring, he was drafted in the first round of the USHL Futures Draft by the Sioux Falls Stampede.

Despite being just 16 years old, McLaughlin found himself playing in 48 games for the Stampede.  It was a tough season for McLaughlin, who managed just 7 points, and Sioux Falls, who finished in last place.  While his stats were very unimpressive, it is important to remember that McLaughlin was the youngest player on his team, and very few 16 year olds can handle the USHL.   On a better team, McLaughlin probably would not have cracked the lineup.   Returning as a 17 year old, McLaughlin looks to have a much bigger impact on an improved Sioux Falls team.    Chris Dilks, of the Western Hockey Blog, confirms this in his review of the Stampede’s Tryout Camp: “Dylan McLaughlin was the team’s top Future’s pick last pick, and could have used another year of Midget hockey, but was forced into a regular role because the team was so bad. He’s developed a lot since the camp last year though, and should have a much better year this year. ”

McLaughlin joins a lengthy list of players recruited by Cronin that will never end up at Northeastern.  Johnny Gaudreau (BC) has already made his name known to Northeastern fans.   Jon Gillies (PC)  figures to do the same this year.  Guys like Garrett Harr (WMU) and Justin Kovacs (WMU) have gone west and tormented NU fans from afar.  On the other hand, Ryan Renz and Mike McKee (WMU) were not exactly embraced by the new coaching staff.  With Renz not catching on with another team and McKee being potentially moved to forward on his USHL team, the decommits look like positives for NU.

McLaughlin is well-regarded and he will likely end up closer to that former category as opposed to the later.   But the good news is that this is truly the end of the road when it comes to Cronin.   McLaughlin was the last real Cronin recruit left.   Cam Darcy decommitted when Madigan took over, but Madigan restarted the recruitment process with him and was able to secure a commitment.   The other recruit from before Madigan’s time is Nathan Ferriero, who committed to Northeastern right after his brother Cody enrolled, which probably had a lot more to do with him coming here than Cronin’s coaching.

As of now, the Huskies have 5 players coming in 2013 (G. Cockerill, Z. Aston-Reese, J. Stevens, R. Olsson, N. Ferriero), 1 slated to come in 2014 (D. Willett) and 1 in 2015 (C. Askew).