In a heartfelt social media post, former San Jose Sharks prospect Gannon Laroque announced his retirement from professional hockey on Thursday: Laroque, the Sharks' fourth-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, last played a game on April 20, 2024 when he was a member of the Sharks' American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. The right-handed defenseman then missed two full seasons due to injury before announcing he was hanging up his skates. Despite making his professional debut during the 2021-22 season, Laroque only played in 21 professional games before he was forced to retire. He played 12 games for the Barracuda, scoring a goal and adding a pair of assists. He also played nine games at the ECHL level, picking up a couple of assists there as well. At one point, there was hope that Laroque could be a late-round steal like Luca Cagnoni who has quickly jumped up the Sharks' depth chart. Unfortunately, we'll never know how far he could've gone as injuries claimed his career much too soon. It's unknown if Laroque is planning on continuing to work in the world of hockey moving forward.
