Samuel Laberge's Unlikely Journey for a Journeyman | FEATURE

Samuel Laberge's story has flown under the radar.

And that's just fine with him. He has always been about putting his head down and doing the work.

He is here to play hockey, it's all he's ever wanted to do, and he'll do it anywhere he's asked to. On Friday, he was part of the first roster cuts by the Devils as a player on an AHL contract. But his story of even getting to the main camp is an incredible one.

At 25 years old, Laberge already has a story worth telling, one of a love for the game, a commitment to his family values, and unparalleled determination. You wouldn't know it unless you dug for the story.

An esteemed Major Junior hockey player, Laberge was the captain of the Rimouski Océanic during his final junior season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he played four seasons in the league. Twice, in 2015-16 and 2016-17, he and the Océanic won the QMJHL championship. For two consecutive years, he was named the winner of the QMJHL's humanitarian award.

In his draft year, Laberge was passed over. For the 2017-18 season, he signed an AHL contract with the Texas Stars, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Dallas Stars. In his first professional season, Laberge played 66 games, where he was beginning to carve out his career.

This was a fairly typical start to a pro-hockey career.

His second year with Texas, he has said, was a difficult one. He suffered an injury that kept him out of the lineup for more than two months. Laberge had returned home to Quebec after his season, he was recovering from a concussion and feeling better. Being home, he said, things were going very well. He was training, getting ready for his next opportunity.

He did not realize it then, but this time back home would alter the course of his life. His dreams would stay the same, but the possibilities seemed less in his reach.

It was during this time back home that the Laberge family would be given earth-shattering news. Pierre, Samuel's father, was sick. He was diagnosed with bone cancer. It was difficult, especially mentally. But perhaps he didn't know how much it was affecting him until he left again.

Laberge was on his way to Manitoba having signed a professional tryout with the Moose of the AHL. The journeyman on his next journey.

He went to Manitoba, but his thoughts, understandably, were elsewhere.

Three days after arriving in Manitoba, he left camp and returned home.

"I wanted to spend the time with my father," he recalls. His head was no longer in the game of hockey, he knew he needed to be around his family.

AHL camps were opening, and opportunities Laberge may have had, suddenly slipping by. He knew he was where he needed to be and that was home with his father, but he never gave up on his dream. His path was just going to look different.

"I worked in construction," he said of the year back home after leaving Manitoba. "I decided to play in a semi-pro league because it was right next to my home, but I wasn't sure if I still wanted to play hockey."

He joined the Sorel-Tracy Éperviers of the LNAH, a low-level semi-pro league in Quebec, a league of just seven teams.

There, he was able to continue playing some hockey and played a lot of minutes, he continued to train with his off-season trainer, he couldn't fully let go of the game. His belief in himself was always there, but there were doubts in his mind, given everything his family was going through with his father, if he still wanted to play.

But that time on the road less traveled helped. He had time with his father and he could still play some hockey, even during an emotionally difficult time.

"My passion for hockey came back, 100 percent," he remembers.

But having the love of the game return was one thing, a year away from the game at a high-level, was another.

"I was really behind, I was back at home, I left hockey for a full year," Laberge said.

Luckily, the hockey world hadn't forgotten him, despite the year away. After his time in Quebec's LNAH, the ECHL came calling. In December 2020 the Allen Americans signed him to a contract.

The road less traveled continued for Laberge.

"I decided to restart in the (ECHL), I knew it wasn't going to be easy," he said of starting over again. He played 50 games that season, scoring 15 goals and 22 assists, he would add another five points in five playoff games. It was his best professional season to date.

Next, Laberge was signing a contract with the Adirondack Thunder, New Jersey's ECHL affiliate. He began the year with the Thunder, he wore an 'A' for the club, but after just five games he was recalled to the Utica Comets. He was back in the AHL for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

He went up and down between the two New Jersey affiliates, until Feb. 2022 when Utica's head coach Kevin Dineen told him to find a place in Utica. He was staying.

"Sam's earned the right to come here," Dineen said at the time.

Fast forward to 2022, Devils training camp, and Laberge, after being re-signed to an AHL contract, was at an NHL camp for the first time. Many more firsts were on the horizon, including a first-ever preseason NHL game.

The morning the Devils were set to travel to Montreal last Monday, Laberge walked into the locker room to see his name on the game roster. He was going home again. But this time for the best of reasons.

"To have had that opportunity to play at the Bell Centre, it was a childhood dream."

The day passed in a blink of an eye, but he was so glad he was able to share this milestone with his family. They all made it to the Bell Centre. His father struggles with his mobility, but he was there too. After all the family has been through together, this game was a milestone for them all. Samuel played 14 shifts, totaling 11:34 time on ice.

Both Pierre and his mother Chantal were among the Laberge contingent at the game.

"It was amazing," Laberge said, "For my family, it was a very, very special moment for them. It was a magic moment for all of us. My mom came to see me after the game, and she was running and gave me a big hug. For my dad, he was crying. It was a magical moment for all of us. It's been a long three or four years."

Laberge says his father is doing okay, as well as can be expected, and was beyond thrilled he could be there on Monday night in Montreal.

"It was crazy," he remembers, "It's been a dream, a dream for a long time, at the Bell Centre no less. It was incredible."

Incredible is what his entire journey has been. And he continually expresses gratitude for his AHL contract with the Comets. He was part of the first cuts made by the Devils on Friday, but you can be sure he'll be glad to be there, continuing to forge his own path. It's what, it seems, he's always done.

"You realize when you're working 40, 50, 60 hours a week (in construction) at home how lucky we are," he said, "We get to go to the arena with the guys, we get to skate, we have fun. It makes you realize how lucky we are to do this as a job."