Over the course of his four year OHL career, Sudbury native Sam McCue found himself suiting up with no less than five different teams – a full quarter of the entirety of the league’s franchises.

As he gets set to begin the next chapter of his hockey journey at the professional ranks, the 20 year-old power forward and Toronto Maple Leafs' draft pick (7th round – 2024) would be more than happy to find himself calling at least a few more hockey outposts home.

That, you see, is the pathway he will need to travel if he is to reach his ultimate goal.

McCue left last week for the opening of the Toronto Marlies training camp, though he quite candidly noted that all signs point to the OHL champion (Peterborough Petes – 2022-2023) suiting up this year with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

As people who know hockey know well, the progression to the big leagues for a prospect like McCue will now require him to ascend from the Maple Leafs affiliate in the ECHL (Cyclones) to their AHL team (Marlies) before hopefully finding himself at the pinnacle of the sport.

And for as much as this requires the 6’2” 200 pound bundle of truculence to beat the odds to make it all happen, those same hockey people are well aware that there are indeed of good number of NHLers, current and former, who have indeed forged ahead successfully in this journey before Sam McCue.

“Pro hockey is something I’ve dreamed of my whole life,” said McCue recently, sharing time to chat at a local coffee shop. “It’s not the NHL yet, but you don’t usually peak until you’re 24, 25. I’ve still got some runway.”

The younger brother of Max (McCue), who suited up in an exhibition game this fall with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Sam has found himself adapting to the setting he is in for much of the time since he recorded 50 points in 53 games combined for the Nickel City U14 AAA and U15 AAA Sons between 2018 and 2020.

“There’s only so many spots (at this level) for skill guys and if you’re not that skilled or not the top player, you’ve got to find a new role, a different playing style,” said Sam. “I was lucky that my brother went into the OHL before me. He became his own player and I kind of took that from him.”

“I started to play with an edge, forecheck hard, hit guys, get under the opponent’s skin.”

The results, admittedly, were a little mixed.

In his rookie year with the Petes, McCue was part of the OHL entry to the Memorial Cup, though he dressed for only 33 of the 68 games that year on a stacked Peterborough team. The experience, however, paid dividends as the gritty winger put up 37 points in his second year, moving from a rebuilding Petes team to a contending club in Owen Sound.

Drafted by the Leafs in the summer prior to the 2024-2025 campaign, McCue once again saw his stats rise, even as he split the season between Owen Sound and Flint, closing the books on his OHL career with stops in Brantford and Ottawa last year.

That last destination might be the one that has most prepared him for what now lies ahead.

“Dave Cameron (head coach – Ottawa 67’s) really taught me how to play more defensive-minded hockey, more pro style hockey,” said McCue.

“That final year was different, for sure. It was all about playing hard and shutting down their top line. I’m kind of glad that happened because now I have that in my bag.”

While he acknowledged that there are some differences between his game and his brother’s (Max is more of a passer and playmaker – and the better skater – while Sam is a shooter), they share far more in hockey commonalities. And it is those details that will hopefully play into the hands of the siblings.

“The way the pro game is played – having good sticks, getting in the way, making space for other guys and making the little plays – I am pretty good at all of that,” said McCue. “I love the physical side of the game. That is the pro style of the game.”

And if that means that he has to uproot from his first crack at living on his own, cooking his own meals and such in southern Ohio in order to move back north of the border to the GTA this year or next, so be it.

It’s not like he has travelled this road before.

“I think it made me a better person, having to adapt to new billet homes and different styles of play.”