WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
November Edition
Josh Gorges was hurt in his preseason debut. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Josh Gorges almost revealed what had sidelined him for a week of training camp.
Almost.
“Just a quick cleanup in my,” the Sabres defenseman said this morning before pausing briefly, “lower body.”
Yes, Gorges, who underwent microfracture surgery in February, has already undergone a minor procedure this season. He said he was injured nine days ago going into the corner against the Ottawa Senators.
While Gorges skated this morning and feels good, he ... Read the full article
Patrick Kaleta has played only seven AHL games since 2008. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Patrick Kaleta will be back for his 10th season in the Sabres organization.
The Rochester Americans have signed the veteran winger to a one-year AHL contract, the team announced today. Kaleta, 29, will attend Sabres training camp on a professional tryout.
The Angola native has only played seven AHL games in the last seven seasons. That short stint early in 2013-14 ended when Kaleta, on an assignment to clean up his game, ... Read the full article
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
Matt Ellis joined the Sabres in 2008. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Matt Ellis will be back for an eighth season with the Sabres organization.
The Rochester Americans signed the popular forward to a one-year AHL contract today. The respected 33-year-old, a veteran of 356 NHL games, spent parts of two seasons as Amerks captain before getting recalled. He could wear the ‘C’ in 2015-16.
Ellis has split the last three seasons between Buffalo and Rochester, playing 95 games in each league. He started the ... Read the full article
Andrej Sekera might get snatched up early in free agency. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – For a rebuilding team fresh off two consecutive 30th-place finishes, the Sabres’ shopping list entering free agency, which opens today at noon, is relatively small. A weekend of wheeling and dealing at the NHL Draft pretty much set the roster for the upcoming season.
The Sabres have two goalies, four forward lines and almost a full defense corps. Not bad for a team that finished 2014-15 using a patchwork lineup filled ... Read the full article
Sabres general manager Tim Murray is offering Mikhail Grigorenko a two-way contract. ©2015, Margaret Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – General manager Tim Murray knows 21-year-old center Mikhail Grigorenko is frustrated the Sabres are offering a two-way contract. The restricted free agent dislikes the deal so much he’s reportedly fielding offers from the KHL, a league in his native Russia.
“I hear rumors,” Murray said Thursday during a news conference inside the First Niagara Center to discuss next week’s NHL Draft.
Clearly, the Sabres and Grigorenko’s camp have vastly different opinions of the ... Read the full article
Zach Bogosian battles with Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby (87) on Saturday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The roughest season in the Sabres’ 45-year history is finally over, a 2-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday capping an 82-game slate that was tumultuous from start to finish.
The outcome, of course, hardly mattered. The rebuilding Sabres, who never quit throughout the campaign, had already locked up 30th place and either the first or second draft pick in next Saturday’s draft lottery.
The season finale was about regaining some ... Read the full article
Ted Nolan took over the Sabres early last season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Six weeks into last season, Sabres winger Tyler Ennis was struggling badly. The Xs and Os of hockey were overwhelming him and sapping the creativity from his instinctive game.
In the past, Ennis said, some coaches “limited me in terms of my creativity and what I’m allowed to do.”
Then coach Ted Nolan took over the Sabres 21 games into 2013-14.
“He’s smart in that he understands what guys can do and ... Read the full article
Brian Gionta was named captain in October. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres captain Brian Gionta has finally started scoring again. With two more assists Wednesday, the winger has four goals and 11 points in the last nine contests, his hottest stretch in more than a year.
Gionta, after months of offensive struggles, looks like the slick veteran who has averaged 26 goals in his full NHL seasons. The production has helped buoy the Sabres’ late-season goal surge and a two-game winning streak entering tonight’s ... Read the full article