skip navigation

Steel sharpening Steel

01/25/2018, 10:45am CST
By Andrew Vitalis - Let's Play Hockey

Behind a new head coach and a pair of standout forwards, the USHL’s Chicago Steel has eyes on another Clark Cup


Former Grand Rapids High School forward Blake McLaughlin ranks third in the USHL with 36 points in 27 games.

There is an electricity surrounding the Chicago Steel hockey program once again – partly because of who they have and partly because of who they just got.

Since winning their first Clark Cup championship last May, things haven’t been easy.  Shortly after hoisting the championship trophy, head coach Dan Muse left the USHL for greener pastures, accepting a position as assistant head coach for the Nashville Predators.  

The move was first of many twists and turns within the organization that ultimately came to a head on Jan. 2, when then-head coach Mark Abalan was let go and new interim head coach and assistant general manager Ryan Cruthers was brought into the mix. It wasn’t so much that the Steel had been bad. At the time of the change, Chicago was in fourth place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference. Still, for those around and within the organization, it seemed as though a shift in culture was in order. Buzzwords like “accountability” and “pride” became the new narrative off the ice and hot-button ones like “fast” and “smothering” started to dominate the on-ice conversation. Cruthers was pegged as being the right person for the job.

“I think the most important thing for me coming here was building a culture where players are proud to be a member of the Chicago Steel and what it means to be a member of this team,” Cruthers said. “I thought it was important to get things like that going right away. It’s a bit of a strict program, but the players get what they deserve and everyone is accountable. I think the accountability has gone up here and things have changed for the better.” 

He knows what he’s talking about. Prior to becoming a head coach, as a player, Cruthers roamed the ice with a magic scoring touch that eventually made him the ECHL’s Reading Royals’ all-time leading scorer. After moving behind the bench, his influence has been felt as an interim head coach with the Royals, the New Jersey Titans (NAHL) and most recently, as head coach of the Charlotte Rush (USPHL). With the Rush, Cruthers’ squad won the 2017 championship and were on their way to repeat-run before he was hired by the Steel. When the Farmingdale, N.Y., native left Charlotte for Chicago, his squad was 28-4 and was averaging over six goals per game.

“As far as on-ice goes, I want to possess pucks a lot,” Cruther said. “I want to be an offensive team that is suffocating to a point and is always on the attack. I want to play with a lot of speed and possess a lot of pucks and hopefully score a lot of goals.”

That philosophy is the second reason why Steel hockey has caught the attention of hockey fans from around the USHL and beyond. When considering that Chicago was already one of the most talented teams in the league on offense before Cruthers’ arrival, blending the new system with existing talent means the Steel could be even more lethal, which is scary considering that they are already second in the USHL in goals scored. Leading the charge are two of the most dynamic playmakers in the USHL in Jack Dugan and Blake McLaughlin. Both players have torched their opponents this season with an overwhelming balance of speed and skill rarely seen before in a league that consistently showcases the best junior talent in the country, and often times, the world. No wonder Cruthers hasn’t stopped smiling since taking the position.

“They are dynamic players, some of the best players in the league, and that helps when they are on your team and it helps when your style of coaching fits the needs of your skilled players,” Cruthers said. “I think for everyone up and down the lineup, who doesn’t want to possess the puck and maintain puck control and puck possession? It’s a possession-style game and I think if you were to watch our game it would translate to some of the higher levels – from the NHL on down. 

“It’s a puck possession game now with a lot of speed and skill, and those two guys have a lot of skill. This system should allow them to get even more points than they have had and I think we were able to see that (against Madison and Sioux City on Jan. 13-14). Things were starting to open up for them and the game is starting to come easy to them. We have talent all the way through the lineup that really fits our style of play. When you have those two guys leading in the forefront, it’s a nice feeling for a coach.”

The explosion they have shown on the ice cannot be understated. For Dugan, after excelling as a prep hockey star in Lake Placid, N.Y., the 6-2, 195-pound power forward was drafted this past June by the Vegas Golden Knights in the fifth round. By the time he skated into Chicago, he already had a target on his back larger than his No. 12 jersey. Apparently that didn’t matter. Primarily always paired with McLaughlin and center Baker Shore as the Steel’s first line, Dugan has made opponents pay almost every time he touches the ice. Over a span of 27 games, Dugan has been held without a point just  six times. Furthermore, he has scored two goals in a game five times and has scored three or more points in a game four times. Currently tied for first in the USHL in scoring (16-22--38), the Providence recruit has been at his best since Cruthers has taken over, scoring 10 points in his last seven games.

“All my life pretty much I’ve always found it kind of natural to be able to score.” Dugan said. “I’ve always been one of the top scorers in my league growing up wherever I’ve played. I think it’s kind of come naturally to me. Obviously, I try to work on it every day and get better, but for as long as I can remember, it has always been that way. 

“I pride myself as being a smart player. I’ve always had a pretty high hockey IQ and I’ve always been able to pass the puck pretty well. This year I started outscoring a lot more goals than I have any other year so maybe it’s all starting to come together. My hockey IQ has always kind of been there and I’ve always been able to find my teammates as well.”

“Jack is a bigger, stronger kid that can play with a lot of speed for a big man and can shoot the puck extremely hard,” Cruthers said. “He takes up a lot of space and he moves really well for a big guy, and has a knack for scoring big goals and finding his teammates. His game is a little bit heavier than maybe what you see with Blake.”

McLaughlin has quickly become known for the very types of things Cruthers emphasizes within his system – speed, skill and more speed. After leaving Grand Rapids High School for the USHL after last season, McLaughlin got a small taste of life in the USHL with the Steel, playing in 11 regular season games and one postseason game. Now playing in his first full season for the Steel, the future Gopher has become one of the most dynamic players in the league. Through 27 games, McLaughlin has registered 36 points, including 17 goals, ranking him third in the USHL in scoring. In addition, the future NHL draft choice (eligible for the upcoming 2018 NHL Draft this summer) has a plus/minus of +8 and has already tallied seven goals on special teams, including two shorthanded markers.

“A lot of puck possession, change of speeds; he can go fast or can slow it down,” Cruthers said. “His hands in tight are probably the best I’ve ever seen and he has a knack for scoring goals. They complement each other really well. When they both get an opportunity to score, they do that, and it’s fun to watch them in the offensive zone and watch them do the things they can do. I think with both of them, when they are working towards their fullest potential, they are the most lethal duo in the league and that shows on the scoreboard.”

“It is special to be playing with a guy like that,” McLaughlin said of Dugan. “He’s drafted and you can just tell that he’s drafted with the way he plays – he’s very professional with his game. Just his hockey IQ; he always finds good spots on the ice and when he has the puck he can thread the needle. Just playing with Shore and Dugan, our games complement each other a lot and the chemistry is just there. We always seem to find each other. We are great friends off the ice, so the chemistry is strong. To be able to play with those guys is unbelievable. Their skill, speed and poise with the puck is amazing.”

And almost everyone has noticed. For Dugan and McLaughlin, their résumés also include a recent selection to the USA World Junior A roster which participated in the World Junior A Challenge last month in Nova Scotia. Made up of the best junior hockey players in the world, both Dugan and McLaughlin stepped away from their USHL season for a brief time to help Team USA to a silver medal finish. 

Their lack of presence was immediately felt by the Steel who went 1-3 during the four-game stretch playing without the dynamic duo. Making their absence even more apparent, in the time playing without Dugan and McLaughlin, the Steel scored three or less goals in three of those games. Up to that point Chicago had scored three or less goals in a game just three times all season. Still, despite the struggles back home, Dugan and McLaughlin made the most of their experience and returned home with even more tricks in their bag of pucks. Both tallied four points in five games.

“Just the speed of the puck and all of the guys being that much better. It was pretty crazy,” Dugan said. “The first game we got into it and all of the guys are the best players from around the country, so they are there for a reason and they knew how to move the puck around. That was a little bit of an adjustment for me, but once I got the hang of it, things got a little easier for me.”

“I went into it with an open mind and watched how other players played, the things they told me,” McLaughlin said. “Just listening to the coaches and what they told me. They talked about what I could do better when it came to my game. I went in with an open-minded and wanted to be accepting of the advice they were giving me.”

Now back in Chicago, with a new head coach and a brand-new system, the jump in their skates seems to be more powerful than ever before, which is not what the rest of the USHL wants to hear.  
“Everything changes when a new coach comes in, but I would say it’s been a change for the better,” Dugan said. “I think we have more of an offensive mindset right now, and for guys like me and Blake, that plays right into what we like to do. Moving forward here, I’m hoping we just get better and better. It’s only been about two weeks now, we haven’t had too much of an opportunity to play in it, but I’m excited about what the future holds.”

“Monday (Jan. 15)  was our first real day as a group and it was nice,” Cruthers said. “It was nice to see what this team can be. “These guys have gone through a lot as a group and as a family. I have been happy and now it’s important for us to build on things.”

Now just six points behind Team USA for first place in the Eastern Conference, the Steel will need Dugan, McLaughlin and company to be at their best down the stretch. If the first half of the season is any indication, they will be.

 

Andrew Vitalis can be reached at lphprep@yahoo.com.

 

Photo: Chicago Steel

Top Stories

  • Teaching crossovers

  • 12/21/2017, 9:45am CST , By Andy Ness
  • Crossovers are one of the most important skating skills there is for many reasons.
  • Read More

Tag(s): State Of Hockey  News  Andrew Vitalis