Shoots Left Height 1.93 m Position Centerman | Playing career Weight 86 kg | |
NHL team (P)Cur. team Vancouver CanucksUtica Comets (AHL) NHL Draft 101st overall, 2011Vancouver Canucks | ||
Brenden dillon vs joseph labate feb 25 2017
Joseph LaBate (born April 16, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 101st overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
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Playing career
LaBate played for the Academy of Holy Angels's men's ice hockey team in high school, tallying 58 points in 25 games.
After three seasons in high school hockey, the Vancouver Canucks used their fourth round pick, 101 overall, to select LaBate in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He soon moved on to college hockey, playing for the Wisconsin Badgers in the NCAA. LaBate shifted from wing to center in his junior season at Wisconsin and skated in all 37 games for the Badgers. He scored a career-high 11 goals with 11 assists and was -3 with 22 penalty minutes. After four seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers, he signed a contract with the Canucks. He was sent down to the Utica Comets, and posted his first professional career goal against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after a gruesome fight with Samuel Morin. He participated in the Canucks 2016-17 preseason games, posting a goal, but was eventually sent down to the Comets. On November 21, he was recalled to the NHL for the first time in his career. He made his NHL debut two days later, on November 23, 2016, logging 5:55 minutes of ice time in a 4–1 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. He was reassigned to the Comets on December 11, after playing three games with the Canucks.
Playing style
Labate is a well-rounded player with ideal power forward size, solid skating skills, and good defensive awareness. He has added strength and bulk during his college career and has the ability to compete against the larger players in pro hockey. He is not a gifted forward in terms of creativity, agility and stick handling skills but uses his frame to protect the puck and creates scoring chances by going into the tough areas.
LaBate described himself as:
I would say that I am somewhere in the middle at this point of my career. But I am honestly putting a large emphasis on becoming a more physical player. I am working on the physical aspect of the game, and watching David Backes [who I referred to as a player that he has been compared to] play, you can tell that he plays with a physical edge on the ice. That's something that I'm trying to incorporate into my game. I skated with Ryan Malone this past summer, and I have started watching more of his stuff as well.