NHL Draft - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sam Reinhart knew Sabres had interest for long time

PHILADELPHIA – Sam Reinhart said he had been “prepared for it for a long time.” The slick 18-year-old center knew the Buffalo Sabres wanted to draft him with the No. 2 pick.

“I’ve certainly visualized myself in this uniform,” Reinhart said tonight inside the Wells Fargo Center after the Sabres made him the first forward taken at the NHL Entry Draft.

If Reinhart has his way, he’ll be wearing that Sabres uniform on opening night ... Read the full article

Sabres take Sam Reinhart with No. 2 pick

PHILADELPHIA – Not surprising, the Buffalo Sabres selected slick center Sam Reinhart with the No. 2 pick tonight at the NHL Entry Draft inside the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sabres desperately need elite talent up, and Reinhart, a star with the Western Hockey League’s Kootenay Ice, could be a franchise forward someday.

The Florida Panthers selected stud defenseman Aaron Ekblad No. 1 overall. Ekblad’s the first defender taken first since the St. Louis Blues took ... Read the full article

Sabres GM Tim Murray doesn’t like possible NHL Draft Lottery changes

PHILADELPHIA – Some notes from Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray’s chat with the media today prior tonight’s NHL Entry Draft:

– Murray said changes are probably coming to the NHL Draft Lottery next year, which could hurt the Sabres greatly. The NHL Board of Governors discussed the alterations Thursday.

The odds of the league’s worst team getting the No. 1 pick will drop from 25 percent to about 19 or 20 percent, Murray ... Read the full article

Slick draft prospect Sam Reinhart could be sure thing for Sabres with top pick

PHILADELPHIA – If the past tells us anything, some of these shiny NHL Entry Draft prospects, the ones expected to save their team’s sagging fortunes after getting picked early tonight, will be busts at the next level.

“We know that one or two of them aren’t going to have an impact in the National Hockey League,” Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray said last week. “It’s which one or two. We hope we know which ... Read the full article

Second pick has paid huge dividends in recent years

PHILADELPHIA – How good are the Buffalo Sabres’ odds of nabbing a franchise talent with the No. 2 pick tonight? Take a look at the list below.

It can be argued the last 15 picks have been strong hits. The list includes 50-goal scorers, perennial NHL All-Stars and even future Hall of Famers.

In their 44-year history, the Sabres have never owned the second pick. Twice they’ve had the No. 1 pick, 1970, when they ... Read the full article

Sabres’ recent drafts have yielded some strong talents and notable misses

Since most NHL Entry Drafts don’t start paying dividends for a few years, here’s a look at the Buffalo Sabres’ first-round picks from 2006-11 and some notable hits and misses. Fourteen of Buffalo’s 43 draft choices over that time have made the NHL.

The Sabres have eight picks this weekend in Philadelphia, including the No. 2 selection.

2011

First-round pick: center Joel Armia, 16^th overall

Armia endured a rough season in 2013-14, his ... Read the full article

NHL Draft profile: Leon Draisaitl wants to become face of German hockey

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – In Germany, soccer reigns supreme. The sport’s popularity can’t be matched. Hockey, meanwhile, competes for attention with basketball and even handball, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff once said.

Germany didn’t even qualify for Olympic ice hockey this year.

But in center Leon Draisaitl, the country has produced one of the game’s slickest prospects. The 18-year-old will likely become the highest-drafted German ever Friday at the NHL Entry Draft in Philadelphia.

With ... Read the full article

Sabres GM Tim Murray focusing on center for top pick, ready to add free agents

BUFFALO – In one week, general manager Tim Murray, like just about everyone else associated with hockey, expects stud defenseman Aaron Ekblad will be drafted No. 1 overall. Then the rebuilding Sabres have a franchise-altering decision.

Which slick prospect will they grab at No. 2?

“We’re taking the best player available,” Murray said Thursday inside the First Niagara Center.

Murray acknowledged the obvious, saying there’s a “very good chance” the Sabres will pick one of ... Read the full article

Sabres will likely draft center at No. 2, still want to add another high pick

BUFFALO – In eight days, Sabres general manager Tim Murray fully expects Florida – or whoever the Panthers trade the No. 1 overall pick to – will grab defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

So what will the rebuilding Sabres do with the next selection at the NHL Entry Draft?

“We’re taking the best player available,” Murray said this morning inside the First Niagara Center.

Murray acknowledged the obvious, that, yes, the Sabres will likely select one of ... Read the full article

NHL Draft profile: Luc Snuggerud among small group of high school prospects

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Of the 112 draft prospects invited to the recent NHL Scouting Combine, only seven played high school hockey. Three are from Minnesota, including defenseman Luc Snuggerud, the nephew of former Buffalo Sabres forward Dave Snuggerud.

High school hockey is part of the fabric of Minnesota life. The championship is played before 19,000 fans in the Xcel Energy Center, an NHL rink that prominently displays the jerseys of all the state’s high school ... Read the full article