First-hand look at Rangers center prospect Noah Laba of Colorado College
On the same he finalized a massive contract extension with goalie Igor Shesterkin, and just one day after trading captain Jacob Trouba, New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury attended to another part of his job. He was in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday to scout Rangers center prospect Noah Laba.
A fourth-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2022, Laba, is in his junior year with Colorado College, who were in town to play Providence College.
Though we don’t know what Drury’s scouting report was, Forever Blueshirts was also at Schneider Arena on Saturday to focus on Laba. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Laba has good size, and uses his large frame well to play a physical, pro-style game, often battling in front of the net for screens and rebounds. He’s also more of a playmaker than shooter, which is backed up by the stats. Laba has one goal and nine assists in nine games this season, and leads Colorado College in assists.
Laba is the No. 1 center for Colorado College, and he seemed to be the top choice for coach Kris Mayotte to send over the boards for important draws Saturday, especially in the offensive zone. Laba won nine of 18 face-offs, and sits at a solid 55.3 percent this season.
Coach Mayotte also deployed the junior center in all situations. Laba spent time on both special teams, and the Tigers successfully killed off four penalties. He also received power-play time in the second period, and was on the ice when CC scored a power-play goal in the 5-1 loss. Laba was one of the forwards called upon during 4v4 action as well.
The official game statistics credited Laba with one shot on goal, which doesn’t reflect how many total shot attempts he took, including a tip that rang off the post in the third period. He was called for an interference minor, his first penalty of the season.
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Noah Laba looks to ‘earn contract’ with Rangers at end of junior season at Colorado College
Laba missed five games with an ankle injury earlier this season, which is one of the factors for his decline in offensive production from his sophomore campaign, when he led Colorado College with career-highs of 20 goals and 37 points in 36 games. At the end of the 2023-24 season, Laba earned Second-Team All-America honors and was named NCHC Defensive Player of the Year and winner of the Three Stars Award.
Following his breakout sophomore season, the Rangers made a push to sign Laba to an entry-level contract, but he chose to return to college for further development.
When speaking with Michael Ostrower of The Hockey Writers, Laba revealed, “Last season, the Rangers pushed hard to sign me. It was definitely a tough decision but I decided to come back to college. But now I hope to earn a contract at the end of this season and start my pro career.”
Over his two years in the organization, Laba said he has stayed in regular contact with the development coaches, who see a lot of promise in his game.
“[The Rangers] have a really great development staff. Tanner Glass has been my primary point of contact,” Laba said. “He is such a great resource. He cares so much and is so knowledgeable. He really understands my game and is helping me translate into an NHL style of player.”
With his current focus on helping Colorado College earn an NCAA Tournament berth after narrowly missing out on an at-large selection last season, Laba knows there is room for individual improvement and work left to be done to achieve his dream of playing in the NHL.
“Obviously, there are a ton of areas [in my game] I need to improve,” he said. “The work never ends, especially if you want to play pro hockey. But I think my game should translate well to the pro level. I am fast and physical; both are important in the NHL. My game now feels pretty translatable, but I am going to keep putting in the work and getting better in all aspects of the game.”
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