Neuchev - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Tyson Kozak quietly emerging as one of Sabres’ best forward prospects

BUFFALO – Right away, Seth Appert noticed a difference in Tyson Kozak. The Sabres center prospect looks more confident and assertive this season.

“He’s not a loud person,” said Appert, Kozak’s coach with the Rochester Americans. “He lets his action speak more than his words. But I hear him on the ice more right now.”

If Kozak’s recent exploits offer any indication, Appert will also be seeing more of him on the ice. He ... Read the full article

Viktor Neuchev, Zach Benson and Isak Rosen score, illustrate Sabres’ depth

BUFFALO – Sabres winger Viktor Neuchev scored in front early, converting center Tyson Kozak’s nifty backhand pass from behind the net. Winger Zach Benson followed minutes later, releasing a wicked shot from the left circle.

After the New Jersey Devils scored in the second period, winger Isak Rosen zoomed to the net unfettered, recording his second goal in as many nights.

The early goals in Saturday’s 4-2 win at the Prospects Challenge in LECOM Harborcenter ... Read the full article

Zach Benson, Sabres’ other NHL Draft picks to attend development camp

First-round pick Zach Benson and the Buffalo Sabres’ seven other selections at the NHL Draft this week will be attending the team’s development camp that starts Sunday at LECOM Harborcenter.

The roster released today features 19 forwards, 11 defensemen and five goalies.

Winger Victor Neuchev and defenseman Nikita Novikov, Russian prospects who recently signed their entry-level contracts, will be participating. It’s the first time they’ve attended a camp in Buffalo.... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Kevyn Adams exploring trade market for Victor Olofsson

NASHVILLE – In the case of Sabres winger Victor Olofsson, both sides are willing to accept blame for his disappointing season.

Despite scoring a career-high 28 goals, Olofsson sat out seven late-season games as a healthy scratch, including five critical contests down the stretch.

“He knows he could’ve maybe performed at certain times,” Adams said Tuesday in the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

On the other hand, Adams said “maybe we need to make sure that we’re ... Read the full article

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