Offseason Edition
VANCOUVER – The first two picks of tonight’s NHL Draft have been set for months. Unless something wild transpires inside Rogers Arena, the New Jersey Devils will select Jack Hughes first overall and the New York Rangers will grab Kaapo Kakko second.
The 2019 draft really begins with the third pick, when the Chicago Blackhawks go on the clock.
Drafts, of course, are always unpredictable. Youngsters pegged as surefire high picks inevitably fall.
But the ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – NHL Draft prospect Dylan Cozens always finds himself dispelling myths about his hometown of Whitehorse, Yukon.
“Lots of people don’t know what it’s like up there,” Cozens said June 1 at the NHL Scouting Combine inside Harborcenter. “They think it’s some little, like, community of igloos and stuff. It’s just a normal place, a normal little town – working electricity, houses. It’s just a normal place.”
Whitehorse, the only city in the Yukon, ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Rookie seasons like the one Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin just enjoyed don’t come along very often.
At 18, the Swede quickly morphed into one of the Sabres’ most valuable players, taking over games with his dynamic puck-moving skills and producing offense at a historic rate.
Only one defenseman in NHL history – former Sabres star Phil Housley, who recorded 57 points as an 18-year-old in 1982-83 – compiled more points before his ... Read the full article
Here it is, the Buffalo Sabres’ 2019 preseason schedule. The six-game slate the team released today includes two home contests.
Sept. 16: Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m., Pegula Ice Arena (Penn State University)
Sept. 17: Buffalo at Columbus, 7 p.m., Nationwide Arena
Sept. 20: Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m., Scotiabank Arena
Sept. 21: Toronto at Buffalo, 7 p.m, KeyBank Center
Sept. 25: Columbus at Buffalo, 7 p.m., KeyBank Center
Sept. 28: Buffalo at Pittsburgh, 3 ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The Sabres will hold their annual summer development camp for prospects from June 26 to 29 at Harborcenter, the team announced today.
The on-ice sessions for the first three days of camp are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Camp ends on June 29 with the French Connection Tournament, an intra-squad three-on-three challenge.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Jack Hughes possesses so much talent – “Maybe the most electric skater that I’ve seen in these last couple generations,” said his coach, John Wroblewski – the presumptive first overall pick seemingly creates offense effortlessly.
So when Wroblewski says Trevor Zegras, another slick center with the U.S. National Team Development Program, “is the best playmaker in the draft” and “a more creative and dynamic player than Hughes,” he believes he must validate it.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The Sabres have hired Don Granato and Mike Bales as assistant coaches on new head coach Ralph Krueger’s staff, the team announced this morning.
The Sabres also officially announced Krueger will retain assistant Steve Smith, a former NHL defenseman he had on his staff with the Edmonton Oilers.
Granato, 51, has coached at all levels – junior, college, pro and NHL – over his 26-year career. He spent the last two seasons ... Read the full article
Captain Kevin Porter will be back for another season with the Rochester Americans.
The Buffalo Sabres’ top affiliate announced today it has re-signed the veteran forward to a one-year AHL contract.
Porter, 33, has spent four seasons with the Amerks over two stints, captaining the club both times.
After three years away – Porter won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 – he returned to the Sabres organization in 2017, inking a ... Read the full article
The Buffalo Sabres will hire Mike Bales as their new goalie coach and retain assistant coach Steve Smith, according to multiple reports.
Bales, 47, resigned as goalie coach of the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday. The Buffalo News, The Athletic and Sportsnet all reported Bales is bound for Buffalo.
Former Sabres coach Phil Housley hired Smith, a three-time Stanley Cup winner as a player, to run his defense last year. Ralph Krueger, Housley’s replacement, ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – For eight seasons, Sabres winger Jeff Skinner only knew one organization. He grew up with the Carolina Hurricanes, joining them as a teenager and quickly becoming the face of the franchise. He felt a certain comfort there.
So his transition here could’ve been tough. Everything was new. Even the best players often need time to acclimate.
“It was a lot of change and there was a lot of adjustments, I think,” Skinner said ... Read the full article
