Rookie Noah Laba staking claim to be key part in Rangers rebuild

As the last-place Rangers continue to consider selling off additional pieces ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, there will be a slew of young players left behind looking to establish full-time roles for the future.One rookie who seemingly has already done that during this lost season for the team has been third-line center Noah Laba, who has been a mainstay in the lineup since making the roster out of his first NHL training camp.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.

“Obviously, it was huge to make it out of camp, super proud of that, and I’m just trying to continue to progress and not be satisfied and continue to become a better player,” the 22-year-old Laba said after practice Wednesday in Tarrytown.“I just need to continue to work on all aspects of the game as well as try to chip in more offensively, as much as I can, and just overall help the team.”The 6-foot-3 Laba, a fourth-round draft pick in 2022 before spending three seasons playing at Colorado College, has totaled six goals and 10 assists in 57 games for the Blueshirts after making 11 appearances for AHL Hartford last spring.But the Michigan native also has been a regular contributor on the penalty-killing unit, while averaging 13:21 of ice time per game.“I just think Lobs is very similar to [rookie winger] Gabe [Perreault] in just the fact that with every NHL game that he gets under his belt, he’s practicing with NHL players at an NHL pace, and I think that experience, in and of itself, is invaluable to helping a player grow and develop,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said.

“Lobs is going through that process very much like Gabe is.“As coaches, we try to cast them in a role that we think sets them up for success, where you can play to your strengths.We’re trying to help him grow and get better in different aspects of his game.”Sullivan credited assistant coach and former ...