Power - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres sign prospect Olivier Nadeau to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Olivier Nadeau, a fourth-round pick in 2021, 97th overall, to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Sunday.

Nadeau, 19, set career highs across the board this season, recording 35 goals, 43 assists and a team-high 78 points in 65 games for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Shawinigan Cataractes. His 17 power-play goals were tied for fourth in the league.

The 6-foot-2, 204-pound Nadeau also registered two goals, ... Read the full article

NHL Draft Lottery: Sabres have terrific prospects available in first round

Right now, there’s no consensus first overall pick for the 2022 NHL Draft.

NHL Central Scouting recently ranked Shane Wright, a youngster so talented the Ontario Hockey League granted him exceptional status to play as a 15-year-old, No. 1 in its final evaluation of North American skaters for the draft.

Wright, a center for the Kingston Frontenacs, has thrived under intense pressure for three years, securing his place among the most dynamic prospects on the ... Read the full article

After sitting out late, will popular Mark Pysyk return to Sabres?

BUFFALO – By the end of the season, after five months of regular duty, Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk morphed into a spare part.

Down the stretch, the Sabres utilized a blue line comprised entirely of youngsters – Casey Fitzgerald, at just 25, was the oldest defenseman – so Pysyk, Will Butcher and Colin Miller rarely played.

The Sabres scratched Pysyk 13 times over a 22-game stretch, including eight straight contests, before he returned for last ... 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

Before joining Sabres, Rasmus Asplund enjoyed motocross racing career

BUFFALO – On his dirt bike, Rasmus Asplund said it almost felt like he was whisked away to a different world. The Sabres winger would reach speeds of 60 mph and soar high into the air as he sped through the rugged track.

Being a competitive motocross racer was a thrill.

“Maybe it’s a little bit dangerous, the speeds, the jumping,” Asplund told the Times Herald following Monday’s practice at KeyBank Center.

Long before Asplund, ... 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 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

Sabres notes: Owen Power’s terrific play belies limited NHL experience

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Don Granato doesn’t consider rookie Owen Power a young player.

Sure, the defenseman left college earlier this month and has played just four NHL games. And, yes, he doesn’t turn 20 for another seven months.

Still, Granato said “it’s a little bit disrespectful sometimes” when young guys get thrown in a category.

“This is a guy that’s studied the game of hockey at an extremely young age and developed himself like ... Read the full article

Sabres sign third-round pick Josh Bloom to entry-level contract

The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Josh Bloom, a third-round pick in 2021, to a three-year, entry-level contract that will begin next season, the team announced today.

The 6-foot-2, 182-pound Bloom, 18, will ink an amateur tryout and finish this season with the Rochester Americans.

He is the second prospect from the 2021 draft class the Sabres have signed, joining defenseman Owen Power, the first overall pick.... Read the full article

Kyle Okposo scores 20th goal, sparks Sabres to comeback win on birthday

BUFFALO – Sabres center Tage Thompson had time and space, so he leaned into his shot, and when the puck hit teammate Kyle Okposo inside his right knee, he went down in a hurry.

As Okposo hobbled off the ice in pain late in Saturday’s first period, it felt like his night might’ve been finished. At that point, the Sabres trailed the Philadelphia Flyers 2-0, and Okposo, who turned 34 on Saturday, said he was ... Read the full article