Samuel Laberge
Born (1997-04-10) April 10, 1997
Chateauguay, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 New Jersey Devils
Utica Comets (AHL)
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 2017–present

Samuel Laberge (born April 10, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League while under contract to the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Undrafted, Laberge had played in the ECHL and Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH) before making his NHL debut.

Playing career

Junior

Laberge played four seasons with the Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He won the QMJHL championship with Rimouski in 2015, and was named QMJHL Humanitarian of the Year in 2016 and 2017, in the latter of which he served as Rimouski's captain.[1]

Professional

Professional debuts

Laberge began his professional career by signing with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL) on July 12, 2017.[2] He scored his first AHL goal on November 25, 2017, the game-winning tally in a 3–2 victory over the Cleveland Monsters.[3] During the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs, in game three of the first round series against the Ontario Reign, Laberge scored his first AHL playoff goal, a double-overtime game-winner.[4]

On July 12, 2018, Laberge signed a one-year contract to return to the Stars for the 2018–19 season.[4] After the season, during which he missed more than two months due to injury, he went home to recover from a concussion and prepare for the next year.[1]

Departure to Quebec

While on his way to 2019 training camp for the AHL's Manitoba Moose, where he was signed to a professional tryout (PTO) contract, Laberge learned that his father, Pierre, had been diagnosed with bone cancer. After only three days in Manitoba, he left camp to be home with his father.[5][1]

Upon his arrival to his hometown of Châteauguay, where he found a job in construction, Laberge received contract offers from more than half of the seven teams in the semi-professional Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH). He chose to sign with the Sorel-Tracy Éperviers, as they were the closest team to Châteauguay. He later recalled that, although it was a difficult time and he worried that he would not be able to return to high-level professionals, his "passion for hockey came back, 100 percent."[5][1]

He would finish the season as Sorel-Tracy's top scorer, with 29 points in 33 games. The league's playoffs were not held, due to the coronavirus pandemic.[6]

Return to professional hockey

Entering the 2020–21 season, Laberge signed a standard player contract with the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. When the Thunder and the rest of the ECHL's North Division announced that they would not return to play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Laberge became a free agent, and signed with the Allen Americans.[7]

Laberge signed a one-year, two-way AHL contract with the AHL's Utica Comets on July 21, 2021.[8] Assigned to the Thunder and named their alternate captain, he was recalled to Utica just five games into the season. After being moved up and down between the two teams for much of the season, he was informed in February 2022, that he would be staying with the Comets more permanently.[1]

One June 21, 2022, Utica re-signed Laberge to a one-year contract.[9] Laberge played in his first NHL preseason game on September 26, 2022, against the Montreal Canadiens in his home province of Quebec. His father was in attendance.[1] In the preliminary round of the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, Laberge scored the series-winning goal in overtime of game 2 against the Laval Rocket, fighting off a defender in front to deflect a shot by Šimon Nemec.[10]

Laberge returned to the Comets for the 2023–24 season, signing a one-year contract on May 23, 2023.[11] On November 18, in his second game after missing three weeks with an injury, he recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick with a goal, assist, and fight in a 6–3 victory over Laval.[12]

Midway through the season, on November 25, Laberge signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils, the NHL affiliate of the Comets and Thunder.[13] He made his NHL debut on November 30, in a 4–3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, becoming the 743rd former ECHL player to play in the NHL, and the third that season.[14] Laberge was returned to the Comets after two games, between which he totaled just over six minutes of time on ice.[15]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2013–14 Rimouski Océanic QMJHL 21010 —————
2014–15 Rimouski Océanic QMJHL 6115112668 1532510
2015–16 Rimouski Océanic QMJHL 63212748103 611220
2016–17 Rimouski Océanic QMJHL 4018274533 41017
2017–18 Texas Stars AHL 66781581 131234
2017–18 Idaho Steelheads ECHL 20002 —————
2018–19 Texas Stars AHL 3116770 —————
2019–20 Sorel-Tracy Éperviers LNAH 3316132922 —————
2020–21 Allen Americans ECHL 5015223773 52358
2021–22 Utica Comets AHL 53581358 50000
2021–22 Adirondack Thunder ECHL 12281024 —————
2022–23 Utica Comets AHL 43881649 41120
AHL totals 214253459304 2223525

Awards and honours

Award Year Ref
QMJHL
Humanitarian of the Year 2016, 2017 [13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stein, Amanda (October 1, 2022). "Samuel Laberge's Unlikely Journey for a Journeyman". NHL.com. New Jersey Devils. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Texas signs French, Laberge to AHL contracts". texasstars.com. Texas Stars. July 12, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  3. ↑ Pennington, Ryan (November 25, 2017). "Samuel Laberge Scores Game Winning First AHL Goal as Stars Beat Monsters 3-2". 100degreehockey.com. 100 Degree Hockey. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Samuel Laberge returns to Texas for 2018-19". texasstars.com. Texas Stars. July 12, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Marcotte, Anthony (November 16, 2022). "Marcotte: La famille avant tout pour Samuel Laberge". NHL.com (in French). National Hockey League. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  6. ↑ Matte, Sébastian (May 23, 2023). "Samuel Laberge a signé une prolongation de contrat avec Utica". sourceduhockey.com (in French). Source du Hockey. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  7. ↑ Klisivitch, Armand (April 19, 2021). "Where Are They Now: 2020-21 Adirondack Thunder". thepuckauthority.com. The Puck Authority. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  8. ↑ Birnell, Ben (July 21, 2021). "Utica Comets ink 2 more forwards; New Hartford's Zalewski signs overseas". uticaod.com. Utica Observer-Dispatch. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  9. ↑ Miller, Brennan (June 22, 2022). "Comets re-sign Schmelzer, Mitens, and Laberge for 2022-23". cnyhomepage.com. CNY Homepage. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  10. ↑ Zurkowsky, Herb (April 22, 2023). "Rocket flames out as streaking Comets eliminate Laval in AHL playoffs". montrealgazette.com. Montreal Gazette. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Laberge returns to Comets in 2023-24 season". uticacomets.com. Utica Comets. May 23, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  12. ↑ Jones, Steve (November 18, 2023). "Utica Comets score three unanswered in the third to beat Laval". romesentinel.com. Rome Sentinel. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  13. 1 2 "Laberge Signs One-Year, Two-Way Deal with Devils". NHL.com. New Jersey Devils. November 25, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  14. ↑ Collins, Dillon (December 1, 2023). "Multi-Team ECHL Veteran Samuel Laberge Makes NHL Debut with New Jersey Devils". thehockeynews.com. The Hockey News. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  15. ↑ Nichols, James (December 2, 2023). "Devils News: Samuel Laberge Reassigned to Utica, What it Means". newjerseyhockeynow.com. New Jersey Hockey Now. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
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