GAVIN MCCARTHY WAS on the ice as soon as he started walking.

Boston University men’s hockey’s newest team captain’s love for the sport started with a backyard ice rink in Ballston Spa, N.Y. Each winter, the 40-by-60-foot rink — built by his grandfather, a carpenter, and his father, Joe — became the area where McCarthy and his two older brothers, Case and Aiden, spent all of their time.

When McCarthy first made use of the backyard rink, he wore a pair of double runners — training skates with two blades instead of one for added stability — and pushed around a skating trainer. His brothers utilized him as an obstacle to deke around until he fell asleep on the ice.

By age three or four, he was skating around with his older brothers, and no one could tear the three of them off the ice.

“They were out every single morning,” said Joe McCarthy, “and every single day after school, into the night.”

“I remember weekends, us being out there for hours upon hours with my mom throwing peanut butter and jellies at us, and we didn’t want to come inside,” added Case McCarthy. “I think that’s where our love for hockey, all three of us, really, really sparked.”

When he wasn’t in the backyard, McCarthy spent his early childhood following his older brothers from rink to rink as they began playing competitive hockey. His favorite part of those games was the Zambonis. He made a habit of not leaving the rink after one of his brothers’ games until the Zamboni was fully off the ice.

Since arriving at BU, McCarthy has continued to follow in the footsteps of Case.

When he arrived on Comm Ave. in 2023, he opted to wear the number 2, the number Case had worn for the first four years of his Terrier career. Case switched to number 7, which he initially desired but lost out on in a game of rock-paper-scissors with Alex Vlasic.

“It was funny because his freshman year, everyone thought Gavin was me, and I was Gavin,” said Case.

If you were to walk into BU’s locker room, you would see a history of the number in every player’s stall, listing every Terrier to wear that chosen number. McCarthy’s name is listed at the end, right below his brother’s.

“I think it’s pretty cool being able to see his name, then my name,” Gavin said.

Now, McCarthy is following in the footsteps of his older brother, Case, once again, as he prepares to wear the same ‘C’ that Case did two seasons ago.

“It’s obviously pretty cool being able to, you know, follow him up,” said McCarthy. “I think I definitely used [Case] a lot over the past couple years, and he’s kind of given me some great advice.”

Gavin and Case McCarthy are the fourth pair of brothers to serve as BU captains, and first since Mike Pandolfo (2001-02) and current head coach Jay Pandolfo (1995-96).

“It’s a proud older brother moment, for sure,” said Case of Gavin’s captain selection.

MCCARTHY HAS KNOWN that he wanted to play at BU long before he ever officially arrived on Comm. Ave. The moment Case, four and a half years Gavin’s elder, first put on the Scarlet and White sweater, Gavin’s mind was made up.

“He really has an appreciation and respect for the program,” said Jay Pandolfo.

He went on one other visit, to Michigan State, on a road trip back from Muskegon, Mich., where he played USHL hockey, to his home in Buffalo.

“The guys from Mich State wanted him to come visit,” Joe recalls. “We were just driving through.”

Joe then asked McCarthy if he wanted to look at other schools and open up the search beyond BU. McCarthy firmly said no.

“He never swayed,” said Joe. “He wanted to go to Boston University.”

“He was set on BU no matter what anyone said,” Case added.

AFTER THE ENTIRETY of last season’s leadership group — Shane Lachance, Ryan Greene, Devin Kaplan, and Quinn Hutson — departed to sign entry-level NHL contracts, it was fair to ask where the leadership would come from.

That question, however, was not a difficult one for the players to answer.

“It was unanimous from our players,” said Jay Pandolfo of McCarthy being selected captain. “He just has good leadership qualities, does things the right way.”

Those leadership qualities can be traced back to McCarthy’s time with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. In his second season in Muskegon, a change in ownership led to a coaching change and the departures of the team’s captain and one of its assistant captains via trade, leaving a void for the remaining players to step up as leaders.

Quickly, it became clear that McCarthy possessed natural leadership qualities that drew his teammates to him.

His competitiveness and the desire to win became infectious within the Muskegon locker room. It became easy for players to follow McCarthy’s lead.

“Reading that he was named the next captain of BU wasn’t surprising at all for anybody who was in Muskegon,” said Parker Burgess, who was promoted from the Lumberjacks associate head coach to head coach in that season.

McCarthy describes himself as a “lead by example” kind of guy.

“[I’m] not the biggest ‘rah rah’ guy,” he said.

Those around him would agree.

“He’s definitely work first, like, lead by example first,” said Case.

“Maybe a little bit quieter,” Joe added.

At just 20 years old, with a June 2 birthday, McCarthy is third youngest captain in BU program history, per BU Hockey Stats. Only Dante Fabbro (2018-19) and Miracle On Ice’s Jack O’Callahan (1977-78) were younger. When Case was selected captain, he was two and a half years older than Gavin is now.

His captaincy is part of the larger discussion surrounding BU’s age-related concerns.

The Terriers have a nation-leading 19 NHL draft selections. They also have zero returning seniors and 12 incoming freshmen. Owen McLaughlin, a transfer from North Dakota, is the lone senior on the roster. It is an increasingly young squad amid a time when there has been growing chatter surrounding whether younger teams with high-end talent can win a championship.

McCarthy’s response to the critics: Experience is more than just age.

“As upperclassmen, we have that experience. We’ve been there,” said McCarthy. “I’m not worried about it. I think we’re going to be in a great spot.”

For Joe, watching two of his sons grow into captains of BU hockey is like a dream come true.

“It’s for sure surreal,” said Joe. “To have the leadership they have, it’s nice to see the men that they’re growing into, and to have that kind of integrity and responsibility.”