Rochester Americans - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres goalie Eric Comrie off to strong start, wants to stay with ‘special team’

BUFFALO – Eric Comrie had always battled for an opportunity, yo-yoing between the NHL and minors. So when the Sabres signed the goalie to his first big contract last year, guaranteeing him a spot, the expectations felt unusual.

Comrie, 28, said he put so much pressure on himself “it’s kind of like I hammered myself down.”

“I came here and I had a job, I’m like, ‘Holy smokes, I’m in a whole different spot,’” Comrie ... Read the full article

Sabres assign seven players to Amerks, release 14 from PTOs

The Buffalo Sabres on Friday made their first significant roster cuts of training camp, assigning seven players to the Rochester Americans and releasing 14 from their professional tryouts.

The Sabres have 39 players – 21 forwards, 13 defensemen and five goalies – left on their roster.

They loaned the following players to the Amerks: forwards Filip Cederqvist, Aleksandr Kisakov, Tyson Kozak, Olivier Nadeau, Viktor Neuchev and Linus Weissbach; defenseman Nikita Novikov.... Read the full article

Prospect Brandon Biro impressive as he fights for another shot with Sabres

BUFFALO – Having undergone season-ending surgery as the Rochester Americans began the Calder Cup Playoffs, Sabres prospect Brandon Biro had a tough time watching his teammates compete.

Biro, 25, stayed with the Amerks throughout the spring, sharing in the emotions that accompanied their wins and losses. He never lost his competitiveness.

“The tough part was I didn’t think there was any chance I was going to be able to be back at all in the ... Read the full article

Youngstown’s Joseph Cecconi grabbing Sabres’ attention

BUFFALO – This time, Joseph Cecconi’s cheering section was more subdued. His 20 or so family members and friends in attendance still cheered for the Sabres defenseman, mind you.

But they left their neon green “Cecconi Fan Club” shirts, giant head cutouts and signs at home.

Instead, Cecconi’s mother, Regina, opted to have some smaller “Cecconi heads” mounted on stick.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Kyle Okposo ‘blown away’ by chance to speak at ‘Unstoppable Africa’

BUFFALO – During the summer, captain Kyle Okposo told the Sabres a special opportunity had materialized for him to speak at the Global Africa Business Initiative’s “Unstoppable Africa” conference in New York.

The event organized by the United Nations Global Compact was being held Friday, so Okposo needed to be excused from the second day of training camp. The Sabres, of course, had no problem letting him go.

“Everybody recognized the opportunity,” Okposo said following ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin ‘hated to play against’ new partner Connor Clifton

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton heard his new teammate, Rasmus Dahlin, feared him during his days with the Boston Bruins, and couldn’t believe it.

“He said that?” Clifton asked a reporter following Thursday’s opening session of training camp in KeyBank Center.

Dahlin sure did. He detested playing against Clifton, who relishes showcasing an aggressive, physical style that riles opponents.... Read the full article

Sabres begin training camp with Devon Levi, prospects and Victor Olofsson in spotlight

BUFFALO – The deepest and most talented Sabres team since the rollicking post-lockout days of the mid-2000s will hit the ice today shouldering the expectation it can end the franchise’s embarrassing 12-year playoff drought.

Coming off a season in which they fell one win short of the postseason, the Sabres begin training camp with three sessions at KeyBank Center.

They have a whopping 64 players on their camp roster: seven goalies, 21 defensemen and 36 ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Nikita Novikov turns heads in first games in Buffalo

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

Sabres’ Matt Savoie leaves Prospects Challenge game injured

BUFFALO – For Monday’s Prospects Challenge finale, the Sabres gave some of their more established young players a well-deserved afternoon off.

However, center Matt Savoie, arguably the Sabres’ biggest prospect, dressed for his third consecutive game. Twenty-seven seconds after taking the opening faceoff, he skated into a Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jagger Joshua and left the game.

Savoie, who’s competing for an NHL job this season, suffered an upper-body injury and is expected to miss ... Read the full article

Tyson Kozak quietly emerging as one of Sabres’ best forward prospects

BUFFALO – Right away, Seth Appert noticed a difference in Tyson Kozak. The Sabres center prospect looks more confident and assertive this season.

“He’s not a loud person,” said Appert, Kozak’s coach with the Rochester Americans. “He lets his action speak more than his words. But I hear him on the ice more right now.”

If Kozak’s recent exploits offer any indication, Appert will also be seeing more of him on the ice. He ... Read the full article