WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Brady Austin was a seventh-round pick in 2012. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres, down four defensemen to injury, recalled Brady Austin and Casey Nelson from the Rochester Americans this morning.
Austin, 23, will almost certainly make his NHL debut in tonight’s road tilt against the Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, Nelson, 24, has already made 16 appearances with the Sabres.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Austin has two goals, nine points, 36 penalty minutes and a minus-10 rating in 61 games with the Amerks this season, his ... Read the full article
Judd Peterson had a goal and an assist in Saturday’s scrimmage. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Technically, Judd Peterson still belonged to the Sabres, but the NHL club wasn’t too interested in evaluating the St. Cloud State University forward.
Just a year ago, Peterson appeared to have no future with the organization that had drafted him out of high school in the seventh round, 204th overall, in 2012.
After participating in two development camps run by the team’s old regime, Peterson, 22, wasn’t invited back in 2014 or ... Read the full article
Jamie Tardif has played two NHL games. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres added a scoring winger for the Rochester Americans today, signing Jamie Tardif to a one-year, two-way contract.
The 28-year-old scored a career-high 30 goals and added 45 points in 62 AHL games last season with Providence. Tardif also made his first two NHL appearances with Boston.
His NHL deal is worth $550,000, according to RDS’s Renaud Lavioe.
The Welland, Ont., native has 123 goals and 229 points in 438 AHL games ... Read the full article
Drew Bagnall has spent almost all of his career in the AHL. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It didn’t take Sabres fans long to experience some of that suffering general manager Darcy Regier warned could lie ahead.
As free agency opened Friday afternoon and teams began piling up assets, the rebuilding Sabres remained quiet most of the day.
Finally, at about 9:30 p.m., TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported the Sabres had signed AHL defenseman Drew Bagnall to a two-year, two-way contract.
That depth move probably won’t make the team’s anxious fan ... Read the full article
Two years ago, the Sabres signed Ville Leino, a winger, to a six-year, $27 million contract to play center. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The focus during free agency, general manager Darcy Regier said, will be on adding supporting pieces to the Sabres’ younger core group. The crazy spending of the past appears to be over, at least for this summer.
So, when free agency opens at noon today, don’t expect the Sabres to wildly overpay or overreach for any Ville Leino-types again. And don’t expect them to throw tens of millions of dollars at any ... Read the full article
Mikhail Grigorenko played about 90 games in three leagues this season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
ROCHESTER – Nine months, three leagues and about 90 games later, Mikhail Grigorenko’s whirlwind season is over.
Each stop – the QMJHL, the NHL and finally the AHL – energized the 18-year-old Russian, who just joined the Americans for their first-round playoff series.
Still, after Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Toronto Marlies eliminated the Amerks, the center acknowledged the long campaign had worn him out.
“A little bit I’m tired mentally,” Grigorenko said inside ... Read the full article
Alexander Sulzer was scratched 51 times last season in Vancouver. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – When was the last time Alexander Sulzer started an NHL season confident he could be a regular?
“Never, first time,” the Sabres defenseman said Wednesday inside the First Niagara Center.
Having a roster spot isn’t new for Sulzer. He’s spent parts of the past four seasons in the NHL, including the last two from beginning to end. It’s just that he rarely played prior to his Feb. 27 arrival from Vancouver.
From the ... Read the full article
Luke Adam recently reeled off five goals and nine points in eight games. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It was a year in the making. During a recent eight-game run, Rochester Americans forward Luke Adam morphed into a dynamic presence again, using his 6-foot-2, 206-pound frame to dominate down low.
Adam compiled five goals – he had only six in his first 44 games with the Amerks dating back to last season – and nine points, including scores in four straight. He was tough on pucks, won battles and got to ... Read the full article
T.J. Brennan already has 12 goals this season. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In the coming weeks, if the NHL and the Players’ Association hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement, the Sabres will convene for an abbreviated training camp and begin molding a six-man defense corps from a stacked group that stretches more than 10 deep.
The Sabres boast eight NHL defensemen after acquiring Adam Pardy from Dallas this summer. Eleven defenders in the organization appeared in the big leagues last season, including T.J. Brennan, ... Read the full article
Marcus Foligno scored the overtime winner in Wednesday’s wild 7-6 win. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – So, about those two wild 7-6 games between the Rochester Americans and the Lake Erie Monsters recently.
The Sabres’ AHL affiliate rallied from three three-goal deficits Dec. 13 in Cleveland. Then, incredibly, the Amerks rallied again late Wednesday in Rochester, forcing overtime before Marcus Foligno won it.
Don’t expect another goal bonanza tonight inside the First Niagara Center.
“They’re going to be pretty (ticked) off they blew a couple leads there,” said ... Read the full article