Noah Laba (born August 4, 2003) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

for the

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the PeoplesBank Arena. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) as a prospect to the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). He was drafted in the fourth round, 111th overall, by the Rangers in the 2022 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Laba spent twos season with the

Lincoln Stars The Lincoln Stars are a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL). The Stars' home ice is the Ice Box on the former Nebraska State Fair grounds and adjacent to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Histo ...

of 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 and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...

(USHL). During the 2020–21 season, he recorded nine goals and ten assists in 46 games. During the 2021–22 season, he recorded 15 goals and 24 assists in 50 games. He finished sixth on the team in points and tied for fifth in goals. Laba was drafted in the fourth round, 111th overall, by the

in the 2022 NHL entry draft. Laba began his

collegiate Collegiate may refer to: * College * Webster's Dictionary, a dictionary with editions referred to as a "Collegiate" * ''Collegiate'' (1926 film), 1926 American silent film directed by Del Andrews * ''Collegiate'' (1936 film), 1936 American musi ...

career for

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory, the college offers over 40 majors a ...

during the 2022–23 season. During his freshman year he recorded 11 goals and 11 assists in 35 games. His 22 points were the most by Tigers freshman since Bryan Yoon recorded 26 points during the 2018–19 season. During the 2023–24 season, in his sophomore year, he recorded 20 goals and 17 assists in 36 games. During conference play, he led the NCHC with 16 goals and six game-winning goals. Laba led the NCHC with seven goals and three game-winning goals, all coming in overtime, to help Colorado College to a 6–2–0 record in January. He added three assists during the month for a ten-point January, averaging 1.25 points per game, and was named the NCHC Player of the Month for the month of January 2024. Following the season he was named the NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year, a All-NCHC First Team selection, and an AHCA West Second Team All-American. Prior to the 2024–25 season, ''McKeen's Hockey'' rated him as the Rangers 7th best prospect, calling him a "prototypical, hard working, two-way center." Scout Jesse Rubenstein called him the Rangers best

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

prospect, even ahead of 2023 first round draft pick

Gabe Perreault Gabriel Perreault (born May 7, 2005) is a Canadian-born American professional ice hockey player for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 23rd overall by the Rangers in the 2023 NHL entry draft. He played colle ...

, praising his scoring, defense and faceoff skills. Following completion of his junior season, Laba concluded his collegiate career with the Tigers by signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the New York Rangers on March 19, 2025.

Personal life

Laba was born to Sarkis and Leslie Laba and has two brothers, Devin and Jaden, and two sisters, Nina and Ari.

International play

On December 12, 2022, Laba was named to the

United States men's national junior ice hockey team The United States men's national junior ice hockey team represents the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championship. The team has won seven times World Junior Championships (2004, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2024, 2025). Many NHL prospects, ...

to compete at the

2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships (''2023 WJHC'') was the 47th edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship, Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, held from 26 December 2022 to 5 January 2023. It was won by Canada men's national j ...

. During the tournament he appeared in one game as an injury replacement for

Tyler Boucher Tyler Boucher (born January 16, 2003) is an American professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), right winger for the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey Leag ...

and won a bronze medal.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Laba, Noah 2003 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans American men's ice hockey forwards Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey players Hartford Wolf Pack players Ice hockey people from Michigan Lincoln Stars players New York Rangers draft picks People from Northville, Michigan 21st-century American sportsmen