ROCHESTER – Center Tyson Kozak’s latest stint with the Americans could be his last one. Having recently impressed the Sabres during a 21-game look, he appears ready to graduate to Buffalo next season and earn full-time duty.
His gritty, mature style might entrench him on the Sabres’ third or fourth line for years.
Of course, the oft-injured Kozak, who on Friday played in Game 1 of the AHL North Division semifinal against the Syracuse Crunch, must stay healthy to reach his full potential.
On April 1, in his 10th consecutive appearance for the Sabres, he suffered a hip strain and missed their final eight contests.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Kozak has never played more than 55 regular-season games in his first three years.
“The only thing that plays against him is his body,” Amerks assistant coach Vinny Prospal told the Times Herald following Thursday’s practice in Blue Cross Arena. “He needs to find a way to stay healthy. Not even bulk up, but just (learn) how to get stronger so he remains healthy, because that kid is Mr. Responsible … and that’s why he caught their eye.”
Kozak, 22, understands he must add strength to continue his development.
“With the role that I play, usually fourth line, third line, something like that, (I’m) playing against a lot of big, strong guys,” he said. “So, obviously, (I) got to get stronger and hopefully stay away from the injuries throughout the year.”
Kozak said he resumed skating early last week in Buffalo and started practicing this week after the Sabres assigned him to the AHL following their season finale.
His presence gives the Amerks a unique talent for what they hope will be a long run in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Coach Mike Leone believes Kozak’s heavy style is tailored for postseason hockey.
“The game is so fast,” he said. “There’s no time and space and it’s won in the hard areas of the game. That’s just in his DNA, so I think it just translates.”
It certainly translated in the NHL. Kozak, despite being the 193rd overall pick in 2021, quietly developed into one of the Sabres’ best forward prospects. By last season, he seemed poised to crack the big leagues someday.
The Sabres summoned him for the first time in early December. When Leone informed him he was needed in Buffalo, Kozak said he started shaking.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I had no words.”
Kozak had a goal disallowed in his debut Dec. 5 – replays showed it should have been counted – before scoring his first goal in his second game.
He compiled three goals and five points with the Sabres. That offensive production, however, is almost a bonus.
Leone believes Kozak provides the same value without scoring.
“His impact on the game, like, his physicality, he’s always on the right side of the puck,” he said. “In D-zone situations, he’s able to make really quick reads and necessary adjustments in the chaos of the game to kind of slow things down or just make really good decisions with the puck also.
“Just a lot of selfless acts that go unnoticed sometimes.”
Prospal, who often compares Kozak to Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli, one of the NHL’s top defensive forwards, said the youngster plays the same way whether he’s on the first or fourth line.
That’s why the Sabres felt comfortable utilizing Kozak in different situations.
“I was trying to build the trust throughout my first couple games,” he said. “And then I got thrown into some key moments (throughout) the game, six-on-five, stuff like that.”
Kozak has already beaten long odds. He’s Buffalo’s first seventh-round pick to make the NHL since Victor Olofsson, a 2014 selection.
“I think sometimes it’s hard for young players if you’re not producing (offense), you’re not a numbers guy, like, ‘How am I going to find a way?’” Leone said. “And Kozak, all of his attributes and the things that he does well, it’s a coach’s dream. At the end of the day, you want playoff-type of players that are every day guys in your lineup, and that’s what he is.”