LAS VEGAS — When you come from a working class background, nothing is easy.
But you develop an ethos that can carry you to unimaginable heights, assuming you’re willing to put in the time and the effort.
It was the roadmap Marc Gatcomb has followed. The Woburn, Mass., native didn’t make it to the NHL until he was 25 years old and now, after two seasons, he’s trying to stay there.
The fast-skating, physical forward is hoping to stick to Ryan Craig’s roster with the Vegas Golden Knights. He signed as a free agent in the off-season after two years with the New York Islanders. There’s a spot on the Knights’ fourth line for him and maybe he’ll still be with Vegas come Tuesday when the team’s 10th season in the NHL begins against Chicago at T-Mobile Arena.
Gatcomb was in the lineup Saturday for the final preseason game as Vegas hosted the San Jose Sharks. He finished with three hits and two blocked shots in 16 shifts and just under 11 minutes of time on ice in San Jose’s 4-2 win at T-Mobile Arena as the Knights used their final dress rehearsal to get their expected lineup ready to go for the 84-game schedule.
“I’m just trying to show them the best version of myself,” Gatcomb said of his opportunity. “There’s definitely a standard here that’s set. It’s the 10th year the team’s been here and there’s been no shortage of wins.
“Every day you can see how hard guys compete here. It’s a great (locker) room. Everyone has been so welcoming, helping me adjust to their system.”
Ever since Will Carrier left following the 2023 Stanley Cup title, general manager Kelly McCrimmon has been looking for someone with Carrier’s skillset — someone who can skate, can hit and put the puck in the net enough to be a threat offensively.
Keegan Kolesar tried to fill that role the last two seasons, but when Kolesar was traded to Detroit following last season, there was a need to find a physical presence on the Knights’ bottom six.
Gatcomb fit the job description. In 88 games with the New York Islanders over the last two seasons, he had 11 goals but had 341 hits while averaging just under 10 minutes of TOI.
“My game is about being fast and physical,” Gatcomb said. “I try to finish my checks, get in on the forecheck and be responsible in the D-zone. Whatever I can do to help this team, I’ll do.”
Is he the second coming of Will Carrier?
“It might be a fair comparison,” Craig said in using Gatcomb and Carrier in the same sentence. “He’s a guy who’s earned an opportunity. He’s someone we liked when we signed him and he’s come as advertised with how he has played.
“What I think he can bring us is some of that energy. You talk about Carrier, about Kolesar. Guys like that that can play a physical game. He’s a young player in this league with under 100 games’ experience. But he’s played in the league and we’re excited to have him.”
Gatcomb’s hockey journey took him to places he couldn’t imagine visiting. He took the scenic route if you will following a four-year career at the University of Connecticut, where he was an alternate captain for the Huskies in his senior year.
He went undrafted in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, signed with Vancouver as a free agent, played for the Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, B.C., spent a little time in Kalamazoo of the ECHL, then joined the Islanders organization, where he got his first chance to play in the NHL in 2025 while also playing for the Isles’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport, Conn. That he can play both wing and center certainly helped him in trying to stay in the NHL.
“I’ll always be grateful to the Islanders,” Gatcomb said. “They were the ones willing to give me my chance to play in the NHL and I had a great time there. For me, it will always be special.”
Surprisingly, Gatcomb didn’t reach out to Pete DeBoer, the current Islanders coach and the former coach of the Golden Knights, for some tips on living in Las Vegas after he signed with the Knights.
“No,” Gatcomb said. “I haven’t talked to Pete since the end of the (last) season.”
Maybe if Gatcomb does make the VGK roster he can reach out to his former coach. All rosters must be turned in to the NHL office by 2 p.m. Pacific) on Monday so for Gatcomb, Saturday was his last chance to make a positive impression.
Craig had him with Nic Dowd and Braeden Bowman for most of the game against the Sharks, who had named their young star center Macklin Celebrini team captain the day before. The line was effective on the forecheck and Dowd tied the game 2-2 early in the third period.
Gatcomb’s energy was good and he’s likely done enough to stay in Vegas for now. That work ethic he developed as a kid has served him well.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work to get here but there’s no one way to make it,” Gatcomb said. “It was harped on me as a young kid that hard work was something I grew up with. The work ethic in this room is second to none. You don’t see anyone taking any shortcuts.
“Maybe I can show kids that there’s other ways to make it and it’ll inspire them.”