Going from junior to professional hockey can be a big jump for some players. But, for Brock McGinn, the transition has been a smooth one. The 21-year-old forward is currently playing in his first full-season with the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL).

McGinn said that having two older brothers playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) has helped him not only with the transition, but also with everything from understanding player contracts to conditioning in the summers.

“Growing up we all played hockey and lacrosse,” McGinn said. “So my parents built a backyard rink for us to go and play on every winter with our friends, before school and after, so it was fun having two older brothers to play with all the time. It would always get a little aggressive out there, so maybe that’s why I’m aggressive on the ice like that, but we definitely had good times together.”

Brock is the younger brother of Jamie and Tye, who are both well-known players in the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks organizations, respectively.

“Growing up, I’d always watch my brother in San Jose,” McGinn said. “So you’re watching guys like Joe Thornton and (Patrick) Marleau and picking off things like Patrick Marleau’s speed and Joe Thornton’s patience with the puck, so you just really focus on things like that and bring that to your style of play now.”

The AHL rookie first played for the Guelph Jr. Storm Minor Midget Triple-A team in the South Central Triple-A Minor Midget (SCTAMM) league and the Orangeville Crushers of the Capital Corridor Hockey League (CCHL) in 2009-10.

The following season, in 2010-11, he played 68 games for the Guelph Storm in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and netted 10 goals and four assists for a total of 14 points. During the 2011-12 season, he played 33 games for the Storm, scored 12 goals and notched seven assists for a total of 19 points.

During the 2012-13 season with the Storm, McGinn played 68 games, scored 28 goals and tallied 26 assists for a total of 54 points. Additionally, he was called up to play four games with the Charlotte Checkers.

“It definitely puts a little taste in your mouth on what to expect,” McGinn said of getting called up that season. “So those next two summers, I trained and kind of knew what I was getting myself into coming into my first whole season. It’s definitely fun and hopefully we can keep going and string some wins together and make it to the playoffs.”

During the 2013-14 season, McGinn skated 58 games with the Storm and scored 43 goals, notched 42 assists for a total of 85 points. Following the success of that season, McGinn was brought up to play for the Checkers and has spent the entire 2014-15 season playing in the AHL.

“It’s going good. It’s definitely fun. We have a good group of guys there,” McGinn said of the Checkers. “It’s definitely a big change from playing in the OHL. Everybody’s bigger and stronger, and it’s weird going to the rink some days with guys who go home every day to kids and wives, but it’s been a lot of fun playing with those guys for sure.”

McGinn, standing at six feet and weighing 181 pounds, said he doesn’t mind being one of the younger guys on the team. He said the older guys on the Checkers look out for him and the other rookies.

“Guys try to help you out,” McGinn said. “Chad LaRose, he’s definitely been a lot of help. He’s won a Stanley Cup. He’s been in almost every situation in the game of hockey. So every time he tries to help you out with something, he tries to make sure it sticks in your head and just remember those things and he’ll definitely help you out throughout the way.”

“He talks about playing the same way every night,” McGinn added. “To play professional hockey, you have to bring it every night. You can’t take any nights off. You just have to go out there, work hard, play the full 60 minutes if you want to stick in the line up.”

McGinn said he spent the last few summers training, conditioning and working on his technical skills on the ice so he would be able to compete in the AHL.

“You have to get stronger because everybody in professional hockey is definitely stronger and faster,” McGinn said. “So over the summers, you have to put in your time and try to get that much better so you can play in this league. In the last couple of years in junior, I started getting more confidence with my offensive side, so I think if I just keep working on that, I think it can even improve a little more.”

While playing in the AHL, McGinn said he has had a lot of interaction with the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) as well as the Player Representatives on the Checkers.

“We have meetings with our team and the PHPA came in and talked to us earlier this year,” McGinn said. “We have our PHPA Player Reps and Alternate Reps on our team, so they always are filling us in with new stuff that is coming in to the league and stuff like that, so it’s definitely good and, in our room, it’s definitely talked about.”

Additionally, McGinn was recognized as one of 150 players to be selected for the 2014-15 AHL-PHPA Upper Deck card set which will be released this spring.  The set will feature the next crop of top AHL players, along with more autographs, stickers, and new collectible logo patches.

“It means a lot just to get recognized in those 150 players.  So to just be put in that class with them is definitely a good feeling.”

McGinn is already making a name for himself in the AHL and said he enjoys being a part of the Carolina Hurricanes organization.

“It’s definitely a good organization,” McGinn said. “They’re building right now. We have some really good veteran guys that are leading us in the right direction right now, and just playing in cities like this down south is a really cool experience. Charlotte is a great city to live in with great fans, so it’s definitely a lot of fun playing here.”

McGinn said his focus right now is on the second half of the season. He said he wants to string together more wins and make a push for the playoffs. But his ultimate goal has not changed.

“Your goal is always to make it the NHL,” he added. “As a little kid, that was your goal, so I think my next step is just trying to push towards that, just improve my game that much to try to make that next step to play in the NHL.”