NHL Draft - Buffalo Hockey Beat

NHL Draft: Sabres could land Hedman-type defenseman with Owen Power

Ex-NHL defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo knew Owen Power, the 18-year-old the Buffalo Sabres are expected to select first overall at the NHL Draft on Friday, was a special prospect.

Still, hulking defensemen in their teens – at 6-foot-6 and 213 pounds, Power already possesses a man’s body – are usually at least a little raw.

So when Colaiacovo watched Power earlier this month at the Power Edge Pro camp in Toronto, the up-close examination changed ... Read the full article

NHL Draft prospect Mason McTavish could give Sabres power forward

Last November, Mason McTavish started pursuing a temporary gig playing overseas. With the Ontario Hockey League season paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHL Draft prospect needed to shake off the rust and showcase his talents.

Later that month, McTavish, a star center for the Peterborough Petes, thought he would be flying to Switzerland to play for Olten EHC. He was in Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal ready to leave when he ... Read the full article

NHL Draft prospect William Eklund would be intriguing choice for Sabres

William Eklund believes playing another season in the Swedish Hockey League will benefit his development, so whichever team picks the winger early in Friday’s NHL Draft will likely have to wait a year for him.

“I have one more year in Europe to develop into a better player here,” Eklund, a winger who has spent the last two seasons with Djurgardens IF, said on a Zoom call July 6.

NHL Central Scouting ranked Eklund first ... Read the full article

Dylan Guenther could be too talented for Sabres to pass up at NHL Draft

NHL Draft prospect Dylan Guenther was just 15, a neophyte up for his first taste of major junior hockey. Still, despite being one of the league’s youngest players, the winger turned heads during his eight-game stint, utilizing his lethal shot to score three times.

“Dylan’s a shooter,” said Brad Lauer, Guenther’s coach with the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings. “Right from 15 when we had him, he scored three goals for us that some ... Read the full article

Owen Power to meet with Sabres this week, might return to Michigan

The COVID-19 pandemic deprived top NHL Draft prospect Owen Power of the full college experience as a freshman at Michigan.

Power, 18, played in empty rinks, meaning he never felt the rush of playing in front of 5,800 raucous fans at Yost Ice Arena, one of college hockey’s most historic venues. The defenseman had to take online classes, so he spent most of his time at Yost or home.

After Michigan compiled a 15-10-1 record ... Read the full article

Michigan star Kent Johnson intriguing option for Sabres early at NHL Draft

Barely a year before Jeff Tambellini would start coaching Kent Johnson, he was introduced to the ultra-talented forward during a summer skate in 2017.

Some pro hockey players from Vancouver would occasionally invite teenagers from the local Power Edge Pro training group to join them. So Tambellini, then a 33-year-old preparing to possibly play his 14th pro season, found himself on the same ice as Johnson, a skinny 14-year-old from nearby Burnaby, British Columbia.... Read the full article

Sabres hope special player drafted first overall will change course of franchise

Kevyn Adams said his heart was racing before Wednesday’s NHL Draft Lottery. The Buffalo Sabres general manager looked intense. At one point, Terry Pegula texted him and told him to smile.

Leading up to the announcement, Adams said all the adversity the Sabres endured during a hellish season in which they finished dead last was flashing through his mind. He was also thinking about how much the top pick would mean to owners Terry ... Read the full article

Sabres win NHL Draft Lottery, will pick first overall

The Buffalo Sabres won tonight’s NHL Draft Lottery and will pick first overall July 23.

This is the second time in four years the Sabres own the top pick. After they won the lottery in 2018, they selected defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

The Sabres, by virtue of their last-place finish this season, had the highest odds for the No. 1 pick, just 16.6%. The NHL only conducted two draws this year, meaning the Sabres could ... Read the full article

Prospect J-J Peterka thrilled Sabres traded up to draft him

As the NHL Draft progressed Tuesday night, J-J Peterka started getting a little upset. The German forward many had pegged as a first-round selection kept waiting to be picked.

Two of his fellow countrymen – forwards Tim Stutzle (third overall, Ottawa Senators) and Lukas Reichel (17th, Chicago Blackhawks) – went off the board early.

When the first round ended, Peterka, 18, was still available. Meanwhile, rookie general manager Kevyn Adams was trying to move up ... Read the full article

Sabres NHL Draft tracker: J-J Peterka selected 34th after trade

The Buffalo Sabres made a trade early on the second day of the NHL Draft, sending the 38th and 100th picks to the San Jose Sharks so they could move up and grab German forward J-J Peterka 34th overall.

The Sabres don’t have another pick today until the fifth round, 131st overall.

The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Peterka spent last season playing against men for Red Bull Munich in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), scoring seven goals ... Read the full article