Carolina Hurricanes: Analyzing the Impact of Brock McGinn

There are few players as underrated in this league as Brock McGinn. But what exactly is his impact on this Carolina Hurricanes team?

Since becoming a regular for the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2016-2017 NHL season, Brock McGinn has played a crucial role for the team. So what has he brought to the Hurricanes? Let’s take a look at the impact of Brock McGinn.

The Carolina Hurricanes drafted Brock McGinn 47th overall at the 2012 NHL Draft. He would make his NHL debut on October 16, 2015, against the Detroit Red Wings.

McGinn would score his first goal 55 seconds into the game, which was the fastest debut goal since Alexander Mogilny in 1989, where he scored just 20 seconds into the game.

Last season, he would have one of the biggest games of his career in Game 7 against the Washington Capitals. He was all over that game and made his presence known.

The Capitals nearly sealed the game late when the puck squeezed through Petr Mrazek, but it was McGinn who saved the puck from going in with a dive. It was only fitting that he would later score the game-winner to send the Hurricanes to the second round.

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So what exactly does Brock McGinn bring to this team? In 294 games, he has 42 goals and 46 assists. He’s also registered 451 hits throughout his career with four shorthanded goals (two of those coming this season).

As you can see above, he’s not a player that’s going to put up a lot of points. What he does excel at are the little things that don’t show up on the score sheet at the end of the night. He’s a player that flies under the radar a lot, but watching him play allows you to pick up on the contributions he does make.

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When the team needs a spark, you can look to McGinn to provide that grit and physicality to change the tone of the game. He’ll provide that big hit and drop the gloves if he has to, just like we saw when he fought Bobby Ryan in November.

McGinn is also the kind of player that will sacrifice his body. Perhaps my personal favorite aspect of his game, you can rely on him to provide that timely shot-block that could prevent a goal. With that, he’s also a vital part of the penalty kill, which has been fairly consistent for a few years now.

Brock McGinn is the kind of player that every team needs to be successful. He gives you a bit of everything, and while most of it won’t show up on the score sheet, he still contributes a lot to this team. Whether it’s the big hit, the timely shot-block or the needed penalty kill, Brock McGinn finds a way to have an impact in some way.

Question for CC Readers: What do you think? Do you enjoy Brock McGinn’s style of play?