Paul LaDue (born September 6, 1992) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

for

Modo Hockey Modo Hockey (or MoDo with uppercase letters) is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The team plays in Sweden's second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan. The club was founded in 1987 and has won one SHL championships; in 2007. ...

of the

Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (officially SHL; sv, Svenska Hockeyligan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the highest division in the Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, an ...

(SHL). He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the sixth round, 181st overall, in the

2012 NHL Entry Draft The 2012 NHL Entry Draft was the 50th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held June 22–23, 2012, at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first time that Pittsburgh hosted the draft since the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. The top th ...

Playing career

LaDue played junior hockey with the Alexandria Blizzard of the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

and the Lincoln Stars in the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

before he was drafted by the Kings. Committing to a collegiate career, LaDue returned home to North Dakota to play with the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

in the

National Collegiate Hockey Conference The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) is an NCAA men's Division I hockey conference formed on July 9, 2011. The league began playing for the 2013–14 season, the same season that the Big Ten Conference began competition, as a combina ...

. Upon the conclusion of a successful junior year in 2015–16 season, helping the Fighting Hawks claim the National Championship, LaDue embarked on his professional career in agreeing to a one-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings on April 30, 2016. He made his professional debut in joining AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, on an amateur try-out and appeared in 3 post-season games. After attending his first training camp with the Kings and turning heads in the pre-season, LaDue began his rookie campaign re-assigned to the Reign to begin the 2016–17 season. While placing second amongst blueliners in scoring, LaDue received his first recall to the NHL on February 1, 2017. He made his NHL debut with the Kings in a 5–0 shutout defeat to the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

on February 7, 2017. He recorded his first point, an assist on a goal to Dwight King, in his second contest, a 6–3 victory over the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

on February 9, 2017. On October 10, 2020, LaDue was signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

. On September 20, 2021, LaDue was signed to a one-year contract by the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

. Following three seasons within the Islanders organization, LaDue left the club as a free agent and opted to sign his first contract abroad in agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with Swedish club,

of the

(SHL), on July 16, 2024.

Personal life

LaDue comes from a hockey playing family; his uncles and cousin also played collegiate hockey for the University of North Dakota. His cousin Luke Johnson plays professionally for the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

organization of the NHL

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:LaDue, Paul 1992 births Living people American men's ice hockey defensemen Bridgeport Islanders players Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from North Dakota Lincoln Stars players Los Angeles Kings draft picks Los Angeles Kings players New York Islanders players North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey players Ontario Reign (AHL) players Sportspeople from Grand Forks, North Dakota