MUSKEGON – In a lot of ways, Muskegon Lumberjacks defenseman Gavin McCarthy is a living legacy to his father, at least in the way he performs on the ice.

His dad, Joe McCarthy, is a former member of the U.S. Navy SEALS (United States Navy Sea, Air and Land Teams). They are the “U.S. Navy’s primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command,” according to one description.

That means Joe McCarthy is highly trained and pretty tough, and he incorporated those qualities into his son’s game when he coached him as a youth.

That helped Gavin became a very physical defenseman who turns defensive success into scoring opportunities.

The proof is in the numbers. McCarthy is off to a great start this year, with 10 assists in the Lumberjacks’ first 11 games, which puts him third on the team’s point-producing chart, even though he’s yet to score a goal.

More importantly, McCarthy has a strong plus-5 rating in the plus/minus column, meaning the Jacks have scored five more goals than their opponents when he’s on the ice.

Lumberjacks’ coach Mike Hamilton says McCarthy’s aggressive play on the blue line allows him to steal the puck, turn plays around, and join the offensive rush in the transition game.

That, in turn, has led to all those assists.

“He’s a hell of a hockey player,” Hamilton said. “His strength is his play without the puck. He’s one of the best defensive defensemen in the league, and when he puts that first points seem to follow him.

“He kills a lot of opponent entries at the blue line, turns the play into offense and joins the rush. He does it pretty much every night against the other teams’ top lines.”

McCarthy, a very polite and friendly guy off the ice, says his physical style is an important part of his game.

“I’ve got some good size and I bring that to the table,” he said. “Other teams don’t like to go up against that. I try to be pretty physical, even if that means giving opposing players a few shots here and there.”

While opponents get sick of his style, most are forwards who are out there to score, not scrap, so they grudgingly put up with it.

“They don’t want to fight – they just get annoyed,” McCarthy said.

Mental toughness coming in handy, too

McCarthy says his aggressive style of play can be traced to his dad and the military influence.

“He played hockey when he was younger, so he knew what to teach me in terms of skills, and obviously with his background he incorporated the physicality side of it,” he said.

He says his dad also taught him mental toughness, which really helped during the early part of the 2021-22 season, when he was a rookie getting spotty ice time.

The Lumberjacks had a lot of veteran defensemen last year, so McCarthy had to wait his turn, and he admits that was challenging.

“Being in and out of the lineup can be really tough,” he said. “It’s obviously tough being on the bench when you want to be out there helping your teammates.:

McCarthy started getting more playing time last December, when star defenseman Jacob Guevin left for a few weeks to play in an international tournament, and made the most of it.

He finished with two goals and 11 assists in 53 games and had a very good plus-7 rating on the plus-minus scale.

“He got an opportunity, filled in a big role, and from that point on kind of took off,” Hamilton said.

McCarthy is part of a group of second-year Lumberjacks who played secondary roles last season but have stepped up big as team leaders this year.

That group also includes players like Tyler Hotson, Ethan Whitcomb, David Hymovitch, Nathan McBrayer, Tyler Dunbar and several others.

“I think we gained a lot of experience last year, learned how to play in this league, then moved up in the lineup and are doing really well,” McCarthy said.

But assists are not enough for McCarthy. He says he won’t be satisfied until he erases the zero from his goal-scoring total.

“I’ve got to get that first one out of the way,” he said.

Home followed McCarthy to Muskegon

A lot of players in McCarthy’s age group are happy to leave home and start their lives on their own, away from their parents.

McCarthy’s experience has been different, because home followed him to Muskegon.

McCarthy grew up near Buffalo, New York, and is the youngest of three hockey playing brothers.

His dad had retired from his job by the time McCarthy joined the Jacks, and his mother worked from home, so his parents decided to pull up roots and move to Muskegon with him

That means McCarthy, only 17, is enjoying the comforts of home while getting a start on adult hockey career.

Some guys might consider that excessive parenting, but McCarthy is very happy to have mom and dad around, providing a ton of support and a built-in fan club at every home game.

“My parents got a condo here on the water and I live with them,” he said. “They just decided, since I’m the youngest in the family and nobody was home anymore, that they would move out here with me.

“It makes it a lot easier for me. I was comfortable right from the start, and it makes it a lot easier with my schedule.”

Joe McCarthy has not only been a source of support for his son, but the entire Lumberjacks team.

During training camp this year, he took the players to the great outdoors for some Navy SEAL-style training, designed to help them bond as a team, develop problem-solving skills, and became mentally stronger.

Coach Hamilton said the experience was great for the players, and Gavin agrees that his dad had a positive influence on the team.

“It was mostly team-bonding stuff,” McCarthy said. “We did some suffering together, a lot of pushups and other exercises and different activities. We learned how to work as a team and how to move and walk in sequence.

“We split into groups and learned about land navigation. We had to find a bunch of tennis balls hidden around the beach, but before we started we had to make ourselves into sugar cookies. We had to go in the water and got wet, then roll around in the sand so it was sticking to us. It was really irritating.

“I think when you suffer as a team, it brings everyone closer.”

Lumberjacks fans were introduced to Joe McCarthy at the first home game this season when he was recognized over the PA system as a “Hometown Hero” for his military service.

“It was nice to hear him get some recognition for that,” said McCarthy, who heard the announcement during the game. “I’ve grown up with it, and he makes it seem normal, but it’s really not. I’m proud that he served.”

All veterans will be honored by the Jacks during Friday night’s home game against Green Bay, when they have their annual “Military Night” to coincide with Veteran’s Day.

“I think we’re going to play for those who served and bring a little extra, and hopefully come out with the win,” McCarthy said.