Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

NHL Draft: Sabres select Zach Benson 13th overall

NASHVILLE – The Buffalo Sabres tonight selected Winnipeg Ice winger Zach Benson at the NHL Draft.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Benson scored 36 goals and 98 points in 60 games last season while forming a dynamic duo with Sabres center prospect Matt Savoie. Benson added seven goals and 17 points in 15 Western Hockey League playoff outings.

Benson, 18, has compiled 71 goals and 181 points in 142 career WHL outings over three seasons.... Read the full article

Aggressive moves for present might benefit Sabres at NHL Draft

NASHVILLE – Given their success last season and the talent they boast, you wonder if the Buffalo Sabres might take a big swing during the NHL Draft.

General manager Kevyn Adams has methodically rebuilt his team, refusing to take shortcuts that might jeopardize sustained long-term success. But they’re finally knocking on the door, having come within one win of earning that elusive playoff berth.

Adams possesses a stable of assets, including the 13th pick tonight ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Kevyn Adams exploring trade market for Victor Olofsson

NASHVILLE – In the case of Sabres winger Victor Olofsson, both sides are willing to accept blame for his disappointing season.

Despite scoring a career-high 28 goals, Olofsson sat out seven late-season games as a healthy scratch, including five critical contests down the stretch.

“He knows he could’ve maybe performed at certain times,” Adams said Tuesday in the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

On the other hand, Adams said “maybe we need to make sure that we’re ... Read the full article

2023-24 Sabres schedule features early home games, two visits from Toronto

NASHVILLE – The Buffalo Sabres begin the 2023-24 season at home Oct. 12 against the New York Rangers and play five of their first six games at KeyBank Center.

So the 82-game schedule released Tuesday features an early opportunity for the Sabres, who struggled at home last season, to roar out of the gate.

The Sabres play five of their Atlantic Division opponents – the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning ... Read the full article

Team USA star Gabe Perreault could be intriguing NHL Draft choice for Sabres

NASHVILLE – The genesis of NHL Draft prospect Gabe Perreault’s recording-breaking season for Team USA’s Under-18 squad began a year earlier.

In 2021, Perreault arrived in Plymouth, Michigan, a skinny 16-year-old. Dan Muse, his former coach at the National Team Development Program, said the high-scoring winger weighed just 130 or 140 pounds.

So Perreault took advantage of the resources the program offers and reshaped his body.... Read the full article

Buffalo-area prospects Gavin McCarthy, Quentin Musty grew up with Jr. Sabres, ready for NHL Draft

NASHVILLE – The last time Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams saw NHL Draft prospect Gavin McCarthy, he ran into him, of all places, on the bike path behind his house in Clarence.

Adams, having run the Jr. Sabres and Academy of Hockey at LECOM Harborcenter before being named GM, knows a lot of high-end local prospects like McCarthy and Hamburg native Quentin Musty, who could be a first-round pick Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena.

His ... Read the full article

Calder Trophy: Sabres D Owen Power’s rookie year dynamic by any measure

BUFFALO – Throughout Sabres defenseman’s Owen Power’s terrific rookie season, his age often accompanied any mention of his exploits.

Can you believe the important minutes Power plays as a 20-year-old? Look at the poise and smarts he possesses for a 20-year-old.

Forget about his age, coach Don Granato said. Power’s first season was dynamic by any standard.

“What he did, 30-year-old guys in the league that have played 10, 12, 13 years can’t do,” ... Read the full article

Sabres bring back Rochester Amerks D Jeremy Davies on one-year contract

The Buffalo Sabres on Monday re-signed Jeremy Davies, whose 11 goals led all Rochester Americans defensemen last season, to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 in the NHL.

Davies, 26, played one game with the Sabres last season, recording zero points.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Davies enjoyed another stellar offensive season, recording 23 points in 66 games. He ranked eighth among AHL defensemen in goals scored. His 90 penalty minutes also led the Amerks.... Read the full article

Sabres re-sign Youngstown’s Joseph Cecconi to one-year contract

The Buffalo Sabres on Friday re-signed defenseman Joseph Cecconi, a Youngstown native, to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 in the NHL.

Cecconi, 26, became a mainstay on the Rochester Americans’ blue line following his arrival in a trade Dec. 15, giving them a more defensive defender to complement some of their offensive threats.

In the regular season, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Cecconi registered three goals and eight points in 41 games. In the ... Read the full article

Contracts for Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power in works; Kevyn Adams confident in goalies

BUFFALO – Following the season, some of the Sabres’ decision makers sat down with defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power and told them how much they believe in them and what they mean to the franchise.

“There was an excitement from both of them and a clear message to me that they both want to be here long-term,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said Wednesday during a news conference in KeyBank Center to discuss the ... Read the full article