NHL Draft - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Top prospect Nolan Patrick grew up rooting for Sabres

BUFFALO – Growing up in Winnipeg, top prospect Nolan Patrick’s allegiance changed whenever his uncle, former NHL player and coach James Patrick, switched teams. So for most of his childhood, he rooted for the Sabres.

“Buffalo was my favorite team growing up,” Patrick said this afternoon following fitness testing at the NHL Scouting Combine inside HarborCenter. “I watched them a lot. It was mostly my favorite team just because he was coaching there, so I ... Read the full article

Prospect Casey Mittelstadt took unusual path to NHL Draft

BUFFALO – For years, it was a family tradition. Dede and Tom Mittelstadt would take their son, Casey, out of school in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, so they could drive to St. Paul and watch the state high school hockey tournament.

For those unfamiliar with high school hockey’s wild popularity in Minnesota, the best comparison would probably be football in Texas. Almost 20,000 fans pack the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild, to see ... Read the full article

Coach: Sabres’ Alexander Nylander possibly ‘most skilled guy’ in NHL Draft

BUFFALO – Anyone unfamiliar with Alexander Nylander’s talents will immediately notice the speed the talented Swedish prospect possesses. The high-scoring winger the Sabres were thrilled to draft eighth overall last week might be one of the fastest skaters on the planet.

But Nylander, 18, doesn’t simply freewheel around the ice. The youngster utilizes his breakaway speed by changing it like Calgary star Johnny Gaudreau, said James Richmond, one of Nylander’s coaches with the Ontario ... Read the full article

Austin Osmanski’s selection by Sabres emotional

BUFFALO – By late Saturday morning, as the seven-round NHL Draft crept toward the end, East Aurora’s Austin Osmanski and his 50 or 60 supporters started getting nervous.

At one point, Osmanski, 18, joked to his father, Kevin, who was sitting beside him, they should leave. But deep down, the defenseman was really worried he wouldn’t be selected by anyone, let alone the hometown Sabres.

Osmanski responded to his aunt’s attempt to lighten the mood ... Read the full article

Sabres want to pursue Steven Stamkos

BUFFALO – In acquiring Dmitry Kulikov from the Florida Panthers on Saturday morning, the Sabres added the versatile, left-handed defenseman they coveted and filled perhaps their biggest need.

“We have a need for a left-shot D,” Sabres general manager Tim Murray said after the NHL Draft ended.

There are, of course, other holes, including up front, where the Sabres must add more scoring, either through trades or free agency.

“The best that are available at ... Read the full article

Swapping picks allows Sabres to draft Rasmus Asplund

BUFFALO – The trade was almost complete. The Sabres and Florida Panthers had agreed to swap defensemen Mark Pysyk and Dmitry Kulikov as the main components.

But the sides hadn’t worked out draft picks yet. Originally, general manager Tim Murray wanted to give the Sabres’ first third-round pick, 69^th overall, to his counterpart, Tom Rowe, at the NHL Draft.

Murray went back to Rowe on Saturday morning and offered his last third-rounder, 89^th... Read the full article

Sabres pick Rasmus Asplund shares chemistry with Alexander Nylander

BUFFALO – Early in the winter at the world junior championship, NHL Draft prospect Rasmus Asplund centered Alexander Nylander, the winger the Sabres drafted eighth overall Friday.

Clearly, the Sabres liked the chemistry the two showcased together representing Sweden, as they drafted Asplund, 18, with the 33^rd pick this morning inside the First Niagara Center.

“He was one of the guys I had the best chemistry with in my whole career,” an excited ... Read the full article

Sabres trade Mark Pysyk, picks to Panthers for Dmitry Kulikov

BUFFALO – The Sabres swapped defensemen and draft picks with the Florida Panthers this morning, trading Mark Pysyk and the 38^th and 89^th selections to the Florida Panthers for Dmitry Kulikov and the 33^rd pick.

The Sabres used that selection to take Swedish center Rasmus Asplund, who centered Alexander Nylander, the eighth overall pick by Buffalo, at the world junior championship.

Kulikov, 25, could be the left-handed defenseman Sabres general manager Tim ... Read the full article

Alexander Nylander fits Sabres’ blueprint

BUFFALO – Swedish winger Alexander Nylander and his older brother, William, are close. Before the Sabres drafted Alexander eighth overall Friday, he spent the entire day with William, someone he has leaned on for advice throughout the NHL Draft process.

But besides being siblings and friends, Alexander, 18, and William, 20, are now, in many ways, enemies. William plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sabres’ closest and fiercest rival.

“It’s going to be a ... Read the full article

Memories of 1991 NHL Draft in Buffalo special for former Sabres

BUFFALO – As Philippe Boucher approached Buffalo on his eight-hour drive from Quebec City on Wednesday, the 25^th anniversary of the 1991 NHL Draft, the former Sabres defenseman sounded nostalgic recalling his life-changing day at Memorial Auditorium.

“To be drafted by Buffalo in Buffalo obviously added to that day,” Boucher said by phone.

Boucher watched the NHL Draft on Friday from the First Niagara Center stands as youngsters experienced the same emotions he felt ... Read the full article