Nylander - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander ready for meeting with brother

BUFFALO – Growing up, Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander and his brother, William, a Toronto Maple Leafs youngster, were ultra-competitive in whatever game or sport they played.

So, despite being very close, the Nylanders would occasionally get a little emotional.

“We fought a lot, there was a lot when we were playing knee hockey, shinny,” Alexander Nylander said this morning inside KeyBank Center. “We always came clean after it and were best buddies again.”

Don’t expect ... Read the full article

Williamsville’s Cole Schneider impressing Sabres

BUFFALO – In the first days of the season, Cole Schneider, an undrafted winger with two games of NHL experience, not an established veteran or hotshot prospect, has emerged as the biggest standout in Sabres training camp.

After scoring a hat trick in the first scrimmage and a one-goal, two-point performance the next day, Schneider, 26, could already have an inside track to earn a roster spot as the 12^th or 13^th... Read the full article

Top Sabres pick Alexander Nylander to debut in preseason opener

BUFFALO – Some quick updates this morning from KeyBank Center, where the Sabres prepared for tonight’s preseason opener against the Minnesota Wild before flying to Penn State University:

– The Sabres will use a mix of veterans, youngsters and AHL players for the tilt at Pegula Ice Arena.

Eighth overall pick Alexander Nylander, whose early training camp play has impressed coach Dan Bylsma, will debut on the left wing beside center Cal O’Reilly and ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Hudson Fasching confident after busy offseason

BUFFALO – Rookie Hudson Fasching applied a hockey philosophy to his schoolwork when he returned to the University of Minnesota in April following a seven-game stint with the Sabres.

Fresh off his first NHL action, Fasching, 21, had two and a half weeks to complete the semester and his entrepreneurial management degree before leaving school to represent Team USA at the World Hockey Championship in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“I was like, ‘OK, I’m just going ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie prospect Linus Ullmark feeling fresh again

BUFFALO – Almost a year ago, just months removed from double hip surgery, Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark roared into NHL, winning four of his first six starts.

By early November, some fans wanted Ullmark to be the Sabres’ new starter. By January, the rookie was back in the minors. By March, he couldn’t even win an AHL game, losing eight straight decisions.

“My first half of the season was good,” Ullmark said ... Read the full article

Giorgio Estephan quietly one of Sabres’ best prospects

BUFFALO – The most prolific goal scorer among Sabres prospects last season wasn’t top pick Alexander Nylander, 83-point man Eric Cornel or even Justin Bailey, whose fine play earned him his first NHL action.

Try Giorgio Estephan, a 2015 sixth-round selection, 152^nd overall, who scored 30 goals and 74 points in only 59 games for the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes in 2015-16.

If you haven’t heard much about Estephan, that ... Read the full article

Sabres prospects will fight for jobs in rookie camp

BUFFALO – Sure, it’s just rookie camp, four days reserved for Sabres prospects before training camp. By the end of the month, most of the youngsters participating will be back in junior or the minors.

But with young talent relied on so heavily these days, the battle for NHL jobs really begins today, when camp opens inside HarborCenter.

Five prospects – forwards Justin Bailey, Hudson Fasching and Evan Rodrigues and goalies Jason Kasdorf and ... Read the full article

Sabres to host prospects tournament again in September

Alexander Nylander’s first game action in a Buffalo uniform is just six weeks away, as the Sabres will host the “Prospects Challenge” tournament from Sept. 16-19 at HarborCenter, the team announced this morning.

Nylander, the talented Swedish winger drafted eighth overall June 24, will almost certainly participate in the three-team, round-robin tournament, which also includes the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils.

The Sabres started the tournament last season.

The game schedule:

Sept. 17, Buffalo ... Read the full article

Photo: Sabres prospect Rasmus Asplund captaining Sweden

Where will Buffalo Sabres prospect Rasmus Asplund end up next season?

Asplund, the 33^rd overall pick June 25, has already played two seasons of professional hockey at home. The talented center could return to the Swedish Hockey League in 2016-17. Or he could skate in North America, either with the Sabres or their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Wherever Asplund, 18, plays, there’s a good chance he’ll be leaving in December for the world ... Read the full article

Pro experience helped Sabres prospect Rasmus Asplund develop

BUFFALO – Almost two years ago, in the midst of a high-scoring junior season, Rasmus Asplund’s success forced the Sabres prospect to “start from scratch,” he said.

Asplund had already scored 25 points in 19 games when Färjestad BK, a team in the Swedish Hockey League, the country’s highest pro circuit, recalled the center.

That meant Asplund, then just 16 years old, would start competing against men.

“It’s a different type of game when you ... Read the full article