A first-team all-star and league MVP at Bemidji State University, his professional hockey career was cut short by injuries.

However, Sargent decided to pursue a hockey career instead; his distant cousin Henry Boucha[1] and later his first cousin T. J. Oshie[2] also played in the NHL, while his younger brother Earl Sargent is a former NHL draft choice who played minor league hockey.

He was also a US team member at the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup tournament and was voted the Kings defenseman of the year in 1976-77.

In the summer of 1978, Sargent signed with his native Minnesota North Stars as a restricted free agent when his contract with the Kings ended.

Sargent was selected for the 1980 NHL All-Star game (in Los Angeles) but was unable to participate due to persistent back and knee problems which eventually forced him to retire prematurely in 1983 after missing most of the previous three seasons.