WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Frank Hora has played three seasons of junior. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Michael Hora can’t make it to HarborCenter this afternoon, but one way or another, he’ll find a way to watch his son, Frank, a Cheektowaga native the Sabres are evaluating at development camp.
“He always finds a way to watch my games,” Frank Hora, a 20-year-old defense prospect, said Friday after preparing for the annual Blue and Gold scrimmage.
His father, who’s at a hockey camp in Virginia with another son, Anthony, bought ... Read the full article
Alexander Nylander could play in four places next season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres prospect Hudson Fasching was looking for small details in Alexander Nylander’s game. Sure, he could see the eighth overall pick possesses terrific speed and soft hands.
But when a player is that talented, Fasching, 20, likes to examine him a little closer.
“You can kind of just tell, if you pay a little extra attention to him, every puck he shoots it’s crisp, it’s in a direction,” Fasching said Wednesday following ... Read the full article
Austin Omanski sported a Sabres jersey on the ice for the first time today. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Five minutes before his development camp session started this afternoon, Sabres prospect Austin Osmanski was sitting nervously inside the HarborCenter dressing room, wondering if he should go on the ice early.
Eventually, Osmanski, an East Aurora native, left the room and was the first player on the ice. Winger Justin Bailey, a Williamsville native, followed him.
“Justin Bailey was right behind me, so it was pretty cool,” Osmanski said.
Wearing a Sabres jersey ... Read the full article
Alexander Nylander hasn’t worn a Sabres jersey on the ice yet. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Watching a top prospect skate in a Sabres jersey for the first time, even in a development camp setting, is a special experience for fans always eager to welcome new talent.
For the next six days, starting with today’s session inside HarborCenter, the Sabres’ rabid fan base will receive its first glimpses of Swedish winger Alexander Nylander, the eighth overall pick June 24 at the First Niagara Center, sporting blue and gold ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel, a big draw last year, likely won’t participate in development camp next month. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres will hold their annual summer development camp July 6-12 at HarborCenter, the team announced this afternoon.
Approximately 40 prospects, including this year’s draft picks, will participate. On-ice sessions will be open to the public. The intrasquad Blue and Gold Scrimmage will be July 9. Ticket information and other camp details will be released later.
The Sabres nearly sold out the FNC last year when center Jack Eichel, the second overall pick, ... Read the full article
Cal Petersen made 87 saves in the NCAA’s longest game. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – As the game ticked toward a record length and the shot count grew higher and higher, Cal Petersen’s Notre Dame teammates joked they wanted the goalie to shatter the NCAA single-game saves mark.
“They wanted me to hit the century mark,” the Sabres prospect recalled earlier this month about his record-setting 87-save performance in the Fighting Irish’s 4-3, five-overtime loss March 6. “But they didn’t know if the scoreboard went that high.”
Petersen, ... Read the full article
Devante Stephens already knows Sabres coach Dan Bylsma. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Familiarity and comfort surrounded Sabres defense prospect Devante Stephens throughout development camp last week.
New Sabres assistant Dan Lambert, Stephens’ junior coach with the Kelowna Rockets, was on the ice putting the youngsters through drills. Meanwhile, Sabres coach Dan Bylsma, who had just hired Lambert, his friend, was up in the stands watching.
Bylsma already knew Stephens well, having spent almost a week last season helping out Lambert, a former teammate. During ... Read the full article
The Sabres acquired Jason Kasdorf in February. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Some of hockey’s biggest young names switched teams in the Sabres’ blockbuster seven-player trade with the Winnipeg Jets in February.
The Sabres paid a hefty price for 30-goal winger Evander Kane and workhorse defenseman Zach Bogosian, giving up slick defenseman Tyler Myers, forward prospects Joel Armia and Brendan Lemieux, veteran winger Drew Stafford and a 2015 first-round pick.
Lost in the hubbub was a college goalie the Jets quietly sent the Sabres in ... Read the full article
Josh Chapman laid out a big hit and fought Friday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The nifty winning goal in today’s three-on-three development camp tournament wasn’t scored by Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart or one of the Sabres’ other high-end forward prospects.
Try 6-foot-3, 210-pound Josh Chapman, an undrafted defenseman the Sabres invited.
“Someone asked him how many goals he scored this year,” said winger Evan Rodrigues, Chapman’s teammate in the eight-team tournament. “He said none.”
That’s right, Chapman scored zero goals in 44 games last season with ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel was held scoreless Friday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The 17,115 Sabres fans who chose a hockey scrimmage – or, more appropriately, an opportunity to watch center Jack Eichel – over spending a beautiful Friday night in July outdoors probably don’t regret their decision.
For $10, they watched their newest star up close, saw center Sam Reinhart score twice and were treated to a five-on-five development camp exhibition with some unusual intensity.
“That was probably one of the most fun games of ... Read the full article