Laughton refuses to get complacent with the Flyers

Flyers rookie Scott Laughton refuses to get complacent, even though he has been moved to the No. 2 center spot between Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn.

When he was recalled last month from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, it had the appearance of being day-to-day situation. Since then, the 20-year-old center has played 11 games and has two assists and is a minus-2. Despite those statistics, he has made a positive impression.

It seems as if Laughton, the Flyers first round draft choice (20^th overall) in 2012, has found a home. Just don't tell him that.

"I am still looking at it day to day and I have to work as hard as I can every day, that is my goal," Laughton said after today's optional practice at the Skate Zone. "Maybe down the road, I will be more comfortable but you should never be really, really comfortable."

Coach Craig Berube liked the sound of that.

"It's good he takes it day to day, because that is where it is at," Berube said. "…He has things to learn and will as he goes along but so far I think he has shown that he is doing a good job."

The 6-foot, 177-pound Laughton has played a physical style, something that hasn't surprised his coach.

"No, I saw that (physical style) a couple of years ago," Berube said. "He has that attitude."

It's more than just the physicality that has impressed Berube.

"He has good speed and takes the puck in traffic and skates with it in the middle of the ice," Berube said.

Laughton, who appeared in five games with the Flyers in 2012-2013, says that with each passing game, his comfort level grows in the NHL and said the recent road trip, where the Flyers went 1-2-2, was good for his development.

"There was a lot of team bonding and you are with the guys all the time," he said. "You get to know a lot of guys and I think they got to know me better, which is a good sign."

When asked what the biggest adjustment he has had to make, Laughton didn't hesitate.

"Honestly, it was probably confidence, coming here and trying to be confident," he said. "Definitely when I was 18, I was gripping the stick (hard), this year I am more confident, I am skating with the puck more and getting the puck more in the middle more and trying to distribute it."

Laughton, who had six goals and five assists in 13 games for the Phantoms, said he benefited from his time in the AHL.

"Those games in Allentown really helped me at the start of the year," he said.

They have helped him find a home in Philadelphia, even if he refuses to look at it as a permanent one.