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Operation Ivy · 12-07-2022, 07:20 PM

Jack McCarthy recently made his way into the free agent pool of the SMJHL, and after a couple days of waiting in the waiver wire, it appears he finally knows his landing spot. After being claimed by the Yukon Malamutes, a trade was made to send McCarthy to the Regina Elk for a third round pick. Before this news broke, McCarthy's scouting report became available to SMJHL teams and one of the things that stood out was that McCarthy was both a baseball and hockey player in college.

As a two-sport athlete, McCarthy was able to pique the interest of SMJHL scouts with his defensive instincts and playmaking ability not only on the ice, but on the baseball diamond as well. A center fielder in baseball, McCarthy was used to owning defensive responsibilities for a large portion of the field. He also had to get accustomed to making quick reads off the bat, and react accordingly.

McCarthy was able to take that defensive instinct on to the ice, where he has played the defense position all his life. Just like in baseball, covering the blue line has made McCarthy comfortable reacting quickly and making the right reads to break up a play or block a shot. The only difference, in McCarthy's eyes, is the size of the playing surface as well as its temperature.

"I always felt comfortable playing defense in hockey," McCarthy said to one scout. "There were moments in center field where I found myself squinting just to see the batter - it's nice not to have to do that on the ice."

Regina, amongst other teams, did their due diligence in scouting McCarthy. Some scouts believed that it would be too big of a jump for McCarthy to go from college to the SMJHL, especially given that he focused so much of his time on baseball during the hockey off season. As interviews took place and scouts got to know McCarthy a bit more, it did become more and more clear that hockey was his true passion and that being in SMJHL, and someday the SHL, was where he saw himself.

The comparisons between being an outfielder in baseball and a defenseman in hockey didn't just stop on the defensive skill-set, but scouts were able to get a good understanding of how much leadership and hard work meant to McCarthy. A 3 year captain in both baseball and hockey during his time in college, McCarthy mentioned to scouts across the league that wherever he ends up, he wants to be a leader on and off the ice. If you were to ask McCarthy's college teammates, whether out in the field or on ice, they would tell you that McCarthy would take a bullet for any of his teammates. Since neither sport (luckily) uses bullets, McCarthy figures that baseballs and pucks would do just fine.

"I always figured that if I could take a 95 mile per hour fastball to the back, that I could take a slapshot to the shin as well," McCarthy mentioned to one scout.

Now in Regina, Jack McCarthy is looking to leverage his experience and skillset to help the Elk hoist the cup at the conclusion of this season.

*CptSquall* · 12-08-2022, 01:26 PM

Approved, +5 TPE to @Operation Ivy

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