WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Training Camp Edition
Nikita Novikov signed his entry-level contract in May. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – The Sabres’ leading scorer in the Prospects Challenge wasn’t Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen, Matt Savoie or another talented young forward.
No, try defenseman Nikita Novikov, who registered five assists, including three in Friday’s 6-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens in LECOM Harborcenter.
The Russian, 20, compiled three assists and five points in 62 games with the Kontinental Hockey League’s Moscow Dynamo all of last season.
The 6-foot-4, ... Read the full article
Zach Redmond (right) skates near Utica’s Ashton Sautner as a member of Rochester in 2017-18. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
The Buffalo Sabres have hired former NHL defenseman Zach Redmond, who starred for the Rochester Americans for three seasons, as a player development coach and Brad Dexter as a scout, the team announced Wednesday.
Redmond, 35, recently retired as a player following three seasons with Red Bull Munich, a team Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
The Sabres needed to find a new development coach after former NHL defenseman Nathan Paetsch moved behind the bench to become an ... Read the full article
Vaclav “Vinny” Prospal played for seven NHL teams, including the New York Rangers. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
About six years ago, a mutual friend put Seth Appert and Vaclav “Vinny” Prospal in contact with each other.
Appert, now the Rochester Americans’ coach, was working at the U.S. National Team Development Program. Prospal, a veteran of 1,108 NHL games as a player, was coaching in the Tampa Scorpions youth organization.
As they chatted about hockey and player development, Appert realized how Prospal, who on Monday was named one of Rochester’s assistant coaches, embraced ... Read the full article
Nathan Paetsch smiles last week during development camp. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres today named former NHL players Nathan Paetsch and Vinny Prospal as assistant coaches on Seth Appert’s staff with the Rochester Americans.
They replace Mike Weber and Michael Peca, both of whom recently left the AHL team to take assistant coaching jobs in the NHL.
The Sabres also announced the coaching staffs in Buffalo and Rochester have received contract extensions. Sabres coach Don Granato earned an extension prior to last season.
Paetsch, 40, ... Read the full article
Rochester coach Seth Appert, shown here standing behind center Mason Jobst, knows his players will benefit from a long playoff run. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
ROCHESTER – Before the Americans staved off elimination by defeating the Hershey Bears on Wednesday, coach Seth Appert asked his assistants and some veterans how many times they had competed in a conference finals or championship.
Michael Peca, who played 13 seasons and captained the Buffalo Sabres to the Stanley Cup final in 1999, told him three. Mike Weber, who played 10 years, said he never advanced that far. Defenseman Matt Bartkowski, a ... Read the full article
Ryan Johnson recently finished college. ©2023, Micheline Veluvolu
ROCHESTER – Ryan Johnson acknowledged that, yes, free agency was tempting. As the defense prospect agonized over whether to sign with the Buffalo Sabres and sought the advice of others, he heard where he might fit well elsewhere.
“It’s like, ‘Oh, wow, you get to choose where you want to go?’” Johnson said Monday after skating with the Americans for the first time.
While the open market intrigued Johnson, he knew rejecting the Sabres would ... Read the full article
Jason Pominville scored 19 goals in just 18 games for Rochester in 2005-06. ©2023, Rochester Americans
ROCHESTER – No one, it seems, except for perhaps Jason Pominville himself, could believe the Buffalo Sabres did it.
Sure, the team was stacked up front in 2005 as the NHL emerged from the lockout. But why would they waive Pominville, one of their top prospects? He was out of options, and if they wanted to assign him to the Americans again, he would have to clear.
Every other team would have a chance to ... Read the full article
Ryan Miller had to learn how to limit his workload in practice. ©2023, Dan Hickling
BUFFALO – Having played with Dominik Hasek in Detroit, Matt Ellis learned firsthand how his legendary work ethic helped make him perhaps the greatest goalie in history.
When Ellis arrived here in 2008, he quickly noticed that goalie Ryan Miller, whose No. 30 was retired by the Sabres prior to Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win against the New York Islanders at KeyBank Center, possessed a similar drive to be the best.
“The thing that jumped ... Read the full article
Ryan Miller played 48 games as a rookie in 2005-06. ©2023, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – Martin Biron remembers worrying about himself, not the arrival of Ryan Miller or any looming goalie battle, when the NHL lockout ended in 2005.
In 1999, the Sabres had used a fifth-round pick on a lanky American – “Took a flier on him,” former goalie coach Jim Corsi told the Times Herald – who would develop into a dynamic prospect.
“We drafted this young man, he was so skinny he had to run ... Read the full article
Filip Cederqvist skates in Monday afternoon’s Prospects Challenge game. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
BUFFALO – Given his rookie status last season, Djurgardens’ former general manager figured Sabres prospect Filip Cederqvist would play a supporting role for the Swedish Hockey League team, perhaps on the third or fourth line.
But coach Barry Smith found wherever he put the 6-foot-3 Cederqvist in the lineup during the preseason, the youngster “was empowering” his teammates.
“He plays a power forward game, and because he plays a power forward game, he can really ... Read the full article
