The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Sam Lafferty, a native of Holidaysburg, Pa. and alum of the Brown University hockey team to an entry-level contract, which will begin next season. Lafferty was drafted by the Penguins in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Entry draft, and just like Zach Aston-Reese did last year, will report to Wilkes Barre on an amateur try-out for the remainder of this season.
Lafferty skated in each of his team’s 31 games in every one of his four seasons at Brown. He compiled 29 goals and 50 assists for 79 points in his collegiate career, highlighted by a 35-point junior season when he led his team in scoring and made the All-ECAC Second team.
Sam Lafferty skates with the Bears. — BROWN ATHLETICS
Lafferty wore an ‘A’ for the Bears in both his junior and senior seasons, and emerged as a power-play threat during his senior year, when four of his eight goals came while his team was on the man advantage. He continues the steady stream of college hockey alums entering the Penguins system, and will join a high-performing Wilkes Barre/Scranton team with other NCAA alums like Adam Johnson, Thomas DiPauli, Teddy Blueger and Ethan Prow.
Lafferty played one year of high school hockey in Pennsylvania for Holidaysburg, where he amassed 69 points in 18 games. He then played the remainder of his high school and junior hockey in the Boston area before attending Brown. He will be the first Western Pa. native to play for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins since Ty Loney during the 2015-16 season.
