Kyle MacLean's Islanders Debut a Family Affair

Hockey is the family business for Kyle and John MacLean, but those two things have never really mixed in their professional careers.

On Friday night, family and business will come together, as Kyle makes his NHL debut for the New York Islanders, while his father John, an Assistant Coach, will be behind the bench.

“It's pretty cool and obviously a unique situation,” Kyle MacLean said. “Not many people get this, so it's definitely special.”

While Kyle and John got to share a nice moment when they both arrived in Chicago on Wednesday – Kyle from Bridgeport and John from Winnipeg – the father-son duo played it cool during Thursday’s practice. After all, the family business is still a business.

“He's got a job to do and I’ve got a job to do, so it's good business relationship now,” Kyle said. “But definitely in the back your mind to have that special connection, it's a cool situation.”

Even without the added family dynamic, Friday will be a special day for Kyle MacLean, who has taken the long road to the NHL. The 24-year-old has played in Bridgeport for the past four seasons, racking up 78 points (29G, 49A) in 193 AHL games. Prior to that he played five years with the Oshawa Generals in the OHL, compiling 156 points (51G, 105A) in 278 games, serving as the team captain for his last two years.

“I know how much time he's put in getting here, the energy and mental fortitude it takes to grind through that,” said Hudson Fasching, who was briefly teammates with MacLean last season in Bridgeport and has had his own lengthy stints in the AHL. “We’ve all got a lot of respect for him and really excited for him.”

MacLean was never drafted, so he’s had to grind for everything he’s gotten in hockey, which is also reflected in his playing style. MacLean does the dirty work in Bridgeport, playing a defensive role and killing penalties. He led the team with five shorthanded points (1G, 4A) last season and his four shorthanded assists were tied for the league lead.

“I'm just going to try to play a responsible game, be a good two-way forward and work hard,” MacLean said.

Those attributes make him a good candidate to fill in for Casey Cizikas, who is out week-to-week after suffering a lower-body injury on Jan. 9. MacLean skated in Cizikas’ spot on Thursday between Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin.

"I like him in that spot," Head Coach Lane Lambert said. "Similar to Casey, he's got some speed, he plays the game the same way and from that standpoint gives that line an identity so to speak."

Kyle’s game is drastically different than his father, who played 1,194 games and scored 842 points over 18 years with the New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, New York Rangers and Dallas Stars. In some respects, Kyle thinks of his dad more as a NHL coach, since that’s what he’s been ever since he can remember.

“He's always been a coach to me,” Kyle said. “He's taught me a lot, pretty much everything, so I definitely looked up to him in the hockey world.”

It was John who put Kyle on skates at a young age and showed him the game, but his NHL coaching responsibilities – he’s been behind an NHL bench as a head or assistant coach for 18 of the past 22 years – meant that his wife, Adrienne, shouldered a lot of the day-to-day responsibilities of Kyle’s youth hockey days. John was appreciative of all the sacrifices Adrienne made to further their son’s hockey careers.

“My wife's the one that took them everywhere,” John said. “It's more her than me. She's the one that's been to every hockey thing, so it'll be a big thing for her.”

Adrienne and John Carter – Kyle’s brother – will both be in attendance on Friday and will provide the emotional support from the stands. During the game, John will have to walk the line between proud hockey dad and stoic NHL Assistant Coach, but he can appreciate all the work that his son has put in to earn his opportunity.

“[I said] if you love it, just keep playing and that's kind of what he did,” John said. “Kyle didn't get extra looks all the time. He had to keep working and he had to keep going. He enjoyed it and he loves the competition, so it's a credit to him more than anything else that he was able to stick with it.”

There were plenty of stick taps to start Thursday’s practice and Kyle MacLean was tapped to lead the stretch as it wound down. The 24-year-old was channeling his inner Ferris Bueller, making sure to soak the whole NHL experience in as he gears up for his debut on Friday.

“I'm just kind of enjoying the day and soaking it all in,” Kyle MacLean said. “I’m just excited to get going, but at the end of the day. I have to focus on playing well and just do what I do.”