Getting to know Devon Levi

[Curt]

9 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Just keep in mind levi will not have a .958 in the NHL 

Yeah, he probably won’t smash the NHL sv% record.  🤪

[pi2000]

Jonathan Quick played 2 seasons at UMass....

.920 / .929

His best NHL seasons he posted...

.921 / .928

I've used Quick as a comparable for Levi since the trade.  Both ultracompetitive individuals with freakish athletic ability and similar stature playing their college years for Hockey East schools.

 

[DarthEbriate]

1 hour ago, pi2000 said:

Jonathan Quick played 2 seasons at UMass....

.920 / .929

His best NHL seasons he posted...

.921 / .928

I've used Quick as a comparable for Levi since the trade.  Both ultracompetitive individuals with freakish athletic ability and similar stature playing their college years for Hockey East schools.

So you're saying that Levi is going to have seasons of .957 and .950 and win two Stanley Cups with the Sabres? Sign me up.

That's... what's the word... wizard!

[Thorner]

5 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Either back to school or Rochester. Depends on what the think of portillo tooo

Not having the best track record in locking up college goalies, I'd prefer we locked up at least one of Levi or Portillo ASAP

I think there's a reasonable chance the one that isn't the first to be signed sticks it out to become a UFA, if they think UPL/The Guy Signed represent an obstacle for them making the team 

[Thorner]

5 hours ago, Curt said:

Yeah, he probably won’t smash the NHL sv% record.  🤪

How short the list is of goalies under 6'1 having success of late in the NHL is perhaps an underplayed point when it comes to levi. I'm super excited to see how his numbers start translating to pro players who have better success in picking their spots

The list basically begins, and ends, with Juuse Saros - he'd be my hope 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Thorny

[Curt]

9 hours ago, Thorny said:

How short the list is of goalies under 6'1 having success of late in the NHL is perhaps an underplayed point when it comes to levi. I'm super excited to see how his numbers start translating to pro players who have better success in picking their spots

The list basically begins, and ends, with Juuse Saros - he'd be my hope 

Saris, Raanta, Khudobin, Bernier

[LGR4GM]

10 hours ago, Thorny said:

Not having the best track record in locking up college goalies, I'd prefer we locked up at least one of Levi or Portillo ASAP

I think there's a reasonable chance the one that isn't the first to be signed sticks it out to become a UFA, if they think UPL/The Guy Signed represent an obstacle for them making the team 

There's 1 name on that list. 

I'm. Not worried about either.

Also I still think if you want to sign with the team that didn't draft you after college, you gotta sit out a year. 

[Brawndo]

Levi and Portillo both become UFAs August 15th, 2024. 
 

I doubt either wants to wait over two more years to start their careers 

[Thorner]

9 hours ago, Curt said:

Saris, Raanta, Khudobin, Bernier

Saros is the only starter this year

Don't really think the likes of Bernier or Raanta are what people have in mind when they are projecting out their hopes for Levi - prime level Khudobin though seems reasonable as a hope though, and represents a good example 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Thorny

[Curt]

35 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Saros is the only starter this year

Don't really think the likes of Bernier or Raanta are what people have in mind when they are projecting out their hopes for Levi - prime level Khudobin though seems reasonable as a hope though, and represents a good example 

I think peak Raanta was as good as peak Khudobin.  I was just trying to list guys who have been successful goalies in recent years.

You are correct that Saros is the only one who  is a true starter.  Tim Thomas was an incredibly successful small goalie not that long ago.

 

[Thorner]

18 minutes ago, Curt said:

I think peak Raanta was as good as peak Khudobin.  I was just trying to list guys who have been successful goalies in recent years.

You are correct that Saros is the only one who  is a true starter.  Tim Thomas was an incredibly successful small goalie not that long ago.

 

It definitely happens. Levi's numbers suggest he could be one of the trend-breakers in becoming a true starter. More so wanted to shed a bit of light on a question that I've seen come up, about why a goalie with the numbers Levi had would be drafted where he was, why he'd be traded at all with the stats he has - just sort of the uphill battle goalies of his stature have in cementing themselves in the big league. Focus on his size to me seems the product of what's a true statistical outlier in the current game, rather than arbitrary, like I'd argue you see with the other positions more often. But on the other hand, he's clearly wildly talented to be doing what he is doing - he'd probably be finding himself near the top of prospect lists if he was merely an inch or two taller. Heck, he may even anyways on new lists coming up. But it's still striking to see someone like Kris Baker, by all accounts an authority on Sabres prospects, listing Levi near the bottom our OWN team's top 10. Right next to Portillo. 

Seeing him in pro hockey is probably one of the things I'm most excited to see

Edited January 10, 2022 by Thorny

[dudacek]

@Thorny when was Baker’s ranking from?

In general, prior to the Adams era, Ive found him to be rather generous in his appraisal of Sabres prospects, but also pretty much in tune with how the team itself regards its prospects.

[Thorner]

30 minutes ago, dudacek said:

@Thorny when was Baker’s ranking from?

In general, prior to the Adams era, Ive found him to be rather generous in his appraisal of Sabres prospects, but also pretty much in tune with how the team itself regards its prospects.

Don't worry, I index all posts in my brain by default. You can answer your own question!

On 11/27/2021 at 4:57 PM, dudacek said:

The Athletic has Kris Baker’s ranking of Sabres prospects just out and it is interesting that Rosen is there at #4.

https://theathletic.com/2980977/2021/11/27/ranking-the-sabres-top-10-prospects-from-ukko-pekka-luukkonen-and-erik-portillo-to-owen-power/
 

“I put Rosen higher than Peterka based purely on goal-scoring ability,” Baker said. “I could see Rosen, when he’s physically developed into a man in five years, being a top-line player. His acceleration is A-plus. He’s got a quick shot, can just wire shots. He’s got a very good wrist shot.

“But he just needs to physically develop.”

Rosen is listed at 5-foot-10 and 148 pounds by Leksands of the Swedish league, which uses him just 8:38 per night.

“He’s just kind of finding his way in his first professional year,” Baker said, “but I think he has very high-end acceleration and goal-scoring ability.”

Overall:

• 10) Portillo/Lukkonnen (tie)
• 9) Levi
• 8 Samuelsson
• 7) Poltapov
• 6) Johnson
• 5) Peterka
• 4) Rosen
• 3) Krebs
• 2) Quinn
• 1) Power

He says Samuelsson is closest to the NHL, followed by Power, then the Amerk forward trio.

 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Thorny

[kas23]

To me, it just looks like he doesn’t value goalies as much as skaters when formulating his rankings of prospects. 

[K-9]

Seems to me that Devon Levi was a 7th round pick for two reasons: his size and the lack of competition in the junior leagues he played in. He was drafted before his stellar performances in the 2021 U20 tourney, his freshman year got wiped out and so there was little else to go on. Scouts in all sports are influenced by their established prototypes and Levi just doesn't fit the size bill and they had nothing else to go on. 

What he's doing is no fluke and he is the ONLY reason Northeaster is sitting where they are. Teams will be kicking themselves for years for not selecting him. 

[Doohicksie]

RE Size: 

Juuse Saros - Nashville Predators

G | 5' 11" | 180 lb | Age: 26

Career:  95 W, 56 L, 18 OTL, .922 Sv%, 2.45 GAA
This season:  19 W, 9 L, 1 OTL, .929 Sv%, 2.21 GAA

He's been Pekka Rinne's understudy and does just fine as their starter.  And he's an inch shorter than Levi.

[pi2000]

Will Levi join Roch for a playoff run with the other young guns when his college season expires?

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, pi2000 said:

Will Levi join Roch for a playoff run with the other young guns when his college season expires?

He should. Not sure college offers enough challenges

[K-9]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

He should. Not sure college offers enough challenges

Yep. Although I’m not sure the AHL will offer up enough challenges, either. 😄

[Thorner]

3 hours ago, The Ghost of Yuri said:

RE Size: 

Juuse Saros - Nashville Predators

G | 5' 11" | 180 lb | Age: 26

Career:  95 W, 56 L, 18 OTL, .922 Sv%, 2.45 GAA
This season:  19 W, 9 L, 1 OTL, .929 Sv%, 2.21 GAA

He's been Pekka Rinne's understudy and does just fine as their starter.  And he's an inch shorter than Levi.

Mentioned him upthread already as a comparison to hope for - the point wasn't that they don't exist, it was that they are often hard to come by. 

Goaltenders of his size will always have an uphill battle 

[LGR4GM]

7 hours ago, Thorny said:

Mentioned him upthread already as a comparison to hope for - the point wasn't that they don't exist, it was that they are often hard to come by. 

Goaltenders of his size will always have an uphill battle 

I think that's a feeder problem, large goalies get more opportunities 

[Thorner]

Speaking of Bernier:

 

Gem. 

Trigger warning for second hand embarrassment 

[Weave]

He had to have thought he heard a different name.  Right?  Right?

[Eleven]

Just now, Weave said:

He had to have thought he heard a different name.  Right?  Right?

I'm trying to cut him a break...let's see, that was 2014, Bernier would have been about 26, so ...

 

Someone help me out?

[Thorner]

1 minute ago, Weave said:

He had to have thought he heard a different name.  Right?  Right?

The event is in Mandela's name