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Flyers’ Laughton likely headed to Lehigh Valley

ScottLaughton

Philadelphia Flyers’ prospect Scott Laughton is likely headed for the American Hockey League when camp concludes and he’s OK with that.

Laughton, 20, was selected 20th overall by the Flyers in 2012 and after four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League is set to begin his professional career this season.

The 6-foot-1, 190 pound center was finding the silver lining Saturday when talking about the possibility of starting the season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

“I know (Claude) Giroux went down there too,” Laughton told CSN Philly’s Sarah Baicker. “He’s one of the best players in the world, so if he can do it, I think anyone can.”

Laughton, who played six games with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate in 2013, won’t count his training camp as a disappointment.

“I don’t really look at it like that,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of good players here. Hopefully I get in a couple exhibition games, I don’t know what’s going to happen yet, but hopefully I can show what I can do there and then we’ll see what happens.”

Laughton could get an extended look during the preseason as Giroux is expected to miss two weeks with a lower body injury.

“It’s up to them at this point,” Laughton said. “Wherever they think is the best fit for me right now, I’ll be willing to do. We’ll see what they think up there, and we’ll go from there.”

Laughton’s three-year, $3.4 million entry-level contract doesn’t kick in until this season, which means the Flyers have plenty of time to give him a year of seasoning in the AHL before deciding whether he’s ready to make the leap to the NHL full-time in 2015-16. It’s a good problem for general manager Ron Hextall to have especially given the team’s depth at center.

Related: Schenn moves to center in Philadelphia

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