'The 6-foot-1 Cronholm, from Sweden, is considered a strong, unflashy defenseman.' … [Read more...] about Round 4: Sabres select Sweden’s Cronholm at No. 117
Archives for June 2018
Fourth-round defenseman Cronholm starting to show offensive flourishes to go with snarl
'He hasn't been a heavy point producer in the past, although his offensive game is developing. He notched 16 points (six goals and 10 assists) in 18 games with the Redhawks' J18 program. He also had 45 penalty minutes and was a plus-eight. He had six assists in 37 games with the J20 team but was a minus-10.' … [Read more...] about Fourth-round defenseman Cronholm starting to show offensive flourishes to go with snarl
Round 5: Sabres take defenseman Kukkonen at 125
'Kukkonen, 18, is the fourth defenseman the Sabres have chosen in the draft. The others are Rasmus Dahlin, who was 1st overall, Mattias Samuellson in the second round, and Linus Lindstrand Kronholm in round 4.' … [Read more...] about Round 5: Sabres take defenseman Kukkonen at 125
Fifth-round defenseman Kukkonen likes to keep the puck moving
'He had two goals and two assists and 33 penalty minutes in 12 games in 2017-18 after posting a goal and seven assists with 44 penalty minutes in 24 games in 2016-17. He's generally thought to be more proficient on the defensive side of things and has shown an ability to be physical. Kukkonen is on the younger end when it comes to this draft, having just turned 18 last week, … [Read more...] about Fifth-round defenseman Kukkonen likes to keep the puck moving
Round 6: Sabres deal pick to Leafs for '19 choice
'Buffalo was set to take the first pick in the sixth round, No. 156 overall, but instead traded it to the Toronto Maple Leafs for their sixth-rounder in next year's draft in Vancouver.' … [Read more...] about Round 6: Sabres deal pick to Leafs for ’19 choice
Seventh-rounder Kreu is 6-6 and a defensive-minded defenseman
'His father, Andreas, had a long career in the Swedish pro leagues, primarily with Orebro IK in Division 1 and then Linkoping in Division 1, the Swedish Hockey League and Allsvenskan.' … [Read more...] about Seventh-rounder Kreu is 6-6 and a defensive-minded defenseman
Mike Harrington: Botterill doing things his way, bizarre as it may seem
'It is bizarre to ponder the fact the Sabres have not drafted a single player from the Canadian Hockey League ranks in Botterill's two seasons at the helm. No one from the Ontario, Quebec or Western leagues. The OHL had 35 players taken this weekend, the most of any league.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Botterill doing things his way, bizarre as it may seem
NHL Draft notebook: Sabres stay quiet on trade front – for now
'Botterill has now worked out nine draft picks for Buffalo in 2019. The Sabres have two firsts and two fourths, with the extras both acquired from San Jose for Evander Kane, and the extra No. 6 from Toronto. Buffalo has no fifth-round pick as that was traded to Detroit last October for Scott Wilson.' … [Read more...] about NHL Draft notebook: Sabres stay quiet on trade front – for now
Pancho Billa brings his #PanchoPower to the NHL Draft, too
'The Sabres sent Castro a total of 20 tickets for himself and members of the Dallas-Fort Worth Bills Backers chapter.' … [Read more...] about Pancho Billa brings his #PanchoPower to the NHL Draft, too
Sabres leave NHL Draft with more work to accomplish
'So perhaps O’Reilly, an NHL All-Star in 2015-16, could be dealt soon. The Sabres owe him $7.5 million next Sunday, meaning some interested teams might want to wait until after the bonus is paid to consummate a trade. Or maybe a deal of lesser significance will take place.' … [Read more...] about Sabres leave NHL Draft with more work to accomplish
Mattias Samuelsson knew Sabres might draft him early
'He plans to play at Western Michigan University next season, joining his older brother, Lukas, who was a freshman last season. Former NHL coach Andy Murray leads the Broncos, which helped lure Mattias Samuelsson to the school.' … [Read more...] about Mattias Samuelsson knew Sabres might draft him early
Sabres' Botterill went heavy defense at the Entry Draft
'There were times in the draft where the Sabres had their eye on a forward, only to have him taken before them, therefor they took five defensemen. Botterill isn’t worried about it, “You can never have too many defensemen and it’s a scenario where we did talk a lot about trying to add some more defensemen, but we looked at different things throughout the last couple of days and … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Botterill went heavy defense at the Entry Draft
Sabres select defenseman Mattias Samuelsson
'Samuelsson played for the United States National Under-18 Team, and is the son of former NHL defenseman Kjell Samuelsson. Mattias Samuelsson is listed at 6' 4", 218-pounds, and scored 24 points in 53 games in the USHL in two seasons. Samuelsson has committed to play collegiate hockey at Western Michigan where his brother plays.' … [Read more...] about Sabres select defenseman Mattias Samuelsson
Sabres select two players in the fourth round
'With the 94th pick, Buffalo selected center/winger Matej Pekar (Ma-TAY PAY-kar) from the Muskegon Lumberjacks out of the United States Hockey League. The native of the Czech Republic played in his first season in the USHL last year, and took home Rookie of the Year honors with 54 points in 56 games. Pekar has committed to play with the University of Miami (OH) in 2018-19.' … [Read more...] about Sabres select two players in the fourth round
Sabres take two more defenseman to close out the NHL Draft
'In the fifth round with the 125th overall pick, the Sabres drafted Finnish defenseman Miska Kukkonen out of the Ilves program in the Finnish under-20 league. Listed at 6' 0" and 183-pounds, Kukkonen has played the past two seasons for Ilves' junior team, scoring a combined three goals and 12 points in 36 games. Kukkonen will play for Tappara in the Finnish junior league this … [Read more...] about Sabres take two more defenseman to close out the NHL Draft