Neuchev - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres sign Russian prospect Vsevolod Komarov to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres on Thursday signed Russian defenseman Vsevolod Komarov, a fifth-round pick in 2022, 134th overall, to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Komarov, 19, registered 12 goals, 39 points and 60 penalty minutes in 62 regular-season games with the Quebec Remparts this season. He recently scored one goal and seven points in 17 playoff games as the Remparts captured the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship.

The Remparts begin play tonight in the Memorial ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Russian prospect Nikita Novikov to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres on Friday signed Russian defenseman Nikita Novikov, a sixth-round pick in 2021, 188th overall, to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Novikov, 19, spent the 2022-23 season in the Kontinental Hockey League, registering two goals, five points and 14 penalty minutes in 62 games for Moscow Dynamo.

The 6-foot-3, 196-pound Novikov has compiled three goals, nine points and 20 penalty minutes in 94 career KHL appearances. Only three KHL defenseman have played more ... Read the full article

Sabres sign Russian prospect Viktor Neuchev to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday signed Russian forward Viktor Neuchev, a third-round pick in 2022, 74th overall, to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Neuchev, 19, spent the 2022-23 season in the Kontinental Hockey League, registering four goals, 12 points and 17 penalty minutes in 57 games for Yekaterinburg Automobilist.

The Sabres drafted the 6-foot-2, 165-pound Neuchev after a standout year in which the 40 goals and 67 points he compiled in 61 games led Yekaterinburg’s ... Read the full article

Sabres want to re-sign veterans Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons; Buffalo waiting to hear from Ryan Johnson

BUFFALO – General manager Kevyn Adams wants to give captain Kyle Okposo and alternate captain Zemgus Girgensons, the Sabres’ longest-tenured player, time to decompress following a long season.

When the time is right, Adams plans to talk to the veterans, both of whom can become unrestricted free agents this summer, about returning to the Sabres.

“I want them back,” he said during Wednesday’s end-of-season news conference in KeyBank Center.

Okposo, 35, and Girgensons, 29, helped ... Read the full article

Sabres’ development camp roster loaded with top prospects

Eight first-round picks, including all three the Buffalo Sabres selected last week – centers Matthew Savoie, Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich – are on the 43-man development camp roster the team released Monday.

The most anticipated camp in a long time – the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Sabres to cancel it the last two years – begins Wednesday at LECOM Harborcenter.

The roster is loaded with top prospects. Forwards Peyton Krebs, Jack Quinn, Isak Rosen ... Read the full article

In drafting talented Russian prospect Viktor Neuchev, Sabres saw value

MONTREAL – In Viktor Neuchev, the Buffalo Sabres saw value. They ranked the talented winger as one of the top three Russian prospects in the NHL Draft, said Jerry Forton, the director of amateur scouting.

Many Sabres scouts graded Neuchev as a first- or early second-round pick. Their analytics staff pegged him as a first-round selection.

As the draft approached, general manager Kevyn Adams said the Sabres would evaluate Russians as prospects first. They ... Read the full article

NHL Draft Tracker: Sabres select Finnish goalie Topias Leinonen 41st overall

MONTREAL – The Buffalo Sabres this morning selected Finnish goalie Topias Leinonen in the second round, 41st overall, at the NHL Draft.

The 6-foot-5, 233-pound Leinonen is NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked European goalie.

Leinonen, 18, spent most of last season with JYP, a junior team, compiling a 9-10-0 record with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage in 21 games. He also played four games with JYP’s pro team in Liiga and made ... Read the full article