Mittelstadt - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres prospect Matt Savoie earning long look in Buffalo

BUFFALO – In the end, chances are the Sabres will assign center prospect Matt Savoie to his junior team before their season opener on Oct. 13.

Savoie, having established himself as one of the Western Hockey League’s elite talents, will join the Winnipeg Ice and almost certainly enjoy a dynamic season.

In the meantime, Savoie, the ninth overall pick this year, has an opportunity to keep impressing the Sabres.

Savoie, 18, is the only ... Read the full article

Sabres prospects Brandon Biro, Lukas Rousek shine in preseason win

BUFFALO – In the first week of training camp, the Sabres have often been placing forward prospects with established talent, offering Brandon Biro, Lukas Rousek, Linus Weissbach and others special development opportunities.

The reasoning is simple: coach Don Granato believes his veterans will send consistent messages about what the Sabres want collectively as a team.

In Tuesday’s 2-1 preseason victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at KeyBank Center, some of those prospects ranked among the best ... Read the full article

Matt Savoie impressing Sabres; Buffalo to utilize strong lineup against Flyers

BUFFALO – Sabres prospect Matt Savoie has integrated so quickly that coach Don Granato feels comfortable playing the rookie between veterans.

So tonight, less than a week into his first NHL training camp, Savoie, 18, will center Casey Mittelstadt and Kyle Okposo against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Savoie, the ninth overall pick this year, also played in Sunday afternoon’s preseason opener, a 4-3 overtime road win against the Washington Capitals.... Read the full article

Confident and healthy, Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt ready for breakout season

BUFFALO – Early in his career, Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt never thought he would someday go golfing with his general manager. But there he was recently, sharing the course with Kevyn Adams.

On the final hole, Mittelstadt and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin each birdied, giving their team a victory over Adams’ trio.

Besides some healthy competition, the outing offered Adams and the players an opportunity to bond outside of the rink.

Mittelstadt, 23, enjoyed getting to ... Read the full article

Sabres draft centers Matthew Savoie, Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich

MONTREAL – Centers are perhaps the most precious commodity in hockey, and the Buffalo Sabres had built up an impressive stockpile of them before they selected Matthew Savoie ninth overall, Noah Ostlund 16th and Jiri Kulich 28th at the NHL Draft on Thursday.

In 18-year-old youngsters, the Sabres picked three of the most talented pivots in the draft and added to perhaps the league’s deepest group.

In the NHL, the Sabres have skilled centers Dylan ... Read the full article

For Sabres’ Malcolm Subban, singing national anthem special experience

BUFFALO – The original plan called for a recording of Malcolm Subban singing the U.S. national anthem to be played before Friday’s season finale. But then the goalie’s Sabres teammates and some staff members encouraged him to do it live.

“It was awesome,” a smiling Subban said Saturday as the Sabres cleaned out their lockers and held end-of-season meetings. “I was, like, so nervous before. Like, I couldn’t even eat lunch. Oh yeah, I was ... Read the full article

Sabres roar back, win in OT to give Rick Jeanneret thrilling sendoff

BUFFALO – Coach Don Granato said he can’t simply tell his players about the Sabres’ history. They need to see and experience it for themselves.

That’s why Granato believes the Sabres’ season-long celebration of legendary play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret, who called his final game Friday, will have a lasting effect for his young team.

“Having everybody celebrate RJ this season meant they celebrated 50 years of Sabre hockey and the history,” Granato said prior to ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jeff Skinner scores late in win, annoys Islanders: ‘Lucky to have him’

BUFFALO – Opponents detest Jeff Skinner, one of the NHL’s foremost pests. The Sabres winger has a knack for getting under their skin, whether it be by running his mouth, relentlessly hounding the puck or scoring goals.

“He’s one of my best friends and I’m pretty sure I would hate his guts on the other side,” Sabres winger Casey Mittelstadt said after Skinner agitated the New York Islanders and scored late in Saturday afternoon’s ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt confident as season ends: ‘Getting to another level’

BUFFALO – Casey Mittelstadt likes to extract positives from difficult experiences. So the Sabres forward believes a trying, injury-riddled season in which he has missed 42 games and scored just four goals has also featured personal growth.

Recovering from two upper-body injuries has helped him develop patience – “That’s probably one of the things I struggled with most, I’m pretty impatient,” he said – and evolve as a person.

Mittelstadt, 23, had to do something ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Owen Power nearing end of dynamic, grueling season

BUFFALO – In a few weeks, after his dizzying year ends, Sabres rookie Owen Power might finally have a chance to sit back and enjoy a little time to himself.

Power, 19, had endured a grueling season prior to signing his entry-level NHL contract, leaving college to represent Team Canada at the Olympics more than 6,500 miles away in Beijing and at the World Junior Championship in Edmonton.

Even in the NHL, Power still has ... Read the full article