Peterka - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres to host Prospects Challenge rookie tournament Sept. 17 to 19

The Buffalo Sabres will be hosting the Prospects Challenge rookie tournament again from Sept. 17 to 19 at LECOM Harborcenter, the team announced today.

Last year, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Sabres to cancel the tournament.

The Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils will also be participating in the round-robin tournament. The Pittsburgh Penguins have dropped out.

Tickets for the games cost $10 and can be purchased at Sabres.com/Prospects.

... Read the full article

Sabres prospect J-J Peterka possesses maturity, talent to be special player

Sometimes Don Jackson’s excitement got the best of him and he became too focused on helping Buffalo Sabres forward prospect J-J Peterka develop for the NHL.

“It seems like I was thinking about him more as a Buffalo Sabre more than I was him winning a championship in Munich,” said Jackson, Peterka’s coach with Red Bull Munich the past two seasons.

Jackson’s words, of course, were a bit tongue-in-cheek. It’s just that prospects of Peterka’s ... Read the full article

Sabres sign prospect J-J Peterka to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres have signed J-J Peterka, one of their top forward prospects, to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced today.

Peterka, 19, is expected to attend Buffalo’s training camp next season.

The 5-foot-11, 192-pound Peterka enjoyed a busy 2020-21 season, playing for two pro teams and representing Germany in two tournaments after the Sabres moved up to draft him in the second round, 34th overall.

Peterka spent most of the campaign with Red ... Read the full article

Jason Karmanos impressed with Sabres prospects J-J Peterka, Jack Quinn

During Jason Karmanos’ tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Buffalo Sabres’ new associate general manager said he was “intimately involved” in the NHL Draft.

So Karmanos arrived in Buffalo last month with strong knowledge of the Sabres’ prospect base.

“I’m excited they’re here, because these are guys that I liked on my own and that our previous staff liked,” Karmanos said on a Zoom call Monday.

Karmanos, who was fired as Pittsburgh’s assistant GM on ... Read the full article

Sabres will have more representation at World Championship

Buffalo Sabres winger Arttu Ruotsalainen and J-J Peterka, one of the organization’s top forward prospects, will participate in World Championship later this month in Riga, Latvia.

Ruotsalainen, 23, will represent Team Finland after compiling five goals and six points in his first 17 NHL games this season. He started his first North American campaign with the Rochester Americans, scoring five goals and 13 points in 13 outings.

Before NHL and AHL seasons started, Ruotsalainen ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Victor Olofsson day-to-day after suffering upper-body injury

Buffalo Sabres winger Victor Olofsson suffered an upper-body injury when he crashed into the goalpost Saturday and is day-to-day, the team announced Sunday.

Tage Thompson practiced in Olofsson’s spot Sunday at right wing on the No. 1 line, according to reports from KeyBank Center.

Olofsson briefly left the ice favoring his right arm and wrist before returning to practice, according to The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington. But Olofsson departed for good when the Sabres took ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Dylan Cozens to fill in as Team Canada’s captain

Buffalo Sabres prospect Dylan Cozens will be taking turns with Bowen Byram filling in as Team Canada’s captain during the World Junior Championship in Edmonton.

Canada captain Kirby Dach fractured his wrist during an exhibition game Wednesday. Dach, a regular with the Chicago Blackhawks last season, will miss the entire tournament.

The Canadians open their schedule tonight against Team Germany, which boasts another Sabres prospect, forward J-J Peterka.

Cozens, a center the Sabres drafted ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Ryan Johnson named to Team USA’s World Junior squad

Buffalo Sabres defense prospect Ryan Johnson has earned a spot on Team USA’s 25-man roster for the upcoming World Junior Championship.

USA Hockey announced the roster today.

Johnson, 19, has compiled zero goals and four assists in six games this season as a sophomore at Minnesota. The Sabres drafted Johnson 31st overall in 2019.

The American is the son of former NHL forward Craig Johnson.... Read the full article

Sabres prospect J-J Peterka developing rapidly in Austria

It was just a small gathering at the rink. J-J Peterka’s family, agent and some personnel from EC Red Bull Salzburg gathered in the early-morning hours to watch the first round of the NHL Draft.

In NHL history, only five Germans had been first-round picks. But Germany has started producing elite talent, and this year, three forward prospects – Peterka, Tim Stutzle and Lukas Reichel – possessed the potential to be taken among the first ... Read the full article

Prospect J-J Peterka thrilled Sabres traded up to draft him

As the NHL Draft progressed Tuesday night, J-J Peterka started getting a little upset. The German forward many had pegged as a first-round selection kept waiting to be picked.

Two of his fellow countrymen – forwards Tim Stutzle (third overall, Ottawa Senators) and Lukas Reichel (17th, Chicago Blackhawks) – went off the board early.

When the first round ended, Peterka, 18, was still available. Meanwhile, rookie general manager Kevyn Adams was trying to move up ... Read the full article