Not every player a team drafts develops the same. It can take time for some to get adjusted to not only the play in the NHL if they make it there at all, but the AHL too. The speed of the game is much quicker than the play in junior leagues, and some aren’t able to pick it up from the start.
Scott Laughton is one of those players. Laughton is still just 24 years-old after being drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers six years ago. He’s jumped from AHL-to-NHL throughout the years since becoming professional in 2015-16, but finally found a consistent role with the team last season as fourth-line center.