After 2-goal night, Sharks' Labanc is a name you should know

The San Jose Sharks appear to have sniffed out something worthwhile in Kevin Labanc.

To begin 2017-18, the 21-year-old winger is being given every chance to succeed at the NHL level. He's being deployed on the top line alongside Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, and being offered power-play time to boot.

He made good with two goals in the first period of Wednesday's eventual loss to Philadelphia, becoming the first Sharks player to achieve that feat in a season opener.

Both goals were nice, but the first showed off some special skill.

That's just a great goal. #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/PBLmaDJKmX

- NHL (@NHL) October 5, 2017

Here's what you need to know about the forward who could be counted on to replace some of the offense lost when Patrick Marleau decided to bolt for Toronto.

Where did he come from?

A native of Staten Island, N.Y., Labanc opted to join the OHL's Barrie Colts in the 2013-14 season rather than go to college.

Labanc posted modest numbers as an OHL rookie, recording 11 goals and 24 assists in 65 games. That may explain why he fell to the sixth round of the 2014 NHL Draft, where the Sharks snagged him with the 171st pick.

Back in Barrie for two more seasons, his numbers simply exploded. Over his next 133 OHL games, Labanc scored 80 goals and added 164 assists for 244 total points, good for a point-per-game average of 1.83.

Labanc made his pro debut in 2016-17, splitting the season between the Sharks and the team's AHL affiliate Barracuda. He was used sparingly in 55 NHL games, but managed to chip in eight goals (all at even strength) and 12 assists while averaging less than 14 minutes a night. In the minors, however, he averaged a point per game with six goals and 13 assists in 19 appearances.

A strong showing this preseason - where he scored three goals in five preseason games - helped him nab his new plum line assignment.

What's next?

It wasn't all sunshine and roses for Labanc on Wednesday, as he was in the penalty box for three power-play goals scored by the Flyers.

Head coach Pete Deboer, however, saw more to like than not.

"I don't hold him responsible for a couple of the three," Deboer said after the game, per NHL.com. "He'll learn from his mistakes and where to back off. You can't teach what he does. A lot of the night, he was our best player."

There's still some learning to do, then, but it was an encouraging start to the season for Labanc, despite the loss. Based on his performance, he seems primed to continue to take a bite out of the opposition on a nightly basis.

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