WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
February Edition
Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen will likely receive plenty of preseason action for Buffalo. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres will be playing seven preseason games, including a Kraft Hockeyville contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs in St. Thomas, Ontario, prior to the 2023-24 regular season, the team announced Wednesday.
The Hockeyville game, which will be played Sept. 27 at Joe Thornton Community Centre, gives the Sabres an extra preseason outing.
West Lorne, Ontario, which is about 40 miles from St. Thomas, won the annual Hockeyville contest. In addition to the having ... Read the full article
Zach Benson goes through fitness testing June 10 at the NHL Scouting Combine. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When the Winnipeg Ice reconvened to begin an abbreviated season in 2021, James Patrick figured Zach Benson would mostly practice with the junior team. If things went well, the coach hoped the diminutive 15-year-old might play about five games.
In the Western Hockey League, the 5-foot-5, 140-pound rookie winger would be facing opponents four or five years older and nearly a foot taller and 50 or 60 pounds heavier.
Patrick still laughs recalling ... Read the full article
Lukas Rousek had a team-high 56 points for Rochester. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday re-signed winger Lukas Rousek, who played his first two NHL games late last season, to a two-year, $1.55 million contract.
Rousek, 24, enjoyed a breakout season with the Rochester Americans in 2022-23, establishing himself as one of the Sabres’ top forward prospects. His 40 assists and 56 points both led the Amerks. His 16 goals tied for fifth on the team.
The Czech added five goals and 12 points ... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons is Buffalo’s longest-tenured player. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
Forward Zemgus Girgensons, the Buffalo Sabres’ longest-tenured player, will be returning for an 11th season.
The Sabres on Tuesday signed Girgensons to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. He could’ve become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Girgensons, 29, is the last remaining player from the Sabres’ “tank” teams of 2013-14 and 2014-15.
The Latvian has endured some rough seasons in Buffalo. The Sabres have finished dead last four times during his tenure and never ... Read the full article
Michael Peca spent two seasons with Rochester. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
The Rochester Americans must find two new assistant coaches.
Michael Peca, who has been instrumental in developing JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn and some of the Buffalo Sabres’ other forward prospects, has taken a job on coach Peter Laviolette’s staff with the New York Rangers, according to Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek.
Peca, a popular former Sabres captain and center, has strong ties to Laviolette, who was named the Rangers’ new coach last week.
Matthew Wood goes through fitness testing last Saturday at the NHL Scouting Combine. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – At first, Jamie Wood didn’t want his son, Matthew, to play college hockey at such a young age. Having played and coached in the NCAA, he understood the physicality and speed could overwhelm a 17-year-old fresh out of junior.
Besides a chance to attend UConn, Matthew Wood had other intriguing options to consider for the 2022-23 season.
The 6-foot-4, 193-pound forward could return to the Vernon Vipers and defend his British Columbia Hockey ... Read the full article
Mike Weber greets some fans before Rochester’s game April 15. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
Given the Rochester Americans’ recent success, some of their coaches would inevitably draw interest from NHL teams.
On Wednesday, the St. Louis Blues hired Mike Weber, who was in charge of the defense and penalty kill on Seth Appert’s staff, as an assistant coach.
Weber, 35, joined the Amerks as an assistant coach prior to the 2020-21 season following a three-year stint as an assistant with the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires.
David Reinbacher goes through fitness testing Saturday at the NHL Scouting Combine. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In the bedroom of his childhood home in Hohenems, Austria, NHL Draft prospect David Reinbacher still has a jersey of former Sabres star Thomas Vanek he proudly wore growing up.
Vanek, who scored 373 goals over 14 NHL seasons, has long been the face of Austrian hockey. But his popularity transcends the sport. He’s an icon in the country.
“I would say (he’s) like Arnold Schwarzenegger there,” Reinbacher said, comparing the high-scoring ... Read the full article
Connor Bedard talks to the media Friday at the NHL Scouting Combine. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Connor Bedard prefers to live in the moment. With all the outside noise and hype surrounding him, the ultra-talented center, a lock to be the first overall pick at the upcoming NHL Draft, said it allows him to enjoy things “kind of be where your feet are.”
“That’s good advice I’ve got from a few guys,” Bedard said Friday in LECOM Harborcenter, where the NHL Scouting Combine is taking place this week.
That’s ... Read the full article
Matt Savoie, one of Buffalo’s top prospects, will likely attend development camp. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres will hold a summer development camp for prospects from July 2 to 6 at LECOM Harborcenter, the team announced Friday.
The on-ice sessions are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.
A roster will be announced at a later date.... Read the full article