Hugh McGing
Hugh McGing | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 11, 1998 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey player |
| Known for | Ice hockey center for Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL) and prospect for St. Louis Blues (NHL) |
Hugh McGing (born July 11, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey center who currently competes with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is regarded as a prospect for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected 138th overall by the Blues in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft while playing NCAA Division I hockey for the Western Michigan Broncos, McGing spent four seasons with the Broncos, serving as team Captain and earning First Team All-American recognition. In 2021, he began playing for the Blues’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.
Early life
Born in Chicago, Illinois, McGing is the son of James and Breda McGing. He has two older brothers, Liam and James, who also participated in hockey.
Amateur
Raised in Chicago, McGing started his youth hockey journey with the Niles Rangers before progressing to travel hockey with Park Ridge Northern Express. His AAA experience includes time with Team Illinois, Chicago Young Americans, and Chicago Mission’s 14U and 16U AAA squads competing in the High Performance Hockey League. In 2014, he signed a USHL pre-draft tender agreement with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, who traded their first-round draft pick to acquire him. During his second season with Cedar Rapids, McGing committed to play collegiate hockey at Western Michigan University beginning in the 2016–17 season by signing a National Letter of Intent.
Collegiate
As a freshman with the Broncos, McGing was the youngest player on the roster, standing 5'9" and weighing 155 pounds. He made his collegiate debut on October 5 against the Ferris State Bulldogs and netted his first college goal against Miami RedHawks. He helped Western Michigan secure a berth in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, recording an assist in their defeat to Air Force. On July 5, 2017, McGing was named to the NCHC Scholar-Athlete Team for maintaining a GPA above 3.50 and received an invitation to attend the New York Islanders Development Camp.
In his sophomore campaign, McGing reached a personal best of 30 points over 36 games and recorded a seven-game point streak spanning three contests versus Michigan State and Denver. He was included on the preliminary roster for Team USA's national junior squad ahead of the 2018 World Junior Championships. That season he shared the Rob Hodge Most Valuable Player award with teammate Dawson DiPietro and earned selection to the NCHC All-Academic team with a GPA of 3.71.
Prior to his junior year, McGing was drafted 138th overall by St. Louis in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and took part in their Prospect Camp. Throughout that season, he appeared in all 37 games, scoring 11 goals and totaling 20 points, which garnered him Second Team All-NCHC honors. Additionally, he tied nationally as an NCAA Statistical Champion by scoring three short-handed goals.
Returning for his senior year during a COVID-19 affected season, McGing was named to the NCHC Preseason All-Conference team for 2019-20 and appointed as team captain. He led Western Michigan with 35 points (13 goals and 22 assists), highlighted by his first collegiate hat trick in an 8–4 victory over Miami. In January, he was listed among 20 NCAA men's hockey candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Concluding his college tenure with a total of 117 points across 146 games, McGing signed a two-year, two-way entry-level contract with St. Louis on March 20, 2020. He also became Western Michigan’s first First Team All-American since 1987.
Professional
Following his participation in the St. Louis Blues training camp ahead of the 2020–21 season, McGing was assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate team, the Utica Comets. He achieved his first professional point on February 17, 2021, contributing to a 5–2 victory against the Syracuse Crunch.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 54 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | USHL | 60 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 56 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Western Michigan University | NCHC | 39 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Western Michigan University | NCHC | 36 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Western Michigan University | NCHC | 37 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Western Michigan University | NCHC | 35 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Utica Comets | AHL | 23 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 67 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 36 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 12 | ||
| 2022–23 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 71 | 17 | 22 | 39 | 66 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 51 | 8 | 31 | 39 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 68 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 60 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | United States | IH18 | Finished fifth | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| NCHC Second All-Star Team | 2019 | |
| NCHC First All-Star Team | 2020 | |
| West First All-American Team | 2020 | |
| Lowes Senior Class All-Americans First Team | 2020 | |