Rochester Americans - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Dylan Cozens, Jack Quinn focused on seizing opportunities with Sabres

Over the last two months – through Hockey Canada’s selection camp, a 14-day quarantine, the heartbreak of losing a gold medal and now in Buffalo – Sabres prospects Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn have grown close.

Shortly after Canada fell to Team USA in Tuesday’s World Junior Championship final, Cozens and Quinn boarded a private plane in Edmonton and flew to Buffalo, where they quarantined for two days before joining training camp Friday at KeyBank ... Read the full article

Casey Mittelstadt focused on making Sabres after having ‘blast’ with Amerks

On the surface, Casey Mittelstadt’s 36-game run with the Rochester Americans last season looks a little underwhelming.

In his first stint in the minors, Mittelstadt, 22, never morphed into a dominant AHL presence or forced his way back to the Buffalo Sabres. The center compiled nine goals, 25 points and a poor minus-15 rating – hardly numbers you might expect from an eighth overall pick with 114 games of NHL experience.

But Mittelstadt, who was ... Read the full article

Amerks set to participate in 28-team AHL season

The Rochester Americans, the Buffalo Sabres’ top minor league affiliate, are one of 28 teams that will participate in the upcoming American Hockey League season.

Three AHL teams – the Charlotte Checkers, Milwaukee Admirals and Springfield Thunderbirds – have opted out of this season but will return in 2021-22, the league also announced Monday.

For the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season, the Amerks have been grouped in the new North Division with the Binghamton Devils, Hershey Bears, ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Jack Eichel misses first practice

Buffalo Sabres coach Ralph Krueger prefaced his update on the statuses of captain Jack Eichel and goalie Linus Ullmark with four words to alleviate any concern.

“All is under control,” Krueger said on a Zoom call Friday after both players missed the first session of training camp inside KeyBank Center.

Shortly before the Sabres’ first practice in almost 10 months, they announced Eichel, their MVP, would be sidelined Friday. The center suffered an upper-body injury ... Read the full article

AHL approves structural framework for season to begin Feb. 5

The American Hockey League offered little information, only saying the structural framework for a season that will begin Feb. 5 has been approved.

Details, the league said in a statement Wednesday, are still being worked out as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps ravaging North America.

The schedule will likely be significantly shorter. The four Canadian teams will almost certainly be grouped into their own division. Some teams could opt out for the year.

Count on it ... Read the full article

Sabres could have time to evaluate Dylan Cozens during training camp

In Team Canada’s opener at the World Junior Championship, Buffalo Sabres prospect Dylan Cozens helped the powerhouse demolish a short-handed German squad, scoring three goals and six points in a 16-2 victory.

“It’s a great start for him in the World Juniors, and I love the fact that’s he’s a go-to guy there,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said on a Zoom call Tuesday to discuss training camp, which opens Thursday.

But a night later, ... Read the full article

Sabres release training camp roster, schedule; 37 players to participate

On Friday, the Buffalo Sabres will touch the KeyBank Center ice for the first time in 296 days and begin preparing for the most unusual of seasons.

The NHL will be attempting to play during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will likely experience problems – positive tests, postponements or even cancellations – as the schedule unfolds.

But those potential roadblocks can be examined another day. The Sabres’ 10-month break is nearly over. Training camp officially ... Read the full article

Reports: Sabres place Jean-Sebastien Dea on waivers

The Buffalo Sabres placed forward Jean-Sebastien Dea on waivers today, according to reports.

Dea, 26, is entering the second season of a two-year, one-way contract worth $1.4 million.

The Sabres, of course, would probably like to shed Dea’s $700,000 salary. Teams have until noon Tuesday to claim him.

If Dea stays in the organization, he is expected to provide depth, perhaps on the new taxi squad the NHL has implemented because of the COVID-19 pandemic ... Read the full article

Report: Sabres’ Casey Nelson opts out of NHL season

Defenseman Casey Nelson, who has played 93 games for the Buffalo Sabres and spent last season with the Rochester Americans, has opted out of the 2020-21 season, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

As part of the NHL’s return to play, the league and NHL Players’ Association agreed to allow players to opt out if they’re concerned about the coronavirus.

The Sabres have the option to slide the one-year, two-way contract Nelson signed Oct. 22 ... Read the full article

Sabres re-sign Casey Mittelstadt to one-year contract

The Buffalo Sabres locked up their last restricted free agent today, signing center Casey Mittelstadt to a one-year, $874,125 contract.

Mittelstadt, 22, struggled last season, compiling four goals, nine points and minus-5 rating in 31 NHL games before the Sabres demoted him.

In the AHL, Mittelstadt scored nine goals and 25 points in 36 outings but also generated a wretched minus-15 rating during his first stint with the Rochester Americans.

It’s unclear where ... Read the full article