OFF MIC: MEET MAVERICKS DEFENSEMAN, JAKE MCLAUGHLIN

In the third edition of Off Mic, we sat down with Jake McLaughlin, a fifth-year pro and a staple on the Mavericks’ blue line. Jake’s story begins in Hinsdale, IL, a hockey hub situated 21 miles west of Chicago. With six kids each about a year apart in age, there wasn’t much downtime in the McLaughlin household. He said that growing up as the second youngest among two brothers and three sisters had its pros and cons, but being so close in age with his siblings made for some great memories. 

Jake threw the skates on for the first time at the age of four. With parents who were fans of the sport and two older brothers who had already started playing, hockey was a no-brainer for him. His earliest inspiration came from legendary NHL defenseman, Scott Niedermayer, who wore number 27, the same number that McLaughlin has donned throughout much of his career. 

Jake grew up playing for AAA Chicago Mission, a team with whom he won State and made a couple runs to the National Finals. He played for Chicago Mission until his sophomore year of high school, a year in which he split time playing for both Hinsdale Central High and a AA program. It was a special season for Jake in that he got to play on both of those teams with his brother Tim. 

Jake did not have the privilege of playing in an ultra-competitive high school hockey environment in Hinsdale, a big reason for his opting to play for AA and AAA travel programs. After his sophomore year at Hinsdale Central, he spent the next two years playing for AAA Team Illinois. 

In the fall of 2014, Jake entered the junior hockey scene. Much like many of his current teammates, McLaughlin got the opportunity to play in the United States Hockey League (USHL), the top echelon of junior hockey in the US. He began his first season with the Sioux City Musketeers in South Dakota and was later dealt to the Fargo Force in North Dakota where he spent the rest of that season and the entirety of the following season. Jake described the process of being traded on top of moving away from home for the first time as a hard and uncomfortable one, but he was fortunate to live with great billet families which made the transitions easier. Jake keeps in touch with his billet father, Keith, from Fargo whom he credits for making his junior hockey experience truly special. 

In 2016, Jake began his collegiate hockey career. He had initially been drawn to St. Lawrence’s hockey program in Canton, NY, at that time led by head coach Greg Carvel. When Coach Carvel moved on from St. Lawrence, Jake announced his decommitment. After securing the head coaching job at UMass, Carvel encouraged Jake to give the school a look. After taking a tour and meeting the rest of the coaching staff, he knew he wanted to be a Minuteman and promptly committed to UMass. 

With his two older brothers having previously gone on to play club hockey in college, Jake’s opportunity to play Division I was new for the McLaughlin family. He made his mark at UMass right away, suiting up in 30 games his freshman year. During his junior year, the Minutemen made their first ever appearance in the Frozen Four and the National Championship. Despite losing to the University of Minnesota-Duluth, it was one of the best groups he had been a part of. Having his senior season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic was a tough way to follow up the run to the championship and to end his college career, but he’s grateful for four incredible years at UMass Amherst. 

Jake made his professional hockey debut that next fall in 2020 with the Henderson Silver Knights in their inaugural season in the American Hockey League. The Las Vegas Valley was a bit different from central Massachusetts, but McLaughlin’s love for the area and the organization made it an easy transition. The following season, he signed with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals and split time playing for them and the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. In the spring of 2022, Jake hoisted the Kelly Cup as a member of the Everblades in his second year as a pro, a moment he said he’ll cherish for the rest of his life. 

McLaughlin came close to winning his second Kelly Cup in three years this past spring with the Mavericks and looks forward to more opportunities to come. Jake loves Kansas City for its sports culture and fine cuisine, but most of all for the passionate fans he gets to play in front of at Cable Dahmer Arena. (Benson, 2025)