Sharks recall top prospect for road trip

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Forward Kevin Labanc will join the Sharks for at least the beginning of their six-game road trip, as the 20-year-old was recalled from the AHL on Monday.

Labanc is tied for the team lead on the Barracuda with four goals and 10 points in six games, and leads the club with 27 shots and a plus-six rating. 

The leading scorer in the OHL last year with 127 points in 65 games for Barrie, Labanc impressed in training camp. He was one of the team’s final cuts after he posted two goals and two assists for four points in five preseason games.

“It’s hard to find guys that create offense, and this guy creates offense,” coach Pete DeBoer said on Sep. 29. “When he’s on the ice, offense is getting created. That’s something that everybody is looking for.”

After September’s rookie camp, Barracuda coach Roy Sommer said: “He has a lot of patience with the puck. Most guys when the rebound comes they’re putting it right back at the goalie, and he’ll wait and kind of look for a hole, and then – boom, it’s in the net. He’s like a [Joe] Pavelski, he kind of has that knack for the net.”

A Brooklyn native, Labanc was chosen by the Sharks in the sixth round (171 overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He has yet to make his NHL debut, and it’s unclear at this point if he will play.

The Sharks flew to Washington on Monday, where they will face the Capitals on Tuesday night to open what is their longest stretch of road games this season.

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