Samuel Laberge

Samuel Laberge
Born	(1997-04-10) April 10, 1997 Châteauguay, Quebec, Canada
Occupation	Ice hockey forward
Years active	2013–present
Known for	Playing for the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and under contract with the San Jose Sharks (NHL)

Samuel Laberge (born April 10, 1997) is a Canadian ice hockey forward currently playing for the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League (AHL), while under contract with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Despite going undrafted, Laberge advanced through the ECHL and the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH) before making his NHL debut.

Junior

Laberge’s early hockey development took place with the Châteauguay Grenadiers, where he contributed to winning the Jimmy Ferrari Cup as Quebec AAA champions in 2014. Initially cut from the under-18 AAA roster, he progressed through Midget Espoir and was subsequently selected by Rimouski Océanic in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft.

He recorded his inaugural QMJHL goal in the 2013–14 season. The following year, Laberge played a role in Rimouski’s capture of the President's Cup as QMJHL champions. Although not selected in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, he participated in various NHL development camps, including that of the Los Angeles Kings.

Laberge was honored as QMJHL Humanitarian of the Year for two consecutive seasons (2015–16 and 2016–17), serving first as alternate captain and later as captain for Rimouski.

Professional debuts

Laberge commenced his professional journey by signing with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL) on July 12, 2017. He netted his first AHL goal on November 25, 2017, which proved to be the game-winner in a 3–2 triumph over the Cleveland Monsters. During the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs, he scored his first postseason goal in the AHL—a double-overtime winner against the Ontario Reign in the opening round.

On July 12, 2018, Laberge secured a one-year contract to continue with Texas for the 2018–19 campaign. After sidelining for over two months due to injury, he successfully recovered from a concussion and prepared for the subsequent season.

Departure to Quebec

While traveling to attend training camp with the AHL's Manitoba Moose on a professional tryout (PTO) contract in 2019, Laberge received news that his father had been diagnosed with bone cancer. After three days at camp, he chose to leave to support his family.

Returning home to Châteauguay, Laberge took up construction work and attracted interest from more than half of the seven teams competing in the semi-professional Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH). Opting to sign with the Sorel-Tracy Éperviers, located closest to Châteauguay, he rekindled his enthusiasm for hockey despite initial doubts about resuming play at a high level.

Laberge concluded his stint with Sorel-Tracy as their leading scorer, accumulating 29 points across 33 games. The league’s playoffs were ultimately canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Return to professional hockey

Ahead of the 2020–21 season, Laberge inked a deal with the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. Following the Thunder and ECHL's North Division opting out of competition amid COVID-19 concerns, he entered free agency and subsequently signed with the Allen Americans.

On July 21, 2021, Laberge agreed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Utica Comets of the AHL. Initially assigned back to Adirondack as an alternate captain, he was recalled by Utica after five games. Throughout that season, Laberge moved between both teams until February 2022 when he was informed he would remain primarily with Utica.

The Comets re-signed him on June 21, 2022, for another year. He made his NHL preseason debut on September 26, 2022, facing off against the Montreal Canadiens in Quebec City with his father attending. During the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, Laberge scored an overtime goal that clinched a series victory over Laval Rocket.

For the 2023–24 season, Laberge returned to Utica on a one-year contract signed May 23, 2023. After recovering from injury, he recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick on November 18 in a 6–3 win against Laval.

Midway through November, on November 25, Laberge signed a one-year entry-level contract with Utica’s NHL affiliate, the New Jersey Devils. He made his NHL debut five days later in a 4–3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, becoming only the third former ECHL player to debut that season. After two NHL appearances totaling just over six minutes on ice, he was reassigned to Utica. Over 59 AHL games that year, Laberge tallied six goals and nineteen points while accumulating ninety-two penalty minutes.

On May 16, 2024, New Jersey re-signed Laberge to a one-year two-way deal carrying a $775,000 cap hit.

As a free agent from New Jersey, Laberge agreed to a one-year two-way contract with the San Jose Sharks for the 2025 season on July 1, 2025.

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013–14	Rimouski Océanic	QMJHL		2	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Rimouski Océanic	QMJHL		61	15	11	26	68		15	3	2	5	10
2015–16	Rimouski Océanic	QMJHL		63	21	27	48	103		6	1	1	2	20
2016–17	Rimouski Océanic	QMJHL		40	18	27	45	33		4	1	0	1	7
2017–18	Texas Stars	AHL		66	7	8	15	81		13	1	2	3	4
2017–18	Idaho Steelheads	ECHL		2	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Texas Stars	AHL		31	1	6	7	70		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Sorel-Tracy Éperviers	LNAH		33	16	13	29	22		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Allen Americans	ECHL		50	15	22	37	73		5	2	3	5	8
2021–22	Utica Comets	AHL		53	5	8	13	58		5	0	0	0	0
2021–22	Adirondack Thunder	ECHL		12	2	8	10	24		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Utica Comets	AHL		43	8	8	16	49		4	1	1	2	0
2023–24	Utica Comets	AHL		59	6	13	19	92		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	New Jersey Devils	NHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2024–25	Utica Comets	AHL		38	3	1	4	76		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2014	Canada Quebec	U17	4th place		6	0	1	1	2
Junior totals					6	0	1	1	2

Awards and honours

Award	Year
QMJHL
Humanitarian of the Year	2016, 2017