Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

Sabres hire Andrew Allen as goalie coach

BUFFALO – The Sabres completed their NHL coaching staff this morning, announcing they have hired Andrew Allen as goalie coach.

The 38-year-old Allen spent the last four seasons as the Chicago Blackhawks’ developmental goaltending coach, overseeing the netminders with the AHL Rockford IceHogs. Allen spent three seasons as St. Lawrence University’s goalie coach and also coached in Japan before joining the Blackhawks.

He played pro hockey for five seasons, spending time in the AHL and ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste knows Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid well

BUFFALO – OK, it’s time for a quick development camp quiz, Sabres fans.

Name the only youngster in hockey who has already played alongside slick centers Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, the top two picks in the 2015 NHL Draft.

It’s Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste, the 69^th overall selection in 2013.

“I’m a lucky guy,” Baptiste said Thursday. “They’re both so fantastically good.”

Now, name the most prolific career scorer among the 46 players ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Team expects record crowd for Jack Eichel’s first scrimmage

BUFFALO – Since arriving in Buffalo last week, Sabres prospect Jack Eichel has been “doing the media tour and doing a million things.” The 18-year-old center just wants to play a hockey game, something he hasn’t done in months.

Eichel will get his wish tonight, when the Sabres host what is quickly becoming a huge summer event, the annual development camp scrimmage at 7 p.m. inside the First Niagara Center.

The Sabres have already sold ... Read the full article

Amerks sign Matt Ellis to AHL deal

BUFFALO – Matt Ellis will be back for an eighth season with the Sabres organization.

The Rochester Americans signed the popular forward to a one-year AHL contract today. The respected 33-year-old, a veteran of 356 NHL games, spent parts of two seasons as Amerks captain before getting recalled. He could wear the ‘C’ in 2015-16.

Ellis has split the last three seasons between Buffalo and Rochester, playing 95 games in each league. He started the ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel ‘super excited’ for Sabres ‘debut’

Eichel will get his wish Friday, when the Sabres host what is quickly becoming a huge summer event, the annual development camp scrimmage at the First Niagara Center.

More than 15,000 fans could attend, the Sabres ... Read the full article

Anthony Florentino developing into one of Sabres’ top defense prospects

BUFFALO – Sabres prospect Anthony Florentino can relax a bit this week. The defenseman only has to defend slick center Jack Eichel during development camp drills and possibly a scrimmage.

Last season, the youngsters went head-to-head three times, including the national championship game, when Florentino’s Providence College Friars stunned Eichel’s Boston University Terriers 4-3 on April 11.

At times, Eichel, the second overall pick last month, gave Florentino fits.

“Defending him, he’s definitely the hardest ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Sam Reinhart seeing results from new approach

BUFFALO – The hardest part of returning to junior, Sam Reinhart said, was convincing himself to get in the gym and work on his body. The 19-year-old center likes to go all out on the ice. Spending two days before a game lifting weights can make that difficult.

But to succeed in the NHL, Reinhart had to start adding muscle to his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame when the Sabres sent him back following a forgettable ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Hudson Fasching wants to develop leadership skills in college

BUFFALO – At 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds with perhaps the broadest shoulders in development camp, Sabres prospect Hudson Fasching looks built for pro hockey at just 19 years old.

But the American, who scored 14 goals as a freshman during the University of Minnesota’s run to the 2014 national championship game, recently announced he will return to the Gophers for his junior season.

Why?

“It was kind of about being an experienced player,” Fasching said ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel ready to settle in with Sabres

BUFFALO – At around 1:10 p.m. on Monday, most of the 1,000 or so Sabres fans on hand to watch development camp had their eyes focused on the tunnel next to the visiting bench waiting for a glimpse of Jack Eichel.

When the slick center finally touched the First Niagara Center ice for the first time in Sabres gear, the crowd cheered Buffalo’s newest phenom. Cameras snapped photos. Memories were made.

“It was pretty cool,” ... Read the full article

Sabres hire Dan Lambert as assistant coach

BUFFALO – When development camp began Monday, there was an unfamiliar face on the ice putting the Sabres prospects through drills inside the First Niagara Center.

Who was it?

During the first session, the Sabres officially announced Dan Lambert’s hire as the third assistant on coach Dan Bylsma’s staff.

The 45-year-old Lambert coached the Kelowna Rockets last year, leading the junior club to a Western Hockey League championship and a Memorial Cup appearance in his ... Read the full article