Blake McLaughlin first slipped on gloves and held a hockey stick when he was 2 years old.
He grew up skating on his family's backyard rink in Elk River, Minn. In the basement, he would pull on an Alex Ovechkin jersey and dream of sharing a line with the Russian superstar. And he fell in love with the Gophers after spending his childhood in the seats of Mariucci Arena.
"He always had that stick," said his mom, Tammi.
But the sport eventually took on a more significant meaning to McLaughlin.
It became his way to cope after his dad died and he moved to Grand Rapids, Minn., a change that culminated in the toughest year of Blake's life.
And now his connection to the game has the chance to evolve again, with the 18-year-old forward poised to be included in the next wave of up-and-comers that gets drafted to the NHL this weekend in Dallas.
"I'm really excited," McLaughlin said. "I hope I'm ready soon. This experience has been so surreal already. I can't imagine what's next for me."
McLaughlin started like many little brothers do: between the pipes. He was tucked in the net to fend off pucks from older sibling Jered and his friends _ after school, on weekends and in the summertime. When he began organized hockey at age 5, McLaughlin stuck with the position for a season or two before moving up ice.
"It didn't matter how many hours he was gone away at a tournament or whatever he did, he'd always come home and grab a ball, put up a little course in our garage and just stickhandle with the dog," Tammi said.
He played locally in Elk River, and his dad Jon watched. The two talked hockey, about the NHL, but then the conversations stopped when McLaughlin was 10.
While running, Jon suffered a heart attack and died in 2010. He was 43.
"It was horrible," Tammi said.
A year later, Tammi met Grant Bischoff while getting her cabin appraised. Grant's wife, Jackie, also died in 2010, from cancer. The father of four stayed in touch with Tammi, who also has a daughter, Jordan, and in August 2012, the two married _ morphing into a family of nine.
"We all have the same interests," Jered said. "We love golfing. We love being on the lake. We love hunting and fishing."
Still, it was a challenging time for McLaughlin, adjusting to a different school and new friends after his family moved to Grand Rapids, and hockey helped with the transition. When he was feeling down, he'd find a stick.
"I think there's where I came to excel in my life," McLaughlin said.
