On June 23, for the third time in six years, the McGinn family here celebrated a major hockey milestone for one of its young members.
Brock McGinn, 18, was selected in the second round of the National Hockey League draft (47th overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes.
“We were kind of in shock,” Brock said of his family’s reaction while watching the draft on television at its Fergus home.
In fact, the McGinns – including older brothers Jamie, 23, drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 2006, and Tye, 21, drafted by the Philadephia Flyers in 2010 – kind of assumed it was too early in the draft and were talking and not paying attention when Brock’s name was called.
“We were expecting the third round,” Brock told the Advertiser.
Going into the draft, the left winger with the Guelph Storm was ranked as high as 49th by some scouting experts.
Like many, Brock expected the wrist injury that forced him to miss half the Ontario Hockey League season would delay his selection by one round or so, but much to his delight, that never materialized.
Guelph Storm general manager Mike Kelly said he anticipated Brock would be picked late in the second round or early in the third, but he wasn’t really surprised to see him picked a little earlier.
“That’s a testament to his abilities,” Kelly said. “He’s a pretty tough kid to ignore on the ice. He has a great hockey intellect … Obviously teams felt if they wanted Brock they couldn’t wait on him.”
Kelly said size, strength and improved skills will come with age, but it was Brock’s “instinct to compete” and intellect that made him attractive to the Hurricanes.
“It’s a great team and a nice city,” Brock said of Carolina.
He added Jamie has also said the PNC Arena in Raleigh, where the Hurricanes play their home games, is a “great building with great atmosphere.”
Brock said the rarity of having three brothers drafted into the NHL is not lost his family, especially Jamie and Tye, who were “really happy and really proud” when he joined that exclusive club.
“That’s always the goal (to make the NHL), but realistically, most families won’t have one kid drafted – we have three,” Brock said.
“We did it together. We pushed each other … it is kind of special.” He added, “It’s definitely a good experience for our parents, too.”
For mother Cori, the family’s third NHL draft was definitely the least stressful.
“We were relaxed and just enjoyed the day,” she said.
She is unsure exactly to what she and husband Bob can attribute their sons’ collective hockey success, but she hinted perhaps it’s a common personality trait more than anything in their blood.
“They’re determined and they work really hard for what they want – and they don’t tend to give up,” Cori said.
The long-term goal, obviously, is for Brock to make an impact in Carolina, and Kelly foresees the Fergus native bringing a lot of energy to a third line role in the NHL.
“He’ll be that special kind of third line player that really comes to the forefront during the playoffs,” Kelly said. “He thrives in that type of heavy going … He’ll be a difference maker come playoffs.”
In the fall Brock will return to the Guelph Storm for his third OHL season and he expects the team will have a good year.
Kelly added Brock will be a big part of any Guelph Storm success in 2012-13.
“He’ll be one of our leaders and inspirational guys,” Kelly said, adding Brock will be a top-six forward and play a key role on the team’s power play and penalty killing units.
As for now, Brock said he will continue working on recovering from his wrist injury and will again train with his older brothers to prepare for next season.
And, of course, he will enjoy spending time in Fergus with his family.
It’s not often the entire family is home together any more and with a third McGinn now drafted by an NHL team, that family time may soon become even more rare.
