Cade McLaughlin '21 Recruiting Profile

Although being one of the top golfers in the country for my age, my love is hockey and that is the sport that I want to play in college. I enjoy playing team sports and love the fact that I get rewarded for distributing the puck as well as scoring goals. I love earning an assist even more than scoring a goal myself. I am from a strong, Christian family and believe very strongly in the verse, "whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" which gives me the fuel to work very hard at my sport. I have been told by a successful NHL player who coached me that my two greatest attributes as a hockey player are my hockey IQ and my vision. My dad, who went to college on a full football scholarship as a running back and stands at 6'2", started me in hockey at the age of four years old. Both my parents have stressed to me that grades are more important than hockey so I have tried to be the best scholar-athlete that I can be - - despite going to a rigorous academic school. Hockey has not only taught me how to win, be a good teammate and be dedicated to a purpose, it has also taught me how to manage my time by studying in all types of environments including: the back of the car, a locker room, a bus or even an airport. My dad tells me that this will serve me well in life as he looks to hire college kids who have serious goals and activities outside of their schoolwork.

Despite my parents height, I have been undersized on almost every team that I have played. I believe this obstacle will turn into an advantage after I experienced my growth spurt because I have learned to play hockey as a smaller player and have developed a skill set that would not have developed if I were a bigger youth player and relied on my size to gain success. I don't know if it is directly attributable to me (I hope it is) but I am a proven winner. I have been a member of a number of winning teams and that helps give me the confidence to excel in pressure situations: Atlantic Youth Hockey League Champions, Bauer European World Invite Champions (Squirt Major), International Silversticks Champions, Bauer World Invite Champions (Bantam Minor) and ranked number two in the USA and Canada (Bantam Minor) and won our high school prep title last year as a freshman. Hockey is the ultimate team sport and I know with my selflessness and vision, I will someday help a college team to win.