WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
2026-27 Season Edition
Casey Nelson spent all of last season in Rochester. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
Defenseman Casey Nelson, who has played 93 games for the Buffalo Sabres and spent last season with the Rochester Americans, has opted out of the 2020-21 season, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.
As part of the NHL’s return to play, the league and NHL Players’ Association agreed to allow players to opt out if they’re concerned about the coronavirus.
The Sabres have the option to slide the one-year, two-way contract Nelson signed Oct. 22 ... Read the full article
Dylan Cozens won a gold medal with Team Canada last year. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
Buffalo Sabres prospect Dylan Cozens will be taking turns with Bowen Byram filling in as Team Canada’s captain during the World Junior Championship in Edmonton.
Canada captain Kirby Dach fractured his wrist during an exhibition game Wednesday. Dach, a regular with the Chicago Blackhawks last season, will miss the entire tournament.
The Canadians open their schedule tonight against Team Germany, which boasts another Sabres prospect, forward J-J Peterka.
Cozens, a center the Sabres drafted ... Read the full article
Henri Jokiharju and Sidney Crosby could become familiar this season during the eight meeting between Buffalo and Pittsburgh. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
When the Buffalo Sabres open their 2020-21 schedule on Jan. 14 at home against the Washington Capitals, it will start a trend for the abbreviated 56-game season.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the NHL to limit travel, meaning teams will be staying in cities for multiple days and playing series against one opponent.
The Sabres’ opener kicks off a two-game set at KeyBank Center. They also host Washington the next night.
Their schedule, which the ... Read the full article
Casey Mittelstadt spent the second half of last season in Rochester. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
The Buffalo Sabres locked up their last restricted free agent today, signing center Casey Mittelstadt to a one-year, $874,125 contract.
Mittelstadt, 22, struggled last season, compiling four goals, nine points and minus-5 rating in 31 NHL games before the Sabres demoted him.
In the AHL, Mittelstadt scored nine goals and 25 points in 36 outings but also generated a wretched minus-15 rating during his first stint with the Rochester Americans.
It’s unclear where ... Read the full article
Trevor Kuntar has already scored four goals in six games for Boston College. ©2020, John Quackenbos
Les and Faye Kuntar wanted to support their oldest son, Trevor, and hopefully celebrate his selection by an NHL team.
A year earlier, Trevor Kuntar had gone undrafted. The snubs fueled him, and the extra year helped the Williamsville native to develop into a stronger prospect. So when the second day of the NHL Draft started Oct. 7, the Boston College freshman was expected to be a mid- or late-round pick.
His parents drove seven ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner, seen here facing off against Riley Nash last season, hasn’t played a game since March 9. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
Four new NHL divisions, including one comprised entirely of Canadian teams. A 56-game schedule. The Stanley Cup awarded in July.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which is still ravaging the United States and Canada, forced the NHL and NHL Players’ Association to make some major changes for the 2020-21 season.
The Buffalo Sabres, for example, have temporarily been shifted to the new East Division, a group of eight teams that normally play in the Atlantic and Metropolitan.... Read the full article
Nathan Paetsch spent most of 2005-06 in Rochester before going up to Buffalo. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
In April, when MSG replayed the Buffalo Sabres’ gut-wrenching Game 7 loss from 2006, Nathan Paetsch decided it was time to relive the craziest night of his NHL career.
For almost 14 years, the defeat stung so badly that Paetsch, who retired Friday, avoided watching the final game of the classic Eastern Conference final series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I never looked back on it,” Paetsch said of the memorable 4-2 loss during a Zoom ... Read the full article
Nathan Paetsch played 258 games for Rochester. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
Former Buffalo Sabres defenseman Nathan Paetsch, who also spent parts of seven seasons with the Rochester Americans over three stints, has retired, the AHL club announced today.
The popular Paetsch, 37, played 870 games over 17 pro seasons, including 157 contests with the Sabres. He compiled 23 goals and 100 points in 258 career games with the Amerks.
Paetsch, who would sometimes moonlight as a forward, embraced a new role when he returned to ... Read the full article
Rick Vaive was still a 30-goal scorer when he joined the Sabres. ©2020, Janet Schultz
In his new book, “Catch 22: My Battles, in Hockey and Life,” three-time 50-goal scorer Rick Vaive, who played four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, offers a thoughtful account of his struggles with alcohol.
For much of his life, Vaive, a Toronto Maple Leafs legend and former captain, combated his undiagnosed anxiety by drinking. But after a doctor prescribed him medication to treat the anxiety, he kept drinking.
As his 35th birthday approached, ... Read the full article
The Sabres drafted Ryan Johnson 31st overall in 2019. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
Buffalo Sabres defense prospect Ryan Johnson has earned a spot on Team USA’s 25-man roster for the upcoming World Junior Championship.
USA Hockey announced the roster today.
Johnson, 19, has compiled zero goals and four assists in six games this season as a sophomore at Minnesota. The Sabres drafted Johnson 31st overall in 2019.
The American is the son of former NHL forward Craig Johnson.... Read the full article