Noah Laba leads way for New York Rangers prospects as NCAA season gets underway
Five New York Rangers prospects were in action on the opening weekend in NCAA men’s hockey, with four playing in exhibitions and one beginning the regular-season schedule.
Junior Noah Laba, the Rangers’ fourth-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, centered the top line for the Colorado College Tigers in their exhibition Saturday night at Ed Robson Arena against visiting Briercrest College. The hosts dominated their opponents from start to finish, outshooting Briercrest 50-5. Laba opened the scoring in the first period at 8:47 off a beautiful tic-tac-toe sequence from Ryan Beck and Brett Link.
After leading the team last season with 20 goals and 37 points in 36 games, it would not be surprising to see Laba light the lamp at least 30 times this season. Despite being offered his entry-level contract, Laba chose to return to school with a chip on his shoulder as Colorado College narrowly missed qualifying for the NCAA Tournament last spring.
Laba finished the night with one goal and two assists for three points. He picked up his first assist at 5:14 of the second period on the power play for the Tigers’ third tally. Laba collected his second assist with 1:20 left when Max Burkholder closed out the scoring after Colorado College scored for five goals during the middle period.
Laba had two shots on goal, a plus-3 rating and won five of nine face-offs during the exhibition. The Tigers open the regular season with a weekend series against the visiting Northern Michigan Wildcats on Friday and Saturday.
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Rangers top pick E.J. Emery gets first game action with North Dakota
As for Northern Michigan, the Wildcats began their regular season against the Huskies from Michigan Tech. Freshman defenseman Rasmus Larsson, a fifth-round selection of the Rangers in 2023, had one shot on goal and a plus-1 rating in the 4-3 loss. He did take two minor penalties, for holding at 16:16 of the first period and interference at 14:07 of the third.
Larsson was listed on the left side of the second defense pair for the rebuilding Northern Michigan program, which is predicted to finish ninth in the CCHA.
2024 first-round pick EJ Emery skated on the right side of the second defensive pairing for North Dakota in their exhibition against Augustana. Emery finished with two shots on goal and one blocked shot during the 4-1 loss. The Fighting Hawks will take on Providence College in the U.S Hockey Hall of Fame Game on Saturday to begin their regular season.
Minnesota skated to a 5-1 victory over St. Cloud State on Saturday. Junior Brody Lamb, who was selected by the Rangers in the fourth round in 2021, did not record any points or shots on goal. One knock on his game is inconsistency, and Lamb will need to contribute offensively if he wants to be signed by the organization to his entry-level contract when the seasons ends. Minnesota plays Air Force in the first game of the 2024 Ice Breaker tournament in Las Vegas on Friday. Their opponent Saturday will be UMass or Nebraska-Omaha, depending on the results of games played Friday.
2023 sixth-round pick Ty Henricks was listed as the right wing on the third line for the Western Michigan University Broncos in their 4-1 exhibition win over the USNTDP U-18 squad Saturday night.
Henricks had a plus-1 rating, two shots on goal and one minor penalty. Listed at 6-foot-5, Henricks is a big-bodied wing who had 32 points in 60 games for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL in 2023-24. The No. 15-ranked Broncos face Ferris State on Friday and Saturday to begin their regular season.
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