He played for the NHL Oakland Seals and California Golden Seals, as well as the WHA New York Raiders, New York Golden Blades, Jersey Knights, and San Diego Mariners.
[1] Between his time in the NHL and the WHA, Laughton was sold to the Montreal Canadiens before the start of the 1971-72 season by the California Golden Seals.
He led the team that included Larry Robinson and Yvon Lambert, future stars on the Canadiens, to the 1972 Calder Cup championship.
After being chosen in the 1975 intra-league draft by the WHA Calgary Cowboys and failing to come to terms on a contract, he returned to his hometown of Nelson to become player-coach of the Nelson Maple Leafs of the Western International Hockey League.
This biographical article relating to a Canadian ice hockey centre born in the 1940s is a stub.