Courtesy of The Scouting News

Fantasy Summary

physical forward who plays with an edge and is not afraid to drop the gloves and mix it up. A team-oriented, heart and soul type of player with enough skill to someday make an impact at the NHL level.


Observations

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April 2024 – In his recently concluded Sophomore season of NCAA play, Laba was extremely impressive, improving drastically across the board from his Freshman season. The Center led the charge on offense for a greatly improved Colorado College team, a team that narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Frozen Four tournament. Laba’s season eclipsed expectations, as he was selected a first-team all-NCHC forward, leading the conference in goals, game winning goals, and shorthanded goals in his 24 games. In 36 total games played with the Tigers during the 2023-2024 season, he posted 20 goals and 17 assists, 37 points, and showed great improvement on both ends of the ice. His point production nearly doubled from the 22 points that he scored in his Freshman season, and he went from a -18 rating to a +20 player. Laba plays a high-energy, agitating game, attacks the opposing net, and is noticeable for his relentless work ethic each time he hops over the boards. Laba has put his name into the mix as a prospect truly worth keeping an eye on. One would assume that he will spend one more season at the collegiate level, and then look to turn pro with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, as the organization will likely look to sign the Michigan native to his ELC at some point within the next several months. Brendan Ferry

 

July 2023 – Laba completed his Freshman season at Colorado College, where he posted 22 points in 35 games, along with 48 penalty minutes. He is known as a hard-nosed player who likes to engage with opponents. The year prior, Laba had 115 penalty minutes in 50 games for the USHL’s Lincoln Stars. The Michigan native will be returning to Colorado College this Fall for his second season with the club, and will look to continue his development. Brendan Ferry

 

August 2022 — A native of Michigan, Laba was drafted in the fourth round by the New York Rangers in the 2022 NHL draft, his second year of draft eligibility. Laba will suit up for Colorado College during the 2022-2023 campaign, after spending the past two seasons with the USHL’s Lincoln Stars. In 2020-2021, Laba posted nine goals and 10 assists in 46 games played, and upped his production to 15 goals and 24 assists in 50 games played during the 2021-2022 season. Laba has plenty of time to develop his game at the collegiate level, as he is exclusive property of the Rangers until 2026. He is the type of prospect who will require a good amount of seasoning at the NCAA level to hone his game. Brendan Ferry

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 4.5
NHL Certainty 4.5
Country USA
Position C
Roster Type NCAA
Shoot/Glove Right
Date of Birth August 4, 2003
Height 6‘2”
Weight 192 lbs
Drafted 2022 Round 4; Overall: 111

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2014-2015 West Coast Selects U12WSI U129 1 910 2|        
 2015-2016 Belle Tire QC Int PW6 1 56 12|        
 2016-2017 Belle Tire 13U AAAT1EHL 13U5 1 34 14|        
 2017-2018 Compuware 14U AAAHPHL 14U20 5 611 12|        
  Pro Hockey Selects U15WSI U157 0 55 2|        
 2018-2019 Compuware 16U AAAHPHL 16U19 4 59 14|        
  Team Kelly USA-S154 2 13 -|        
 2019-2020 Team Royal USA-S165 1 12 2|        
  Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 16U AAAHPHL 16U14 3 58 30|        
 2020-2021 Lincoln StarsUSHL46 9 1019 72|        
 2021-2022 Lincoln StarsUSHL50 15 2439 115|Playoffs1 1 01
 2022-2023 Colorado CollegeNCAA35 11 1122 48|        
  USA U20WJC-201 0 00 0|        
 2023-2024 Colorado CollegeNCAA36 20 1737 27|        

Highlights