Rochester Americans - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres have unique goalie prospect in Team Canada star Devon Levi

On his bedroom door, Buffalo Sabres goalie prospect Devon Levi has a small whiteboard he writes two numbers on every morning.

On Monday, the board read 39 – the number of days remaining in his summer training – and 69 – the number of days until the Northeastern Huskies’ 2021-22 season opener.

“Oh, I’m counting the days,” Levi told the Times Herald by phone Monday.

If everything goes as planned, Levi, who was acquired by ... Read the full article

Sabres extend qualifying offers to five players

The Buffalo Sabres have extended qualifying offers to five restricted free agents, including defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and center Casey Mittelstadt, the team announced today.

Center Rasmus Asplund and defensemen Casey Fitzgerald and Henri Jokiharju also received qualifying offers before the 5 p.m. deadline.

The Sabres did not qualify forward Dawson DiPietro or goalie Stefanos Lekkas.... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Kraken take Will Borgen in NHL Expansion Draft

If the Seattle Kraken hadn’t selected Will Borgen from the Sabres in Wednesday’s NHL Expansion Draft, he likely would’ve competed for a spot among Buffalo’s top-six defensemen next season.

Borgen, 24, was close to enjoying regular duty last season before breaking his forearm.

So after six years of development – the Sabres drafted Borgen in the fourth round in 2015, 92nd overall – he departed just as he was maturing into an NHL talent.... Read the full article

Kraken claim Will Borgen from Sabres in NHL Expansion Draft

The Buffalo Sabres have lost defenseman Will Borgen to the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft.

Borgen, 24, played 10 NHL games last season and likely would’ve enjoyed regular duty if he hadn’t broken his forearm. The Sabres drafted the American in the fourth round in 2015, 92nd overall.

After leaving St. Cloud State following his junior season in 2018, Borgen compiled four goals, 25 points and 132 penalty minutes in 130 AHL games ... Read the full article

Sabres could lose valuable young player to Kraken in NHL Expansion Draft

Since the Buffalo Sabres drafted Will Borgen 92nd overall in 2015, he has morphed from a relatively unknown prospect into a defenseman on the cusp of regular NHL duty.

The Sabres have guided Borgen’s development from his college career at St. Cloud State through his early pro days with the Rochester Americans to the big leagues.

Prior to breaking his forearm last season, Borgen, 24, appeared to be close to securing a spot on Buffalo’s ... 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 prospect Oskari Laaksonen named AHL North Division All-Star

Buffalo Sabres defense prospect Oskari Laaksonen has earned a spot on the AHL North Division All-Star Team following his rookie season with the Rochester Americans, the league announced Wednesday.

Laaksonen, 21, compiled two goals and 17 points in 28 games. His 15 assists led the Amerks. The Finn ranked fourth among AHL rookie defensemen in points.

The Sabres drafted Laaksonen in the third round in 2017, 89th overall. He played parts of four seasons in ... Read the full article

Confident Rasmus Asplund feels ready for regular duty with Sabres

Sabres winger Rasmus Asplund targeted 2021 from the get-go. By his third season in North America, the Swede wanted to be ready to stick in Buffalo.

Sure enough, Asplund, 23, accomplished his goal, playing the final 21 games of the year under interim Sabres coach Don Granato.

Considering Asplund was a spare part until April, his emergence ranks as one of the season’s biggest surprises.

Yes, Asplund, one of Buffalo’s top-rated prospects, was expected ... 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

After wild run, Michael Houser’s time in Sabres organization could be over

ROCHESTER – Coach Seth Appert felt his goalie, Michael Houser, deserved to take over the Americans’ net in the final days of the season.

For years, Houser, who played four late-season games for the Buffalo Sabres, toiled in the ECHL. While he just completed his third season in the organization, he hadn’t played a game for the Amerks until a week ago.

Before earning his first NHL action earlier this month, Houser, 28, spent ... Read the full article