Malone - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres notes: Ryan O’Reilly not thinking about captaincy

BUFFALO – Center Ryan O’Reilly, the Sabres’ most versatile presence on the ice and their most accountable voice off it, certainly makes a fine candidate for the Sabres’ vacant captaincy.

Coach Phil Housley said Thursday he’s in no hurry to name a captain, meaning the Sabres might not have someone wearing the ‘C’ permanently for a few weeks or even later.... Read the full article

Ryan O’Reilly hasn’t thought about Sabres’ captaincy

BUFFALO – Center Ryan O’Reilly, the Sabres’ most versatile presence on the ice and their most accountable voice off it, certainly makes a fine candidate for the Sabres’ vacant captaincy.

Harvard graduate Colin Blackwell impressing Sabres

BUFFALO – As a Harvard graduate, Sabres prospect Colin Blackwell hears it all the time.

“Especially when you don’t have a job come Sept. 1,” the center said Saturday prior to registering an assist in the Sabres’ entertaining 7-4 win against the Boston Bruins in the Prospects Challenge.

Blackwell, 24, is often encouraged to look for work outside of hockey. He studied government and physiology at the prestigious university.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Justin Bailey ready to stand out at rookie tournament

BUFFALO – By March, after seven weeks of regular duty, Sabres winger Justin Bailey said he started getting used to the NHL lifestyle.

Thanks to another torrid scoring stretch in the minors, Bailey traded bus travel and his AHL salary for chartered airplanes and a paycheck almost 10 times larger.... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Sean Malone healthy, ready for pro hockey

BUFFALO – Before Sabres prospect Sean Malone knew it, his short taste of the NHL, the finishing touch on his whirlwind season, was over.

On April 6, the West Seneca native played his 115th and final game with Harvard, a 2-1 loss to Minnesota Duluth in the semifinal of the NCAA Tournament. Two days later, Malone debuted with the Sabres, skating 12 minutes, 12 seconds in their 3-0 road loss to the Florida Panthers.... Read the full article

Friendship with Sabres GM Jason Botterill led Chris Taylor back to Amerks

ROCHESTER – Barely a year ago, after 14 seasons with the Americans as an AHL player and assistant coach, Chris Taylor was let go, the victim of new head coach Dan Lambert’s desire to field his own staff.

On Thursday, the Amerks, the Buffalo Sabres’ top affiliate, introduced Taylor as the 32nd head coach in franchise history.

A fired coach, of course, rarely returns to his old team, let alone in a larger role so ... Read the full article

Eden’s Dylan Seitz excited for NHL Draft

CHICAGO – Instead of coming here Saturday and watching the final six rounds with other NHL Draft prospects, Dylan Seitz said he plans to “stay comfortable” at home in Eden, N.Y.

Like any 18-year-old, Seitz is excited and nervous – “It’s always in the back of my mind,” he said – for the day.

“I’m probably not even going to watch it,” he told the Times Herald by phone Sunday. “I’ll probably go do something ... Read the full article

Sabres sign West Seneca’s Sean Malone to entry-level contract

BUFFALO – The Sabres have signed West Seneca’s Sean Malone to a two-year, entry-level contract, the team announced this morning.

Update: Malone will make his NHL debut tonight at center against the Panthers, according to reports out of Florida.

Malone, a forward the Sabres drafted in the sixth round, 159th overall, in 2013, played four years at Harvard University.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Malone, 21, compiled 42 goals, 99 points and a plus-31 rating in 115 ... Read the full article

Austin Osmanski’s selection by Sabres emotional

BUFFALO – By late Saturday morning, as the seven-round NHL Draft crept toward the end, East Aurora’s Austin Osmanski and his 50 or 60 supporters started getting nervous.

At one point, Osmanski, 18, joked to his father, Kevin, who was sitting beside him, they should leave. But deep down, the defenseman was really worried he wouldn’t be selected by anyone, let alone the hometown Sabres.

Osmanski responded to his aunt’s attempt to lighten the mood ... Read the full article

Sabres hire Dan Lambert as assistant coach

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