WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
John Hayden played for three teams before joining Buffalo. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Over the past three seasons, winger John Hayden bounced around the NHL, playing for the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes before signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Sabres.
Hayden, 26, has usually served as a fourth-liner or an extra forward, never playing more than 54 games in a season. Still, he has stayed put in the NHL. Other than a 37-game stint in 2017-18, his first full pro season, ... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons also played in the 2014 Olympics. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – When Sabres center Zemgus Girgensons represented Latvia in an Olympic-qualifying tournament late in the summer, NHL players hadn’t committed to participating in the 2022 Beijing Games.
“But I still decided to go over and compete in the qualification because even if I wasn’t going, what it means to other players back home to go is a big thing,” said Girgensons, who played for Latvia in the 2014 Sochi Games, the last time the ... Read the full article
Injuries limited Kyle Okposo to only 35 games last season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – During Thursday’s 90-minute practice, some Sabres raised their voices and told coach Don Granato to put away his whistle. They wanted to keep the drill going.
“You’re about to blow the whistle, and they want one more rep, one more rep,” Granato said inside KeyBank Center.
To Granato, his players’ enthusiasm two weeks into training camp reassures him he and his staff are giving them what they need and want.
This camp, the ... Read the full article
Jack Quinn played three preseason games for Buffalo. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres trimmed their training camp roster again this afternoon, sending wing prospects Jack Quinn and Brett Murray to the Rochester Americans.
The Sabres now have 27 players – 16 forwards, nine defensemen and two goalies – left in camp.
Quinn, the eighth overall pick last season, played three preseason games, compiling one assist and two shootout goals. Following two shaky outings, Quinn enjoyed a strong night in Tuesday’s 5-4 road shootout loss ... Read the full article
Dylan Cozens had two assists Tuesday. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Just 41 games into his NHL career, center Dylan Cozens has already become one of the faces of the rebuilding Sabres.
Cozens, 20, ranks among the Sabres’ most popular players and is considered a franchise cornerstone. When the NHL recently held its annually preseason media tour, the Sabres sent him to Chicago to talk to national outlets and film on-ice promos.
The Yukon native, the seventh overall pick in 2019, understands expectations are ... Read the full article
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby began his North American career in Hershey. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – After the Washington Capitals demoted Axel Jonsson-Fjallby earlier this week, he began preparing for his fourth season with the Hershey Bears.
Jonsson-Fjallby, who had to clear waivers to join the AHL team, traveled to Pennsylvania and found an apartment Monday. He and his girlfriend were driving to pick up furniture when he learned the Sabres had claimed him off waivers.
“At first, I couldn’t really believe it,” an excited Jonsson-Fjallby said Tuesday in ... Read the full article
Dustin Tokarski played 13 games for Buffalo last season. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Very quietly, Sabres goalie Dustin Tokarski has enjoyed a stellar training camp, allowing just one goal in nearly 53 minutes of preseason action.
Tokarski, 32, has outplayed newcomer Aaron Dell in the competition for the backup job behind Craig Anderson.
Tokarski will start tonight’s road exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Penguins before Dell relieves him. Another strong outing by Tokarski could cement a roster spot.
Earlier today, the Sabres sent top goalie ... Read the full article
Tage Thompson played center Monday. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Over his 145-game NHL career, Sabres forward Tage Thompson has only showcased glimpses of what coach Don Granato called his “incredible potential.”
“Which is different than actual potential,” Granato said prior to Monday’s 5-3 preseason loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. “He can do things in moments but we need him to sustain more and to do it more consistently.”
Thompson, 23, has enjoyed little consistency over his three years here, often getting ... Read the full article
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby has spent parts of the last three seasons in the AHL. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – The Sabres added to their forward corps this afternoon, claiming winger Axel Jonsson-Fjallby off waivers from the Washington Capitals.
The Sabres now have 21 healthy forwards on their training camp roster.
Jonsson-Fjallby, 23, has no NHL experience. He split last season between the Hershey Bears, the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, and Vasterviks IK, a team in Sweden’s second-highest league.
Sabres coach Don Granato, who isn’t familiar with Jonsson-Fjallby, said he wants to play the ... Read the full article
Buffalo rookie J-J Peterka scored in his preseason debut. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Tonight’s lineup resembles one the Sabres could use during the regular season. At least 16 of the 20 players will likely be on the opening night roster.
But among all the established talent the Sabres will dress, three rookies – goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and wingers J-J Peterka and Linus Weissbach – earned a spot.
Sabres coach Don Granato said Luukkonen, 22, will start tonight and play the entire preseason game against the Columbus ... Read the full article