Sam Lafferty

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| name = Sam Lafferty

| image = Sam Lafferty 2019-12-14 (1).jpg

| image_size = 230px

| caption = Lafferty with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|3|6}}

| birth_place = Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lb = 195

| position = Right wing

| shoots = Right

| league = NHL

| team = Buffalo Sabres

| former_teams = Pittsburgh Penguins
Chicago Blackhawks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks

| ntl_team = USA

| draft = 113th overall

| draft_year = 2014

| draft_team = Pittsburgh Penguins

| career_start = 2018

| career_end =

}}

Sam Lafferty (born March 6, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks.

Born and raised in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Lafferty attended Hollidaysburg Area High School before a spot opened at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. During his time at Deerfield, Lafferty tallied 38 goals and 57 assists for a total of 95 points in 74 games. Following his graduation in 2014, Lafferty was drafted by the Penguins in the 2014 NHL entry draft and began his collegiate hockey career with the Brown Bears men's ice hockey team. Throughout his four seasons at Brown, Lafferty was selected for the All-ECAC Third Team and named to the Second and Third Team All-Ivy League. Lafferty concluded his collegiate career on March 7, 2018, and joined the Penguins organization.

Early life

Lafferty was born on March 6, 1995, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania{{cite web |title=Sam Lafferty |url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/259043/sam-lafferty |website=eliteprospects.com |publisher=Elite Prospects |access-date=April 6, 2021}} to parents Jill and Andy. His parents later divorced and his mother re-married to Dave Weaver, who coached Lafferty growing up.{{cite news |title=Lafferty's shining moment |url=https://www.altoonamirror.com/opinion/editorials/2014/07/lafferty-s-shining-moment/ |work=Altoona Mirror |date=July 12, 2014 |access-date=July 3, 2024}} He was inspired to begin playing hockey following the 2000–01 NHL season where Mario Lemieux returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins.{{cite web |last1=Crechiolo |first1=Michelle |title=Lafferty's childhood dream comes true |url=https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/laffertys-childhood-dream-comes-true/c-309906108 |via=NHL.com |publisher=Pittsburgh Penguins |date=October 9, 2019 |access-date=November 11, 2021}} After attending a skating clinic run by Dave, Lafferty and his younger brother Charlie played for the Mid-State Mustangs and the Altoona Trackers of the Pittsburgh Area Hockey League.{{cite news |last1=Rorabaugh |first1=Seth |title=From Hollidaysburg to Pittsburgh, Penguins rookie Sam Lafferty writing 'awesome story' |url=https://triblive.com/sports/from-hollidaysburg-to-pittsburgh-penguins-rookie-sam-lafferty-writing-an-awesome-story/ |access-date=November 11, 2021 |work=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |date=October 19, 2019}}

Playing career

=Amateur=

Lafferty spent his freshman and most of his sophomore year at Hollidaysburg Area High School before applying to prep schools. He originally committed to attend Shady Side Academy before a spot opened at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. During the 2013–14 season, Lafferty tallied a career-best 21 goals and 34 assists for 55 points in 25 games and was named to the 2014 Prep School All-New England team. Over his three seasons with the Deerfield Academy, Lafferty tallied 38 goals and 57 assists for a total of 95 points in 74 games.{{cite web |title=Getting to Know: Sam Lafferty |url=https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/getting-to-know-sam-lafferty/c-727231 |publisher=National Hockey League |access-date=November 11, 2021 |date=August 1, 2014}}{{dead link|date=July 2024}} Following his graduation in 2014, Lafferty was drafted by the Penguins in the 2014 NHL entry draft.{{cite web |last1=Crechiolo |first1=Michelle |title=Meet Pittsburgh's 2014 NHL Draft Class |url=https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/meet-pittsburghs-2014-nhl-draft-class/c-724355 |publisher=National Hockey League |access-date=November 11, 2021 |date=June 28, 2014}}{{dead link|date=July 2024}}

=Collegiate=

In spite of being drafted, Lafferty played four seasons of college hockey with the Brown Bears men's ice hockey team{{cite web |title=Men's Hockey Adds Lafferty to Incoming Recruiting Class |url=https://brownbears.com/news/2014/7/31/7_31_2014_2845 |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 13, 2021 |date=July 31, 2014}} from 2014 to 2018. During his freshman season, Lafferty played in all 31 games and finished fourth on the team with eight assists and fifth with four goals.{{cite web |title=Sam Lafferty |url=https://brownbears.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/roster/sam-lafferty/2944 |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 13, 2021}} While playing hockey as a freshman, Lafferty also competed in Division I golf{{cite web |last1=Crechiolo |first1=Michelle |title=Two-Sport Athlete |url=https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/sam-lafferty-hockey-golf/c-325965192 |via=NHL.com |publisher=Pittsburgh Penguins |access-date=November 13, 2021 |date=August 16, 2021}} and qualified for the 2015 Ivy League Men's Golf Championship.{{cite web |title=Men's Golf Seventh At Ivy Championship After Day One |url=https://brownbears.com/news/2015/4/24/4_24_2015_2549 |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 13, 2021 |date=April 24, 2015}} The following year, Lafferty decreased offensively and finished the season with four goals and six assists for 10 points.

Lafferty returned to the Brown Bears for his junior season and experienced a breakout year. By January 2017, his eight goals and 19 assists ranked fourth in ECAC in scoring and third in points per game.{{cite web |last1=Seguin |first1=Joshua |title=Lafferty Emerges As Bright Spot for Brown |url=https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2017/01/31_lafferty_emerges_as_bright.php |publisher=College Hockey News |access-date=November 14, 2021 |date=January 31, 2017}} He finished the season leading the Bears in scoring with 35 points in all 31 games played and ranked first on the team in assists. Lafferty also posted nine multiple-point games which included two four-point performances. At the conclusion of the season, Lafferty was selected for the All-ECAC Third Team and named to the Third Team All-Ivy League.{{cite web |title=Men's Hockey's Lafferty Named Third Team All-ECAC |url=https://brownbears.com/news/2017/3/17/3_17_2017_2766.aspx |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 14, 2021 |date=March 17, 2017}} He was also named Team MVP and selected as a semifinalist for the Walter Brown Award as the best American-born college hockey player in New England.{{cite web |title=Men's Hockey Announces 2016-17 Team Awards, Lafferty Named MVP |url=https://brownbears.com/news/2017/5/1/5_1_2017_2769 |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 14, 2021 |date=May 1, 2017}}

Lafferty's scoring prowess continued through his senior season as he recorded eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points. As a second-time assistant captain,{{cite web |title=McArdle Named Men's Hockey Captain for 2017-18 |url=https://brownbears.com/news/2017/4/6/4_6_2017_2767 |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 14, 2021 |date=April 6, 2017}} he began the season being named one of 20 candidates for the 2017–18 Senior CLASS Award.{{cite web |title=Lafferty Named Men's Hockey Candidate for Senior CLASS Award |url=https://brownbears.com/news/2017/11/2/11_2_2017_2648 |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 14, 2021 |date=November 2, 2017}} Following this, Lafferty was named the ECAC Player of the Week in February after he recorded four points in two games to help Brown to sweep Harvard and Dartmouth.{{cite web |title=Men's Hockey's Lafferty, Kania Collect ECAC Weekly Awards |url=https://brownbears.com/news/2018/2/28/2_28_2018_2695 |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 14, 2021 |date=February 28, 2018}} In the same month, Lafferty also scored his first collegiate hat-trick on February 23, 2018, against Harvard.{{cite web |title=Lafferty Nets Hat Trick, Men's Hockey Tops Harvard, 6-4 |url=https://brownbears.com/news/2018/2/23/2_23_2018_2693.aspx |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 14, 2021 |date=February 23, 2018}} He finished the 2017–18 season being selected for the Second Team All-Ivy{{cite web |title=Men's Hockey's Gottlieb, Lafferty Earn All-Ivy Honors |url=https://brownbears.com/news/2018/3/1/3_1_2018_2697.aspx |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 14, 2021 |date=March 1, 2018}} and ECAC All-Academic Team.{{cite web |title=Men's Hockey Places All 27 Student-Athletes on ECAC All-Academic Team |url=https://brownbears.com/news/2018/7/10/mens-ice-hockey-mens-hockey-places-all-27-student-athletes-on-ecac-all-academic-team.aspx |publisher=Brown University |access-date=November 14, 2021 |date=July 10, 2018}}

=Professional=

On March 7, 2018, Lafferty concluded his collegiate career by signing an amateur tryout agreement with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) for the remainder of the 2017–18 season.{{cite web |last1=Hart |first1=Nick |title=Penguins Sign Sam Lafferty to ATO |url=https://www.wbspenguins.com/2018/03/07/penguins-sign-sam-lafferty-ato/ |publisher=Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins |access-date=November 11, 2021 |date=March 7, 2018}} He also signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL) that began in the 2018–19 season.{{cite web |title=Penguins Sign Forward Sam Lafferty to a Two-Year Entry-Level Contract |url=https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/penguins-sign-lafferty/c-296709122 |publisher=Pittsburgh Penguins |via=NHL.com |access-date=November 11, 2021 |date=March 7, 2018}} Upon joining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Lafferty recorded his first professional goal on April 3, 2018, against the Hershey Bears.{{cite web |last1=Hart |first1=Nick |title=Lafferty Nets First Pro Goal in Penguins' 5-3 Defeat of Bears |url=https://www.wbspenguins.com/2018/04/03/5618/ |publisher=Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins |access-date=November 11, 2021 |date=April 3, 2018}}

After attending Pittsburgh's 2018 training camp, he was re-assigned to their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.{{cite web |title=Penguins Announce Roster Moves |url=https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/penguins-updated-roster/c-300350068 |publisher=Pittsburgh Penguins |via=NHL.com |access-date=November 11, 2021 |date=September 23, 2018}} In his first professional season, Lafferty scored 49 points in 70 games to become the teams' second-leading scorer. Lafferty made his NHL debut on October 8, 2019, in Pittsburgh's game against the Winnipeg Jets. Lafferty scored his first NHL goal and assist a few days later on October 12, 2019, in a 7–4 win over the Minnesota Wild.{{cite web |last1=Kasan |first1=Sam |title="AHL guys" lead Pens to victory |url=https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/ahl-guys-lead-pens-to-victory/c-310053114 |publisher=Pittsburgh Penguins |via=NHL.com |access-date=November 14, 2021 |date=October 13, 2019}}

On January 5, 2022, Lafferty was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Alexander Nylander.{{cite web |title=Release: Blackhawks Acquire Sam Lafferty from Penguins |url=https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/news/release-blackhawks-acquire-sam-lafferty-from-penguins/c-329502344 |publisher=Chicago Blackhawks |via=NHL.com |access-date=January 5, 2022 |date=January 5, 2022}}

During the following 2022–23 NHL season, while in the midst of breakout season in establishing new offensive highs, Lafferty was traded by the rebuilding Blackhawks to the Toronto Maple Leafs, along with Jake McCabe, and two future draft selections in exchange for Toronto's 2025 first-round pick (conditional), Toronto's second-round pick in 2026, Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev on February 27, 2023.{{cite web |title=Maple Leafs acquire McCabe, Lafferty from Blackhawks |url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-acquire-jake-mccabe-sam-lafferty-from-blackhawks-1.1924427 |website=TSN |date=February 27, 2023 |access-date=February 27, 2023}} He finished the season with 12 goals and 27 points in 70 games between the Blackhawks and the Maple Leafs. In the playoffs, Lafferty added a goal in nine games.{{cite web |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/maple-leafs-trade-sam-lafferty-to-canucks-for-2024-fifth-round-draft-pick/ |title=Maple Leafs trade Sam Lafferty to Canucks for 2024 fifth-round draft pick |work=Sportsnet |date=October 8, 2023 |access-date=October 8, 2023}}

At the end of the Maple Leafs 2023 training camp, Lafferty was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for a fifth-round selection in the 2024 NHL entry draft on October 8, 2023.{{cite web |title=Canucks Acquire Sam Lafferty from Toronto |url=https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/canucks-acquire-sam-lafferty-from-toronto |publisher=Vancouver Canucks |via=NHL.com |access-date=November 24, 2023 |date=October 8, 2023}}

On June 26, 2024, as a pending unrestricted free agent, the Canucks traded Lafferty back to the Blackhawks, alongside Ilya Mikheyev and a second-round pick in 2027, in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2027.{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/news/ilya-mikheyev-traded-to-chicago-blackhawks-by-vancouver-canucks |title=Mikheyev, Lafferty traded to Blackhawks by Canucks |publisher=National Hockey League |date=June 26, 2024 |access-date=July 3, 2024}} Unable to agree to terms with the Blackhawks, on July 1, 2024, Lafferty signed as a free agent to a two-year, $4 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres.{{cite web |url=https://buffalonews.com/sports/professional/nhl/sabres/buffalo-sabres-sam-lafferty-two-year-contract/article_b43e984e-37c1-11ef-8df0-6738e58b417f.html |title=Sabres sign forward Sam Lafferty to two-year contract worth $4 million |last=Lysowski |first=Lance |work=The Buffalo News |date=July 1, 2024 |access-date=July 3, 2024 |url-access=subscription}}