Brother of L.A. King Alex Laferriere, Jack brings a lot of traits that show a shutdown defenseman who can contribute away from the puck. Will that be enough to get him a full-time spot in the Friars' top six?
The Providence College Friars announced that they’re adding defenseman Jack Laferriere to the roster next season. Laferriere played last season in the NAHL for the Elmira Aviators, where he honed in on becoming a shutdown defenseman whom players hate playing against.
The brother of L.A. Kings winger Alex Laferriere, Jack brings the same grit and edge that his older brother does. He finished his 2024-25 season with 135 penalty minutes, and he eventually scaled that down last year to just 53.
At six-foot-three, he brings a lot of size and intimidation to Providence’s blueline, and when you consider some of the other talent joining the roster, you can start to see a pattern, Similar to Laferriere, incoming freshmen Ryder Cali, and Blake Zielinski love to play alkong the boards and their their presence be known with their physicality, so keep your head up when going into the corners against this roster.
He is one of two freshman defenseman joining the program next season, alongside Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick Everett Baldwin.
Laferriere isn’t just with Providence to compete at the collegiate level; if he shows NHL teams that he can master a bottom-six role and finds ways to contribute away from the scoresheet, he will have NHL eyeballs all over him. Alex Laferriere was a third-round pick and eventually worked his way up to where, as it stands today, he’s a very solid middle-six forward who can do a little bit of everything.
For Providence, this is likely the final defenseman to join the team, and he’s stepping into a group without a defined top-six. If he’s able to shine and find his niche within the lineup, he could find a lot of ice time early on and start to prove that he’s not just a regular stay-at-home defenseman.
