Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

NHL Draft: USA prospect Cole Eiserman could be intriguing choice for Sabres

BUFFALO – Nick Fohr, Cole Eiserman’s coach at the Team USA National Team Development Program, has tried to dissect what makes the 2024 NHL Draft prospect’s shot so lethal.

“Like, is it release? Is it just how hard it is?” Fohr wondered. “I don’t have a 100 percent answer to it, but I definitely think the pace that it comes off his stick is elite.”

Eiserman’s shot is so dynamic that at the recent World ... Read the full article

As Sabres enter new phase, GM Kevyn Adams open to trading first-round pick

BUFFALO – This is new for Kevyn Adams. For three years, the general manager methodically constructed the Sabres, refusing to stray from his plan.

That meant using every first-round pick – he’s had a whopping six since 2021 – and resisting any quick fixes that could hurt his blueprint for sustained success.

But the Sabres have graduated to what Adams called “another phase.” Expectations have been raised.... Read the full article

Kevyn Adams aware of rumors Sabres could buy out Jeff Skinner

BUFFALO – General manager Kevyn Adams knows there are rumors the Sabres could buy out winger Jeff Skinner, who has three seasons remaining on his eight-year, $72 million contract.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Tuesday called a buyout “a possibility,” igniting speculation about the 14-year veteran’s future.

Skinner, 32, certainly fits the criteria of a player the Sabres, who have missed the playoffs an NHL-record 13 straight seasons, would consider cutting loose.

He struggled last season, ... Read the full article

‘No Goal’ at 25: Former Sabres standout Derek Plante learned special lessons during Stars’ 1999 Stanley Cup run

In the moments after Brett Hull scored, as Derek Plante celebrated the Dallas Stars’ Stanley Cup victory, on the other side of the ice, he saw his former Buffalo Sabres teammates trying to process the most gut-wrenching loss of their lives.

Twenty-five years ago Wednesday – June 19, 1999 – Brett Hull scored his controversial “No Goal” 14:51 into the third overtime of Game 6, clinching the Stars’ first championship. Plante watched the disputed goal ... Read the full article

If Sabres don’t trade 11th pick, Berkly Catton could be strong draft choice

BUFFALO – Last year, Berkly Catton felt bored, so he got creative. The 2024 NHL Draft prospect found some wood and grabbed his old street hockey equipment to construct a rudimentary goalie in his backyard.

Catton, 18, placed it in front of a net and spent hours and hours honing his shot by pummeling the wonky creation – “It looks pretty real, actually,” he said – with pucks.

The Spokane Chiefs star said “it’s probably ... Read the full article

Rochester Amerks’ Jiri Kulich named to AHL’s Top Prospects Team again

For the second straight season, Rochester Americans center Jiri Kulich has earned a spot on the AHL’s Top Prospects Team.

Kulich, the 28th overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2022, enjoyed another terrific season in the minors, scoring a team-best 27 goals and 45 points in 57 games. He scored nine times in his final 11 regular-season outings following a long slump. He also represented the Amerks in the AHL All-Star Classic.

The ... Read the full article

New contract with Devils gives extra life to Ryan Schmelzer’s NHL dream

At first, Ryan Schmelzer thought he misheard Dan MacKinnon. Two weeks earlier, when he had asked the New Jersey Devils for an NHL contract, the team seemed intent on offering him another two-year AHL deal to captain the Utica Comets.

So in April, when Schmelzer, 30, sat down for his end-of-season chat with MacKinnon, Utica’s general manager, and Kevin Dineen, his coach, he hardly expected to hear the Devils would award him his first two-way ... Read the full article

Sabres to hold 2024 development camp for prospects next month

The Buffalo Sabres will hold a summer development camp for prospects from July 1 to 4 at LECOM Harborcenter, the team announced Wednesday.

The on-ice sessions are free and open to the public.

A camp roster will be announced at a later date.... Read the full article

Sabres name Jerry Forton assistant GM, Chris Bergeron scout

The Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday promoted Jerry Forton to assistant general manager and named Chris Bergeron an amateur free agent scout.

Forton spent the last four seasons as Buffalo’s director of amateur scouting, helping the Sabres draft 35 players, including seven in the first round. He joined the organization in 2013 as an assistant coach. After one year in that role, he transitioned into scouting.

He has also served as an amateur scout, assistant director ... Read the full article

Jon Cooper, other NHL coaches helped Rochester Amerks’ Mike Leone grow: ‘People I lean on’

Mike Leone said he considers himself to be probably the luckiest guy in hockey.

The new Rochester Americans coach retired from playing at 28, never rising above the ECHL. But at each level of hockey during his days as a forward – junior, college and pro – he learned from someone who had been an NHL coach or would become one.

As a teenager with the Texarkana and St. Louis Bandits, Leone played for future ... Read the full article