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When thinking about who will be a part of the New York Rangers’ core in the future, Noah Laba is one of the first players to come to mind.
Laba’s emergence with the Rangers came as a surprise. He entered training camp having just played in 11 American Hockey League games after two years at Colorado College, and given his fourth-round draft status, he wasn’t highly touted or necessarily on anyone’s radar heading into September.
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From the start of training camp and into the preseason, Laba stole the show, standing out amongst the rest of the pack, which made it impossible for Mike Sullivan to deny him an NHL roster spot.
Not only did the 22-year-old forward secure an opening-night spot in the lineup, but he’s carved out a permanent role with the Rangers as the team’s third-line center, playing in all sorts of situations, including on both the power play and penalty kill.
In 54 games this season, Laba has recorded six goals, 10 assists, and 16 points, while averaging 13:18 minutes. Laba’s stats don’t tell the full story of his impact..
He provides the team with a combination of speed, physicality and reliability that is rare for a rookie.
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Making a quick jump from the NCAA to the NHL, Laba has been forced to adapt to the professional game on the fly.
“I think just learning each and every day more and more, and trying to become a better player, and become more of an impact for this team,” Laba said. “It’s my focus, it’s been my focus, and it’ll continue to be…
“I think it takes a certain level of discipline and maturity to play at this level, so I definitely grew there, and as well as how to be a pro, and just learning from the guys here who’ve done it a long time.”
Of course, the Rangers are not in an ideal spot as a team despite the emergence of Laba.
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The Blueshirts are currently sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference and are heading in the direction of a “retool”, which was outlined in Chris Drury’s letter to fans issued on Jan. 16.
Brendan Brisson Feels ‘Ready For An Opportunity’ With The Rangers
On top of learning about the pace of NHL play, Laba has also learned a lot about the business side of hockey, watching the Blueshirts trade veteran players the likes of Artemi Panarin and Carson Soucy.
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“I think I’ve always kind of known, and when you’re kind of experiencing it, it’s a little different, it becomes more of a reality,” Laba said of the business side of the NHL “It’s something that everybody’s fully aware of, and you just kind of continue to focus on what you can control.”
With Drury emphasizing the Rangers’ desire to get younger in his letter moving forward, it presents an opportunity for Laba to truly establish himself as one of the franchise’s cornerstone pieces.
Laba wants to be part of what the Rangers are attempting to build for the future, with the intention of staying in New York for years to come.
“I think anytime you’re given an opportunity, you try to do the best you can with it, and that’s my goal,” Laba said. “I want to be here for a long time and continue to be a key player here. It takes a lot of work on my end, and I’m going to continue to try to work towards that.”
