Sam Laurila’s big year in Fargo changed how NHL scouts viewed him – Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORKS — Sam Laurila was eligible for the NHL Draft last year.

The defenseman from Moorhead watched it on television but did not see his name pop up on the screen.

“I wasn’t really expecting to go,” Laurila said. “I didn’t have a very good year, honestly. I wasn’t watching with too much expectation. I was more watching to see all my buddies go. You’re excited for those guys.”

While many of his teammates from the U.S. National Team Development Program were selected last season and made the jump to college hockey, Laurila opted to spend a year with the Fargo Force in the United States Hockey League.

That year transformed the way NHL scouts looked at him.

They felt the 6-foot, 184-pound left-hander was a sturdy defender a year ago without much offense. Laurila had 11 points in 61 games for the U.S. Under-18 Team in 2023-24.

But playing in Fargo under coach Brett Skinner, an All-American defenseman at Denver, Laurila’s offense popped.

Laurila tallied 41 points in 57 games and was one of three finalists for the USHL’s Defenseman of the Year award. He was two points shy of leading the USHL in defenseman points per game.

“We knew it was there,” Skinner said. “He really developed a strong base of defending at the Program. But we put him in situations where not only was he allowed to be creative and showcase his offensive talent, he was encouraged and pushed to do so. It’s one thing to want someone to do it. It’s another thing to encourage them to explore the offensive side.”

As the offense emerged, scouts began re-thinking their evaluations of him.

Laurila rose up NHL Draft boards (he’s still eligible to be picked for two more years).

He began doing interviews with NHL teams — 18 of them in all.

He was one of 90 players invited to participate in

the NHL Combine

in Buffalo, N.Y.

“He’s an interesting one based on the fact that he played a completely different style than he did at the Program,” an NHL scout told the Herald. “I think he’s going to have to find a balance between the two when he gets to North Dakota and when he turns pro. But I think you got to see what he’s got in his toolkit a little more this year.

“You got to see him use his legs, use his skill and some offensive things came out of him in doing that. He’s still learning the risk-reward side, but I think he was encouraged to take chances. I think it paid off in his growth and development. He’s still learning and developing, but his game grew a lot and there’s a nice player in there.”

This weekend, Laurila is likely to be selected in the NHL Draft.

The first round is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday on ESPN and streaming on ESPN Plus.

The second through seventh rounds — where Laurila is expected to go — will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday on NHL Network and ESPN Plus.

The draft is being held at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, but Laurila will not attend. He’ll be with family members at their lake home.

“I’m excited,” he said. “The draft doesn’t mean a whole lot, I would say. Getting drafted is really cool, but it’s just another step on the road toward the end goal.”

Marissa Shiock / Fargo Force

Laurila averaged 25 minutes, 19 seconds of ice time last season — most of any player in the USHL.

“I was put into a really good situation,” Laurila said. “I got to play top-line minutes. I was put in a role to be successful, running a power play and killing penalties. Coach Skinner really helped me a lot. He pushed the offensive side of my game more, too, which really helped me.”

Laurila was an offensive defenseman growing up in Moorhead.

But when he went to the National Team Development Program, he was behind other offensive players and didn’t get the opportunity. Although the offense re-emerged with the Force, that’s not necessarily where he’ll impact games at UND.

“His base is defending,” Skinner said. “It would take me years to teach a lot of defensemen to defend how he does as far as closing and ending plays. Offensively, he has the ability to move the puck quickly, and if needed, he can transport it and lug it end-to-end and make entries.”

Laurila committed to UND two years ago when Brad Berry was the head coach. Athletic director Bill Chaves made a coaching change in March, firing Berry after the Fighting Hawks missed the NCAA tournament.

Chaves hired longtime assistant Dane Jackson as the next head coach. Jackson filled out his staff with associate head coach Matt Smaby, assistant coach Dillon Simpson and general manager Bryn Chyzyk.

Smaby and Simpson are both former UND captains and defensemen who reached the NHL.

“It was definitely eye-opening,” Laurila said of the coaching change. “It makes you wonder, ‘OK, what if they bring in someone you don’t know?’ I was really excited when I saw Dane got hired and he called me. I’m really excited for the staff we have. I think we’ll have a really good group. It should be a really good year.”

Laurila will be part of a loaded defensive corps that also features All-American Jake Livanavage, Bennett Zmolek, New York Rangers first-rounder E.J. Emery, Vegas Golden Knights seventh-rounder Abram Wiebe, potential 2026 first-rounder Keaton Verhoeff, Columbus Blue Jackets fourth-rounder Andrew Strathmann and Jayden Jubenvill.

“We think Sam is going to be able to battle for some good ice time,” Jackson said. “We have a lot of respect for how Sam looked at his development. That’s one thing we took into account when we originally recruited him.”

Jackson said Laurila didn’t hesitate to push back his college arrival and play a year in Fargo.

“He said, ‘Yep, that’s what I want to do, there are a lot of areas I can grow before coming to school,'” Jackson said. “He embraced it. The year he had in Fargo — we knew he had it in him — his offensive game flourished. We think he’s a strong two-way player. He defends well. He has good defensive instincts. And he has a lot of poise and good vision to be able to add offense.”

Laurila said he doesn’t have any expectations for where he’ll be picked Saturday during Day 2 of the NHL Draft.

“It’s all up in the air,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens. It’s another part of my journey.”

Where: Peacock Theater, Los Angeles.
First round: 6 p.m. Friday, ESPN and ESPN Plus.
Second-seventh rounds: 11 a.m. Saturday, NHL Network and ESPN Plus.

Marissa Shiock / Fargo Force