Noah Laberge, the Buffalo Sabres' fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is drawing rave reviews as he puts together a breakout season for the QMJHL's Newfoundland Regiment.
Laberge, a puck-moving defenseman with impressive offensive potential, has recorded 21 points (five goals and 16 assists) in 26 games for the Regiment this season. It puts him on pace for 50 points, well above the 35 he posted in 2024-25 for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan before the junior club's relocation.
Joey Fortin Boulay, the Quebec regional scout for McKeen's Hockey, selected the 6'1'' blueliner as a prospect who's made "rapid progress" early in the current campaign.
"He has emerged as one of the league's top defensemen, playing like a steady on-ice general," Boulay wrote. "His game is more calculated and consistent, and he now thrives in all situations, deployed on both special teams, logging heavy minutes — often around 26 per night — while showing comfort on both sides of the ice. His value as a future pro lies in this growing versatility."
Boulay also discussed Laberge's terrific skating ability and concluded: "As a 19-year-old, his development is impressive and his progression to the pro level will be a fascinating one to follow."
His upside was on full display Sunday night as he scored a pair of goals to lead Newfoundland to 5-2 victory over the Charlottetown Islanders.
Noah Laberge joins growing list of Buffalo Sabres prospects who've raised their stocks early in the 2025-26 season
The Sabres' prospect pool received mostly negative reviews over the summer, but it appears general manager Kevyn Adams may have struck gold in the 2025 draft.
Here's a look at some of the early returns:
- Radim Mrtka (No. 9 overall) put together a strong training camp with Buffalo and has continued his upward trajectory while earning a spot on Team Czechia for the upcoming 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship.
- Melvin Novotny (No. 195 overall) is scoring at a terrific rate for the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks.
- Ryan Rucinski (No. 219 overall) has also leveled up his offensive game for the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms, where he serves as the team captain.
Now you can add Laberge to the list as the rest of his game catches up to his obvious skating talent.
The Canadian defender still has a lot of work to do cleaning up his play in the defensive zone, especially when it comes to clearing the front of the net, but once he has the puck on his stick, he's a maestro in transition and in the offensive zone.
He's still multiple seasons away from entering the NHL conversation for Buffalo, which is already trending toward a strong defensive core with Mrtka, Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, Michael Kesselring and the recently resurgent Mattias Samuelsson.
Laberge gives the organization another offensive-minded option to potentially serve as a power-play quarterback if the Sabres eventually move on from Power, who's developed into a steady defenseman but not the game-changing talent you expect from a No. 1 overall pick.
Again, that's a discussion for several years down the road. For now, the Blue and Gold will hope to see the Regiment standout keep making substantial progress in his own zone.
If Laberge continues to show an accelerate development rate, Sabres fans could see him with the AHL's Rochester Americans in the not-too-distant future.