Rochester Americans - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Tyler Ennis strong in debut, will face Leafs

BUFFALO – In his first game in almost nine months Tuesday, slick Sabres winger Tyler Ennis skated aggressively, proving the season-ending concussion he suffered Dec. 30 wasn’t lingering in his mind.

“I like the way he skated,” coach Dan Bylsma said after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. “He played with some urgency, he played with some jam. In the third period, he drew the penalty with his skating.... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander enjoys special night against brother

ST. CATHARINES, Ontario – Growing up, Buffalo Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander and his brother, William, a Toronto Maple Leafs youngster, were ultra-competitive in whatever game or sport they played.

So, despite being very close, the Nylanders would occasionally get a little emotional.

“We fought a lot, there was a lot when we were playing knee hockey, shinny,” an excited Alexander Nylander said Thursday morning prior to the Sabres’ 1-0 preseason shootout win, their first-ever meeting ... Read the full article

Williamsville’s Cole Schneider impressing Sabres

BUFFALO – In the first days of the season, Cole Schneider, an undrafted winger with two games of NHL experience, not an established veteran or hotshot prospect, has emerged as the biggest standout in Sabres training camp.

After scoring a hat trick in the first scrimmage and a one-goal, two-point performance the next day, Schneider, 26, could already have an inside track to earn a roster spot as the 12^th or 13^th... Read the full article

Concussion recovery gave Sabres’ Tyler Ennis new appreciation

BUFFALO – In the more than three months Tyler Ennis spent recovering from a concussion last season, the Sabres’ longest-tenured player learned he needed to approach what he calls a “pretty special job” differently.

“It makes you really not only appreciate what you got, but want to do better the next time,” Ennis said Thursday inside KeyBank Center after veterans reported to training camp for physicals.

That’s probably one reason why Ennis, who’s generously listed ... Read the full article

Former Sabres defenseman Richie Dunn passes away at 59

Richie Dunn, a popular defenseman who played 327 games over two stints with the Buffalo Sabres, has died, the team announced this morning. He was 59.

The undrafted Dunn played five seasons for the Sabres beginning in 1977-78 before moving to the Calgary Flames and Hartford Whalers. He returned to the Sabres organization in 1985, playing his final 47 NHL games over the next four years.

Mostly, however, Dunn starred for the Rochester Americans, winning ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Hudson Fasching confident after busy offseason

BUFFALO – Rookie Hudson Fasching applied a hockey philosophy to his schoolwork when he returned to the University of Minnesota in April following a seven-game stint with the Sabres.

Fresh off his first NHL action, Fasching, 21, had two and a half weeks to complete the semester and his entrepreneurial management degree before leaving school to represent Team USA at the World Hockey Championship in St. Petersburg, Russia.

“I was like, ‘OK, I’m just going ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie prospect Linus Ullmark feeling fresh again

BUFFALO – Almost a year ago, just months removed from double hip surgery, Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark roared into NHL, winning four of his first six starts.

By early November, some fans wanted Ullmark to be the Sabres’ new starter. By January, the rookie was back in the minors. By March, he couldn’t even win an AHL game, losing eight straight decisions.

“My first half of the season was good,” Ullmark said ... Read the full article

Giorgio Estephan quietly one of Sabres’ best prospects

BUFFALO – The most prolific goal scorer among Sabres prospects last season wasn’t top pick Alexander Nylander, 83-point man Eric Cornel or even Justin Bailey, whose fine play earned him his first NHL action.

Try Giorgio Estephan, a 2015 sixth-round selection, 152^nd overall, who scored 30 goals and 74 points in only 59 games for the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes in 2015-16.

If you haven’t heard much about Estephan, that ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste building off rookie season

BUFFALO – Sabres prospect Nick Baptiste understands coming off consecutive 40-goal junior seasons, his rookie campaign with the Rochester Americans looks a bit underwhelming.

“Whenever you go from 40 goals to 13, it’s obviously a pretty steep decline,” Baptiste said Friday after rookie camp opened inside HarborCenter. “But it’s a different league. It’s pro hockey. You’re playing against 30-year-old men versus 18-year-old boys. It’s a lot different.”

For two years, Baptiste, 21, was quietly one ... Read the full article

Sabres prospects will fight for jobs in rookie camp

BUFFALO – Sure, it’s just rookie camp, four days reserved for Sabres prospects before training camp. By the end of the month, most of the youngsters participating will be back in junior or the minors.

But with young talent relied on so heavily these days, the battle for NHL jobs really begins today, when camp opens inside HarborCenter.

Five prospects – forwards Justin Bailey, Hudson Fasching and Evan Rodrigues and goalies Jason Kasdorf and ... Read the full article