Future Watch: Kevin Labanc Rookie Hockey Cards, Sharks – While the name might sound Canadian, Kevin Labanc was born in Staten Island, New York. A few players have come out of that area but nobody with the kind of offensive skill that this prospect has.
Labanc was part of the USA hockey system and then got lost in the shuffle. He had multiple years of scoring over 100 points for the Barrie Colts. One of those was 2014, the same year he would be drafted 171st overall. It was an absolute steal. It’s almost as if teams forgot about him. The one team who didn’t was the San Jose Sharks.
Last season, Labanc played in one AHL playoff game. It was his first experience at the professional level. The Sharks have been smart in patiently allowing him to get acclimated to their style of play. After the season, he spent the summer at rookie camp. All concerned had loose hopes of him making the big club.
Early this season, Labanc put up 10 points in six games, earning him a call up. He was sent back to the team’s AHL affiliate shortly thereafter. However, in early February he got another stint and now he’s there to stay. He’s getting power play minutes and he’s producing points. He has seven goals and 18 points in his first 45 NHL games. At the age of 21 his career is just starting to take off.
Kevin Labanc already has several officially licensed NHL rookie cards. As would be expected, one of his most popular is his Upper Deck Young Guns rookie from the recently released Series 2 Hockey. He also has rookie cards in other current year Upper Deck NHL products including: SP Game-Used, SP Authentic and O-Pee-Chee to name a few.
Here’s a shot of him out playing Connor McDavid with an overtime winner:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SReUvRUn1Q
You never know when a player is going to blossom. Labanc has been building towards this for a few seasons now. He’s a talented right winger with a high ceiling and the kind of drive to be the best he can be. It won’t take long for collectors to notice him.
Future Watch: Kevin Labanc Rookie Hockey Cards, Sharks – Image Gallery
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