WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Jack Eichel played 81 games last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Jack Eichel had a front-row seat for the commotion surrounding Jimmy Vesey, the college free agent whose negotiating rights the Sabres owned for 57 days.
As the summer wore on, crowds swelled inside the Foxborough, Mass., rink where the two skated as teammates in a recreational league. Media members and TV crews started showing up to interview and film Vesey. Some high-ranking personnel from NHL teams also attended.
“It was starting to ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner only played 21 games last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
Buffalo Sabres goalie Robin Lehner, who’s still recovering from season-ending ankle surgery in late March, has pulled out of next month’s World Cup of Hockey, Team Sweden announced today.
Former Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth, who signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, will replace Lehner.
The Sabres expect Lehner, 25, to be their starting goalie in 2016-17 following a season in which he suffered a high right ankle sprain opening night and battled ... Read the full article
Jimmy Vesey was a free agent four days. ©2016, Gil Talbot, Harvard Athletics
Jimmy Vesey, the Hobey Baker Award winner whose negotiating rights the Buffalo Sabres owned for 57 days, signed a two-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract Friday with the New York Rangers, ending an odd five months in which the college star spurned the Nashville Predators to become a free agent.
Vesey, 23, officially became unrestricted on Tuesday, and, as expected, a slew of teams tried recruiting the high-scoring former Harvard University winger.
In addition to ... Read the full article
Jimmy Vesey should be an unrestricted free agent Tuesday. ©2016, Gil Talbot, Harvard Athletics
BUFFALO – Ten years ago, Jimmy Vesey wouldn’t have become front-page news or a household name in these parts. The Hobey Baker Award winner’s summer hockey games in Foxborough, Mass., wouldn’t have been discussed, let alone attended by fans and media members.
In an era now long gone, Vesey, whose rights the Sabres acquired June 20, would have simply been another strong prospect. Upon turning pro, the former Harvard University star would have reported ... Read the full article
Cody Franson suffered a season-ending injury Feb. 19. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
How remarkably healthy did the Buffalo blue line stay in 2015-16? The Sabres recalled a defenseman as an injury replacement just once.
Think about that. Over the course of the grueling six-month, 82-game season, the Sabres only dipped into the AHL on March 18, when they summoned Chad Ruhwedel to sub for Carlo Colaiacovo prior to their 72nd contest. Ruhwedel played that night and was quickly returned to the Rochester Americans.
The Sabres almost ... Read the full article
Joe Cecconi made the first cut in Plymouth, Mich., and will go to another USA Hockey camp in Buffalo. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
Right now, Youngstown native Joe Cecconi is participating in USA Hockey’s national junior evaluation camp in Plymouth, Mich., about a 20-minute drive from his college, the University of Michigan.
Come December, Cecconi, 19, will leave the Wolverines and wear the Team USA crest again in Buffalo, where he will skate in the national junior select camp. Cecconi, who will start his sophomore season soon, earned an invite thanks to a strong showing at the ... Read the full article
Alexander Nylander was drafted eighth overall. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
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
Rasmus Asplund has already played two seasons of pro hockey. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
Where will Buffalo Sabres prospect Rasmus Asplund end up next season?
Asplund, the 33rd 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
Evander Kane has played one season with the Sabres. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
Buffalo Sabres winger Evander Kane has been arrested and charged with one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass and four counts of non-criminal harassment in connection with an incident at a downtown bar last month.
Kane, 24, turned himself into Buffalo police this morning and was handcuffed before being released, according to multiple reports. He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 1.
Kane’s attorney, Paul J. Cambria, told The Buffalo News, “Without a doubt, ... Read the full article
Tim Kennedy also played last season in Europe. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In a perfect world, Tim Kennedy said, his summer would have played out as he had hoped.
Following a rough European season, the former Sabres forward wanted an NHL team, preferably one with an AHL affiliate in the Northeast, to sign him.
“But sports today is a results-based industry,” Kennedy told the Times Herald on Thursday.
Of course it is, and Kennedy, an AHL All-Star in 2014-15, is coming off a career-worst four-goal, ... Read the full article