The Hockey News recently spoke with North Dakota commit Sam Laurila following his trade to the Fargo Force ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Heading into his senior year of high school, Sam Laurila knew he wanted to play closer to home.
Having finished up his two-year residency for the U.S. National Team Development Program, the Moorhead, Minnesota native was selected by the Sioux City Musketeers in the 2024 USHL Phase II Draft, still with the mindset of returning home. Last week, Sioux City and Fargo were able to work together in a trade to send Laurila to the Force for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
"I'm pretty fired up to be close to friends and family for one more year, and it's nice that we could get that deal done there," Laurila told The Hockey News. "It wasn't even really hockey-related. It was more of a family decision to be close to home for one more year and just have those moments."
The 17-year-old defenseman is already plenty familiar with the Force. In addition to their rich history of winning and churning out NHL Draft picks, the young blueliner was previously coached by Matt Cullen, who joined the organization as a minority owner in 2022.
After strengthening his defensive game over the last two years at the Program, Laurila hopes that returning home and being surrounded by familiar faces can set him up for a big year. The North Dakota commit accumulated 26 points on seven goals and 19 assists during his time with Team USA.
However, Laurila is ready to return to being more of an offensive threat and play big minutes for Fargo this upcoming season.
"Growing up, I was always more on the offensive side and when I got to the Program, it really taught me a lot about myself and defensively," Laurila said. "That's the area of my game that I needed to improve a lot. Going against the best players in the world every day in practice helps certainly. I got an offensive side of my game too that didn't really show those two years. I'm looking to break out this season."
We are still a few weeks away from USHL teams opening training camps. Still, it certainly sounds like the Force will allow Laurila to play in all situations and allow his offensive game to shine through, even if there is an expected adaption period in the early stages of the regular season.
"I still think that it's useful development for him," Fargo Force head coach Brett Skinner said of Laurila's time at the Program. "He really honed in on his defensive side of his play. That, for me, it's untapped potential.
"I don't think those things necessarily turn on right away. It's going to be an adjustment for him getting back into a rhythm of playing high minutes and being counted on in heavy minutes: the 6-on-5 play, special teams, and stuff like that. But he looks like the type of player for our league that is going to be able to play all situations for us, especially now with that background of being up and running defensively.
"If you look at our minutes from our defensemen last year, they were all very comparable," Skinner added. "We probably had some guys that we could have played on the power play a little bit more, but they were so good on the penalty kill that we didn't use them as much in the power play until you're coming down the stretch. So, he's going to be one of those players for us that's really important for our lineup and used in all the important situations."
So, for now, Laurila continues to work on his shot both in the shooting room and on the ice, ensuring that every shot is detailed and has a purpose. He wants to be as prepared as possible for his new role with his new team this Fall.
If the idea of adding more offense to his game isn't motivation enough, Laurila has extra reason to improve as a hockey player. The heartbreaking end to the U18 Men's World Championship gold medal game, followed by going undrafted in the 2024 NHL Draft, only adds fuel to the fire.
"You kind of think about it every day," Laurila said. "In the weight room or you see things on social media, stuff like that. You try not to pay attention to it too much, but I think it's really good for me. Those two things are keeping me motivated, especially this summer and right now."