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DESPERATION PAVED PATH TO 500 FOR SABOURIN

Feb 13, 2025

By Nick Nollenberger (@NickNollen)

Growing up just outside Ottawa, in Orleans, Ontario, Scott Sabourin had a hockey stick in his hand before he could even walk. That’s not uncommon for a kid growing up north of the 49th parallel.

As his minor hockey career unfolded and the competition became fiercer, Sabourin—affectionately known as "Sabs"—continued to climb the ranks. But making hockey his profession was a far-fetched dream. He just loved the game, and as the years went by, he got better and better. He grew to six-foot-four and over 200 pounds. Despite that, he went undrafted into the Ontario Hockey League. He was cut from the Oshawa Generals' training camp as a 17-year-old before making the team the following year.

“Hockey was just something you did in Canada as a kid because it was fun,” said Sabourin. “Years went by, and it got a little more competitive and kind of weeded itself out. I played desperate from a young age. It was kind of like, make it through this season and try to get better, get through this next game.”

That desperation has been the hallmark of his now 12-year professional career and one of the main reasons he celebrated his 500th AHL game on January 31st. It’s also why, at 32, he’s playing some of the best hockey of his career.

A season ago, his first with the Barracuda, he set a personal best in goals (18), power-play goals (5), game-winning goals (3), shots (140) and penalty minutes (192). He also fought eight times and finished third in the AHL in PIMS. Additionally, he skated in three games with the Sharks.

Being a professional became more of a reality for Sabourin when he reached the OHL, but he never heard his name called in the NHL Draft, leaving his future at a crossroads. In his final season of junior, he scored 30 goals and had 143 penalty minutes. He knew he could play at the next level, but would an NHL organization believe the same? Following his breakout overage year, he got his opportunity in April 2013, signing a two-year deal with the Manchester Monarchs, then the AHL affiliate of the LA Kings.

Still a longshot for a lengthy pro career, he continued to impress with his hard-nosed style through development camp, rookie camp, and NHL training camp, earning a three-year entry-level contract with the Kings in 2013.

“I guess it kind of taught me for a long time now, if you just work hard and put your head down, good things can happen. I’ve been fortunate enough to pave out a pretty good path for myself.”

Although he did not appear in any playoff games in 2014-15, his second season as a pro, he was part of a Manchester Monarchs team that went on to win the Calder Cup.

The following season, his third with the Kings org, Sabourin split time between the AHL’s Ontario Reign and the now-ECHL Monarchs. In the spring, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild in a deal that brought former San Jose Jr. Shark Brett Sutter to LA, reuniting him with his father, then-Kings head coach Darryl Sutter.

Still yet to see NHL action, the trade to the Wild began a stretch of one-year contracts and professional instability—a reality for many players trying to establish themselves in pro hockey. Without a contract offer from the Wild the following season, Sabourin signed a one-year AHL deal with the San Diego Gulls before the 2016-17 season. That year with the Gulls, he dropped the gloves nine times and finished third in the league in penalty minutes (147). Again, his gritty and determined style earned him a one-year NHL contract with the Ducks the following season.

After two seasons with the Gulls, he was not re-signed. With limited options, he attended Stockton Heat training camp on a professional tryout (PTO). He spent the entire year living in a hotel, playing on a PTO that was extended multiple times throughout the season.

The next season, he landed in the Ottawa Senators' training camp on another tryout. He impressed so much in preseason—famously going after Toronto’s Auston Matthews—that he earned a one-year, two-way deal with the Sens and made Ottawa’s opening night roster, seemingly out of thin air. The move also reunited the then-27-year-old, eight-year pro, with his former junior head coach in Oshawa, DJ Smith, who was behind Ottawa’s bench at the time.

As if reaching the NHL wasn’t enough of a dream come true, Sabourin scored in his first NHL game against Maple Leafs netminder Frederik Andersen. He spent the entire 2019-20 season with the Senators, skating in 35 games, scoring twice, adding four assists, and accumulating 33 penalty minutes. His first NHL fight came in Vegas against heavyweight Ryan Reaves.

The next three seasons were mostly spent back in the AHL between the Belleville Senators and Toronto Marlies.

In July 2023, for the first time since his ELC with LA, he signed a multi-year deal—a two-year, two-way contract with the Sharks. With a young son, Leo, and daughter, Leni, the stability could not have come at a better time.

Sitting at 499 AHL games played, Sabourin received his first recall of the season on January 24, making his Sharks season debut a few nights later against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. He was reassigned to the AHL a couple of days later. Despite it being just one game, he never takes time in the NHL for granted. It meant even more that he could share it with his wife, Jamie, and two kids.

“I never take for granted a game in the NHL. The fact that I got to have Leo, my daughter, and my wife there is amazing. It’ll be a memory we can look back on later in life. I’m not sure if it has quite set in for him yet, but one day, I think he’ll understand the magnitude of it, so, yeah, it’s pretty cool.”

On January 31, Sabourin skated in his 500th AHL game—a feat not lost on the now 12-year veteran whose career nearly never got off the ground.

“It’s been a long, winding road, with ups and downs, but I’m blessed I get to play a game for a living, travel, see new places, meet tons of people, and get this opportunity in life. So I’m definitely grateful to make it to my 500, and hopefully, we’ve got a few hundred more in us.”

Sabourin credits his family and parents, Dave and Kim, for the countless sacrifices that allowed him to live out his dream.

“My family, my parents, and my whole support system back home. And obviously now my wife and kids. I would say definitely my parents helped me get through it—lots of early mornings, lots of financial commitment. They’ve always been there for me, always been my biggest supporters.”

That same night, teammate Ethan Frisch skated in his 100th AHL game. For Frisch, who's in just his second season, the milestone puts Sabourin’s longevity and perseverance into perspective.

“We ride together to the rink on game days, so it was pretty funny because we were talking about it (500 AHL games) on the way to the rink," said Frisch. "I’ve done 100, and I think about the trials and tribulations I’ve been through, and then you think about 500 games in the American League—it’s a lot. It really puts into perspective how impressive 500 is.”

Frisch, who like Sabourin went undrafted into the NHL, says there’s a reason Sabourin has lasted this long.

“He takes care of himself, he takes care of his body. He’s carved out a niche, he knows what works and what is valuable for the team. He plays hard and aggressive, and he’s not fun to play against. So to have him on your team is pretty special. He deserved 500 games and many more to come.”

Once a rival in the Pacific Division, Barracuda head coach John McCarthy now has a whole new respect for the player and person he has coached over the last two years.

“He’s a competitive guy who plays a hard game," said McCarthy. "He brings that element to the table, and he does it well. As he’s aged, he’s been good with the young guys too, teaching them how to be pros. When you combine those two things, that makes for a long career.”

Sabourin’s love and passion for the game still burns bright and he hopes he has many more years and games in his future.

"It's been a heck of a ride, and I hope I have a few more hundred in me."

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