Rangers prospect Noah Laba continues excellent scoring pace to begin new year
The New York Rangers prospects playing in the college ranks continue to put up points, especially 2022 fourth-round pick, Noah Laba.
The sophomore center earned a secondary assist on the Tiger’s second goal of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He would also add an insurance tally, his sixth goal of the season, into an empty net with nine seconds remaining.
Laba finished a +2 with two shots on goal, while going 8-10 on draws. With the win, Colorado College earned their third straight win against a Top 10 opponent, and improved to 6-1 on the road, their best record since 2002-2003. The team was listed at #17 in the USCHO poll, the highest ranking since 2012-2013 when they were #14.
Through 17 games, the 20 year-old has recorded eight goals and six assists for 14 points.
New York Rangers college prospects update
Noah Laba, Center and Brody Lamb, Forward
The matchup of the week saw a pair of New York Rangers prospects against each other, as Colorado College travelled to 3M Arena at Mariucci to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers. In the first game of the series, 2021 fourth-round selection Brody Lamb scored late in the third period to bring the home team within one.
Lamb has now doubled his goal tally from last season. He now has eight goals, and seven assists for fourteen points after scoring four goals and four assists in thirty nine games as a freshmen.
For Monday night’s game, the Gophers debuted their special Gold jerseys, featuring a skating gopher logo on the front. Brody Lamb would tally an assist on Minnesota’s fourth goal of the game while on the power play. He had one shot on goal in the first period, and finished with a -1 rating. Noah Laba was held scoreless with three shots on goal and a -4 rating. He went 14-22 on faceoffs with a slashing penalty in the first period.
Minnesota improved to 10-6-4 with the win and will host Robert Morris University on Friday, January 12th and Saturday, January 13th. Colorado College will be in Duluth, Minnesota to face the Bulldogs on Friday, January 12th and Saturday, January 13th.
Gabe Perreault, Forward and Drew Fortescue, Defense
2023 first-round pick Gabe Perreault and 2023 third-round pick Drew Fortescue did not play in Boston College’s exhibition matchup against Simon Fraser University on Saturday, January 6th. The two freshmen were representing Team USA in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The Americans won gold, defeating the hosts 6-2 in the final game, where Perreault opened the scoring, and added two assists to earn player of the game honors. He finished the tournament with ten points in seven games played. Defenseman Drew Fortescue assisted on USA’s second goal of the game, sending a pass along the boards to Isaac Howard to break a 1-1 tie. The freshmen finished the tournament with one goal and three assists for four points with a +6 rating.
Boston College held onto the top spot in the latest USCHO Division I Men’s Poll. The Eagles hold a 13-3-1 overall record, and will host Providence College on Friday, January 12th.
Jaroslav Chmelar, Forward
As for Providence College, the Friars also defeated Simon Fraser University in an exhibition on Sunday, January 7th. Unfortunately for New York Rangers fans, 2021 fifth-round selection Jaroslav Chmelar was not in the lineup, as he is currently recovering from wrist surgery. The sophomore right wing has five goals, nine assists, fourteen points in sixteen games played on the season. Providence is 10-5-2 overall, and is ranked 9th in the latest USCHO poll.
Zakary Karpa, Forward
A pair of New York Rangers prospects competed in the Desert Hockey Classic, as 2022 6th Round Pick Zakary Karpa led the Harvard Crimson against Arizona State University on Friday, January 5th. The junior center was 12-10 at the faceoff dot, and assisted on Harvard’s second goal of the game, but the Crimson ultimately lost 5-2 to the hosts. Karpa had two shots on goal. Harvard would drop the consolation game against UMass Lowell River Hawks on Saturday by a score of 7-4. While Karpa only had one shot on goal in the game, and was assessed a roughing minor, his proficiency at faceoffs was a highlight, as he would go 14-10 at the dots. Harvard will be back in action this weekend at Brown University on Friday, before facing Yale in New Haven, Connecticut on Saturday, January 13th.
Victor Mancini, Defense
Fellow 2022 draftee Victor Mancini scored an unassisted goal in the third period of University of Nebraska Omaha’s 4-3 overtime victory over UMass Lowell River Hawks in the opening round of the Desert Hockey Classic.
The junior defenseman finished the game with five shots on goal and a +2 rating. He has three goals and three assists on the year. The Mavericks were unable to capture the championship however, losing a heartbreaking 2-1 in overtime to the Sun Devils. Mancini had four shots on goal in the loss. Though currently unranked, Omaha received 34 votes in this week’s poll, possessing a 10-6-2 overall record. The team will travel to Grand Forks, North Dakota for a pair of games against the Fighting Hawks on Friday, January 12th, and Saturday, January 13th.
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