Buffalo News

'Strbak is headed to Michigan State next season, where he will play under coach Adam Nightingale. He was a former video coach for the Sabres and the brother of Jason Nightingale, Buffalo's current assistant director of scouting.' … [Read more...] about Sabres take defenseman Max Strbak at No. 45 overall

'Strbak played for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League. In his first taste of hockey in North America, Strbak made 46 appearances for the Sioux Falls Stampede, notching five goals and 13 assists. He struggled at times, finishing with a plus/minus of -20.' … [Read more...] about Five things to know about Maxim Strbak, the Sabres’ No. 45 draft pick

'Miedema was one of the seven pieces Kingston acquired in the trade for Shane Wright, the No. 4 overall pick in last year's draft by Seattle. He had a huge finish to his regular season with a pair of four-point outputs against Oshawa in the final three games. One was a a four-goal night and the other saw him collect two goals and two assists.' … [Read more...] about Sabres take Kingston winger Ethan Miedema at No. 109 overall in Round 4

'Another big-bodied acquisition for the Sabres. At 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, Miedema can use his size and physicality to his advantage. For his size, he has strong puckhandling skills and can get around the ice. He was the fourth overall pick for Windsor in the 2021 OHL priority draft.' … [Read more...] about Five things to know about Sabres’ 109th overall pick Ethan Miedema

'Ratzlaff, 18, is listed as 6 feet and NHL Central Scouting ranked him as the fourth-best North American goalie in the draft class.' … [Read more...] about Sabres add another goalie to pipeline with fifth-round pick Scott Ratzlaff

'He's expected to play for Tri City in the USHL next season and has committed to then play for Harvard. He has played in the prestigious Foxboro Summer Prep League.' … [Read more...] about Sabres take Massachusetts high school defenseman Sean Keohane in Round 6

'NHL Central Scouting had Panocha ranked as the 114th international skater in the draft, and Sabres General Manager Kevyn Adams told reporters that his scout in Eastern Europe, Frank Musil, pushed the club to use its seventh-round pick on the German defenseman.' … [Read more...] about Sabres select defenseman Norwin Panocha with their final pick of the NHL draft

'The Sabres have watched Benson for two years. Their staff scouted the Ice in-person and poured through video leading up to the 2022 draft because they were deciding if Savoie would be their selection at ninth overall. The Ice’s coach, James Patrick, spent six of his 21 NHL seasons as a defenseman with the Sabres, and he was on the team’s coaching staff with Adams from 2011-13. … [Read more...] about Zach Benson ‘super stoked’ to become Sabres’ first-round pick in Nashville

'Don’t discount Benson because of his size: Benson is listed at 5-foot-10 and approximately 165 pounds, but his stat lines from the WHL show he can be a playmaker. Jason Bukala of Sportsnet described Benson as “dynamic” on the power play from the weak side wing. Of his 62 assists in the regular season, 16 were on the power play. He added four power-play goals, too.' … [Read more...] about Five things about Sabres’ first-round pick Zach Benson, and that includes the carnivals

'You say Benson is too small at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, and I remind you that’s what the entire NHL thought when Alex DeBrincat fell to the 39th pick in 2016 in Buffalo. The thinking goes the only reason DeBrincat looked so good in junior was because he played in Erie with Connor McDavid. Pretty invalid. And remember how Cole Caufield fell to Montreal at No. 15 three years … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Don’t worry about size. Be happy about the talent level of Sabres’ draft choices

'It’s too soon to have a full picture of the Sabres’ recent drafts, but there haven’t been any clear misses and early success stories have accelerated General Manager Kevyn Adams’ plan to build a sustainable winner. Jack Quinn and JJ Peterka, their top choices in 2020, contributed during the club’s 91-point season. Owen Power, the No. 1 pick in 2021, was a finalist for the … [Read more...] about Inside the Sabres’ scouting process leading into drafts under GM Kevyn Adams

'“It is super fascinating this year,” Adams said. “In my time as general manager, I can’t think of anything even kind of close to this where you have such a unique situation. I think all teams are having this conversation of the risk reward. Where’s he gonna go? Obviously he’s an elite player.”' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: The hockey chatter and the music make quite a buzz as Sabres get ready to make their pick

'“At the end of the day, I always methodically go back to, what’s going to help our team get better and what’s going to help us move forward and get us closer to trying to win a Stanley Cup?” Adams told reporters in Nashville. “I feel like I’m a nice person, but I want to win and I want to win really bad and I want to win as much as you can possibly want that. So, will I make … [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: Desire to win has GM Kevyn Adams willing to trade prospects

'The Sabres will open their season at home in KeyBank Center on Oct. 12 against the New York Rangers, then hit the road for the first time to face the New York Islanders only two days later. The longest home stand in Buffalo will be Jan. 9-20 with games against the Seattle Kraken, Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning.' … [Read more...] about Highlighting rivalries, games to watch in Sabres’ 2023-24 schedule

'The Sabres are cognizant about not running Power, Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson ragged next season. Power led all rookies this season in ice time per game at 23 minutes, 48 seconds – nearly two minutes more than anyone else. His average of 19:47 at 5-on-5 is the most by any rookie since the NHL began tracking the stat in 2009-10.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres start draft week by celebrating Owen Power’s rookie year, and the future is now