WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Nick Baptiste scored 32 goals last season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – OK, it’s time for a quick development camp quiz, Sabres fans.
Name the only youngster in hockey who has already played alongside slick centers Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, the top two picks in the 2015 NHL Draft.
It’s Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste, the 69th overall selection in 2013.
“I’m a lucky guy,” Baptiste said Thursday. “They’re both so fantastically good.”
Now, name the most prolific career scorer among the 46 players ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel’s excited for his pro “debut.” ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Since arriving in Buffalo last week, Sabres prospect Jack Eichel has been “doing the media tour and doing a million things.” The 18-year-old center just wants to play a hockey game, something he hasn’t done in months.
Eichel will get his wish tonight, when the Sabres host what is quickly becoming a huge summer event, the annual development camp scrimmage at 7 p.m. inside the First Niagara Center.
The Sabres have already sold ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel hasn’t played a game in almost three months. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Since arriving in Buffalo last week, Sabres prospect Jack Eichel has been “doing the media tour and doing a million things.” The 18-year-old center just wants to play a hockey game, something he hasn’t done in months.
Eichel will get his wish Friday, when the Sabres host what is quickly becoming a huge summer event, the annual development camp scrimmage at the First Niagara Center.
More than 15,000 fans could attend, the Sabres ... Read the full article
Anthony Florentino loves to hit. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres prospect Anthony Florentino can relax a bit this week. The defenseman only has to defend slick center Jack Eichel during development camp drills and possibly a scrimmage.
Last season, the youngsters went head-to-head three times, including the national championship game, when Florentino’s Providence College Friars stunned Eichel’s Boston University Terriers 4-3 on April 11.
At times, Eichel, the second overall pick last month, gave Florentino fits.
“Defending him, he’s definitely the hardest ... Read the full article
Sam Reinhart played nine NHL games in October. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The hardest part of returning to junior, Sam Reinhart said, was convincing himself to get in the gym and work on his body. The 19-year-old center likes to go all out on the ice. Spending two days before a game lifting weights can make that difficult.
But to succeed in the NHL, Reinhart had to start adding muscle to his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame when the Sabres sent him back following a forgettable ... Read the full article
Hudson Fasching will be a junior next season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – At 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds with perhaps the broadest shoulders in development camp, Sabres prospect Hudson Fasching looks built for pro hockey at just 19 years old.
But the American, who scored 14 goals as a freshman during the University of Minnesota’s run to the 2014 national championship game, recently announced he will return to the Gophers for his junior season.
Why?
“It was kind of about being an experienced player,” Fasching said ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel drew fans to development camp Monday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – At around 1:10 p.m. on Monday, most of the 1,000 or so Sabres fans on hand to watch development camp had their eyes focused on the tunnel next to the visiting bench waiting for a glimpse of Jack Eichel.
When the slick center finally touched the First Niagara Center ice for the first time in Sabres gear, the crowd cheered Buffalo’s newest phenom. Cameras snapped photos. Memories were made.
“It was pretty cool,” ... Read the full article
Dan Lambert coached the Kelowna Rockets last season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – When development camp began Monday, there was an unfamiliar face on the ice putting the Sabres prospects through drills inside the First Niagara Center.
Who was it?
During the first session, the Sabres officially announced Dan Lambert’s hire as the third assistant on coach Dan Bylsma’s staff.
The 45-year-old Lambert coached the Kelowna Rockets last year, leading the junior club to a Western Hockey League championship and a Memorial Cup appearance in his ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel skates this afternoon. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – At around 1:10 p.m., most of the 1,000 or so Sabres fans inside the First Niagara Center had their eyes focused on the tunnel next to the visiting bench waiting for a glimpse of slick center Jack Eichel at development camp.
When Eichel touched the ice for the first time in Sabres gear, the crowd cheered Buffalo’s newest phenom as cameras went off.
“It was pretty cool,” Eichel said following the first session ... Read the full article
Carlo Colaiacovo didn’t sign a contract until October last year. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Two days after signing a one-year contract with the Sabres, Carlo Colaiacovo hadn’t stopped smiling yet, the defenseman said Sunday.
A year ago, Colaiacovo couldn’t find work. As the summer dragged on, the free agent became uneasy. The stress wore on him.
Colaiacovo eventually decided to bolt to a Russian club in the KHL. But the contract took so long to consummate a one-year-deal with Philadelphia materialized in October before he could leave.... Read the full article