The Rangers announced they’ve agreed to terms with center Noah Laba on a two-year entry-level contract beginning next season. Financial terms were not disclosed. He will finish the 2024-25 season on a tryout with AHL Hartford.
Laba, 21, was the Blueshirts’ fourth-round pick (No. 111) overall in the 2022 draft. An engaged, well-rounded offensive center with a 6’2″ frame, he was coming off a 39-point campaign in 50 games with the United States Hockey League’s Lincoln Stars in his draft year, adding 115 PIMs to boot.
After being selected by the Rangers, Laba jumped to the NCAA with Colorado College. He’s stayed in Colorado Springs for the last three seasons, reining in the penalty trouble and dialing up the offense. A breakout sophomore campaign in 2023-24 saw him take home NCHC Best Defensive Forward honors, leading the Tigers with 20 goals, 37 points, and a +20 rating in 36 games.
Laba didn’t manage to crack the point-per-game threshold for a second season in a row in 2024-25 but still had a respectable 10-16–26 scoring line in 29 games for CC. With his season over following their loss to Denver last weekend in the NCHC semifinals, he’ll get his first taste of professional hockey in Hartford over the next few weeks.
Laba’s collegiate resume makes it a probable bet that he’ll see NHL ice at some point before his rookie deal expires in the summer of 2027. Whether that means a full-time role for the Michigan native in the next two years remains to be seen, but he’s one of the brighter spots in a pedestrian New York prospect pool. He ranked No. 7 in the system in Scott Wheeler of The Athletic’s 2025 rankings.