December Edition
The Buffalo Sabres have loaned goalie prospect Jonas Johansson to the Krefeld Penguins, a team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, Germany’s top pro circuit.
Johansson, 25, played his first six NHL games last season, compiling a 1-3-1 record with a 2.94 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage.
The Swede enjoyed a terrific 2019-20 campaign with the Rochester Americans, posting a 14-4-3 mark with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. He was ... Read the full article
The Buffalo Sabres have loaned center prospect Rasmus Asplund to Västerås IK, a second-tier team in his native Sweden, according to HockeyNews.se.
The move gives Asplund, 22, an opportunity to play while he waits for the 2020-21 North American season to begin. He can return to the Sabres whenever training camp opens.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the NHL and AHL to target early December as a possible start date instead of October.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – If Sabres prospect Dylan Cozens returns to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the coming days, he can show his junior teammates a souvenir from the NHL.
“He took a little bit of a stick today in the lips, so he’s got a first badge of honor here coming up,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said this afternoon. “But he took it well, bounced right back into practice and got a little stitched up after practice.”... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The Sabres made their first significant roster cuts of training camp this morning, reassigning 15 players, most notably center Arttu Ruotsalainen and winger C.J. Smith.
The Sabres sent Ruotsalainen, 21, back to Ilves, a Finnish team in Liiga. Meanwhile, Smith, 24, must clear waivers before he can go to the Rochester Americans.
The Sabres also sent the following players to the Amerks, their AHL affiliate: forwards Eric Cornel, Sean Malone, Andrew Oglevie, ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Conor Sheary certainly showcased flashes of his scoring prowess last season.
On Nov. 18, Sheary scored in his third straight game, his sixth goal in just his 16th outing with the Sabres.
Then suddenly, Sheary, 27, went cold.
The speedy UMass product endured a 16-game goal drought. After scoring an empty-netter Dec. 22, he experienced an 11-game dry spell.
On. Jan 29, Sheary finally scored past a goalie again.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Matej Pekar acknowledged he had been thinking about this opportunity. Sure, it’s just an NHL preseason game. But for the Sabres prospect, tonight’s exhibition represents another small milestone.
“It’s happening,” Pekar said after he prepared for the Sabres’ road contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets, his preseason NHL debut. “I just have to be ready for it.”
While Pekar, 19, is probably a longshot to crack the Sabres, his mix of skill and ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The Sabres started calling Arttu Ruotsalainen late last year.
Sometimes assistant general manager Steve Greeley would phone the undrafted center. Other times European scout Teemu Numminen would check in.
“What we liked is were on a player probably before he totally popped,” Greeley said Saturday between sessions of training camp inside KeyBank Center. “I think we might’ve been a little bit ahead of the game, hopefully, in getting him in our organization.”
Over ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Matej Pekar couldn’t stop smiling. After eight months anxiously waiting on the sideline, the Sabres prospect was just hours away from playing a game again.
“It definitely feels like forever,” Pekar said prior to Friday’s 6-4 win over the New Jersey Devils in the Prospects Challenge opener. “I haven’t played a game since January.”
On Jan. 10, the affable Pekar, 19, broke his collarbone with the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts, ending his ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Top Sabres draft pick Dylan Cozens, who underwent surgery on his left thumb in early July, isn’t listed on the 25-man roster for the Prospects Challenge rookie tournament the Sabres are hosting next week at Harborcenter.
The center prospect injured his thumb in development camp, just days after the Sabres selected him seventh overall June 21.
After Cozens, 18, had surgery, the Sabres said he would need two to three months to ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Barely two years ago, unless you had spent time scouring the Finnish junior leagues for draft talent, the name Oskari Laaksonen wasn’t familiar to you.
NHL Central Scouting and other notable services didn’t even rank the Finnish defenseman. Googling his name would return some stats, that’s about it.
So when the Sabres grabbed Laaksonen 89th overall at the NHL Draft in 2017, going way off the board in the third round, the selection ... Read the full article
