Getting to know Devon Levi

[Norcal]

34 minutes ago, French Collection said:

Pretty good analysis after only one exhibition game. I hope he keeps developing and improving.

I know goalies take time but Spencer Knight has already made the jump, Levi should turn pro after this season. If he continues at this pace I can’t see what another NCAA season will do for him.

I agree. I hope he signs after this season and pushes for starts in Buffalo as early as next year. 

He might mess around and make a run to the frozen four before that.

[LGR4GM]

#Levi

[LGR4GM]

Idk who found Devon Levi but give them a bonus. 

We now have an 18 game sample and it's downright impressive. Leads the ncaa in sv% and 2 of the 3 goalies even in his ballpark are seniors and the other one is 2 years older. Too bad Levi is 4 days short of being u20 eligible again. 

[French Collection]

1 minute ago, LGR4GM said:

Idk who found Devon Levi but give them a bonus. 

We now have an 18 game sample and it's downright impressive. Leads the ncaa in sv% and 2 of the 3 goalies even in his ballpark are seniors and the other one is 2 years older. Too bad Levi is 4 days short of being u20 eligible again. 

People have had their eye on him for a while. I believe Alex Killorn has played summer hockey against him (as a young teenager) and raved about his ability.

He played junior in Carleton Place and that organization had a good reputation for finding talent. The owner/ GM /coach was one guy. He has since sold the team.

[Happy Days]

https://www.nhl.com/news/ncaa-standout-nhl-prospects/c-328796418

 

Devon Levi, a Buffalo Sabres prospect, has established himself as one of the top goalies in NCAA hockey this season, his second at Northeastern University.

Levi (6-foot, 184 pounds) is 13-4 with one tie, a 1.33 goals-against average, .955 save percentage and six shutouts in 18 games. The 19-year-old leads NCAA goalies in save percentage, saves (504) and minutes played (1,085:44), and is tied for first in shutouts. He was named Hockey East Rookie of the Month in October and November.

He didn't play a college game as a freshman last season after sustaining a rib injury helping Canada finish second at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. He was named the tournament's best goalie.

"He's big time," Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe said. "He really is. The kid's focus is off the charts. Not only is he really talented and athletic, his focus … holy smokes."

Levi has allowed 12 goals in his past 12 games, including one goal on 72 shots to help Northeastern to back-to-back wins against Providence by a combined score of 6-1 on Friday and Saturday.

"Devon right now is in a zone," Keefe said after Levi made 34 saves in a 4-1 win Saturday.

He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round (No. 212) of the 2020 NHL Draft, and was traded to the Sabres on July 28, along with a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, for forward Sam Reinhart.

During every timeout, Levi drops to his knees between the faceoff circles 15 feet in front of his net, bows his head and uses breathing techniques to reset.

"Just clearing my mind, focusing on my breath, staying in the moment," he said. "It's real easy to get carried away with fans screaming at you, it's real easy to get into all the distracting things that don't apply to the game. So I just take a few moments to clear my head and remember what the important part of the moment is, going out and having fun and stopping pucks for my teammates."

Levi's strong start has made him a strong candidate for the Mike Richter Award, which is given to the most outstanding goalie in NCAA Division I.

"He's one of those kids, he really, really enjoys the game of hockey," Keefe said. "It's not work for him. He loves it. It's his passion."

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Idk who found Devon Levi but give them a bonus. 

We now have an 18 game sample and it's downright impressive. Leads the ncaa in sv% and 2 of the 3 goalies even in his ballpark are seniors and the other one is 2 years older. Too bad Levi is 4 days short of being u20 eligible again. 

I don't know who from the Sabre organization pushed to acquire Levi in the Reinhart deal. The person who has touted and mentored him for a long time is Roberto Luongo. I believe that Luongo who worked for the Panthers was influential in his selection with a 7th round pick. 

It's not inconceivable that if he goes pro next year he could be our #1 or #2 goalie prospect in our system. 

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/devon-levi-an-outlier-canada-world-juniors-hockey-1.5856330

[MBD]

I'm amazed that a) he was a 7th round pick and b) the Panthers still traded him away (along with a 1st round pick) after his performances at the WJ's.

[Taro T]

9 minutes ago, MBD said:

I'm amazed that a) he was a 7th round pick and b) the Panthers still traded him away (along with a 1st round pick) after his performances at the WJ's.

From the view today, yeah, it's kind of wild.  But without hindsight, not surprising at all.

He was drafted well before the WJC that he was the best goalie at.  He also was not expected to be the starter of that Team Canada much less to be as studly as he's been.  He was firmly 3rd on the depth chart (if even that high) heading into camp.  Without Luongo's input, he very well might have gone undrafted.

The Panthers have Bobrovsky on a ridiculous (bad) contract for 4 more years & also have Knight.  They're happy w/ what they have & managed to get an affordable top 6 winger for a very late 1st & a guy they don't have room for who only cost them a 7th originally.

[MBD]

34 minutes ago, Taro T said:

From the view today, yeah, it's kind of wild.  But without hindsight, not surprising at all.

He was drafted well before the WJC that he was the best goalie at.  He also was not expected to be the starter of that Team Canada much less to be as studly as he's been.  He was firmly 3rd on the depth chart (if even that high) heading into camp.  Without Luongo's input, he very well might have gone undrafted.

The Panthers have Bobrovsky on a ridiculous (bad) contract for 4 more years & also have Knight.  They're happy w/ what they have & managed to get an affordable top 6 winger for a very late 1st & a guy they don't have room for who only cost them a 7th originally.

Fair enough.  It just seems that his CCHL and WJ A Challenge accolades would have merited a higher draft position.  And that adding another one at the WJC would have made the Panthers do everything they could to hold onto him.

 

Here's hoping they regret trading him.

Edited December 14, 2021 by MBD

[dudacek]

I'm fully bought in on Levi.

I've gone from thinking we got a late 1st and the equivalent of a 5th in the Reinhart deal to thinking we got the equivalent of 2 firsts.

Kudos to whoever it was on the Sabres staff who identified Levi as a target and picked him over other prospects who may have been offered.

[Taro T]

3 minutes ago, MBD said:

Fair enough.  It just seems that his CCHL and WJ A Challenge accolades would have merited a higher draft position.  And that adding another one at the WJC would have made the Panthers do everything they could to hold onto him. 

They already have Knight who is 1 draft year older who's already in the NHL and playing well and they have Bobrovsky who is very expensive and not movable at all for 2 more years should they even think about moving him as he's playing well, too.

If they still had his rights, they definitely wouldn't be signing him after this NCAA season, & likely wouldn't the next year either.  They have no room for him in the NHL.  So then they watch him walk the following year.  Having 3 years worth of Reinhart for only an additional late 1st seems to be very worth it from their view.  (Even though they were only guaranteed 1 year of Reinhart.)

Florida was in the enviable position that SJ used to find itself in back in the late '90's & early '00's: too many quality GT prospects to be able to keep them all.  There's only room for 2 guys on the big club & Florida is set for at minimum 2 years and very likely 3 or 4.

As for the draft, not being in one of the 3 Major Junior leagues & being smaller than a prototypical goalie was definitely held against him.

[Taro T]

2 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I'm fully bought in on Levi.

I've gone from thinking we got a late 1st and the equivalent of a 5th in the Reinhart deal to thinking we got the equivalent of 2 firsts.

Kudos to whoever it was on the Sabres staff who identified Levi as a target and picked him over other prospects who may have been offered.

Absolutely.  Want to try to catch some North Eastern games because the highlights make him seem like a smaller Carey Price.  Would be really nice to get back to having a real goaltender.  Prior to Miller getting traded to St. Louis we never went more than a year or 2 with only adequate goaltending and we never had inadequate goaltending for even an entire season.

Was not happy w/ the trade.  Have come around on it, though definitely would've preferred getting Levi for something other than Reinhart.  (Yes, that ship has sailed, but it's still visible over the horizon, so ...)

[Indabuff]

Everytime I see this thread title the song Levon plays in my head.  

[Doohicksie]

Levon, Levon likes his money.
He makes a lot they say.

[MBD]

Levon Devi.

[Derrico]

This is my favo(u)rite thread.

[bunomatic]

Devon at the Helm

Edited December 14, 2021 by bunomatic

[Weave]

Devo Levi's

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, bunomatic said:

Devon at the Helm

 

[MBD]

Devil One V.

 

[pi2000]

Is insensitive to call a jewish goalie stingy?  

[Thorner]

22 hours ago, Taro T said:

Absolutely.  Want to try to catch some North Eastern games because the highlights make him seem like a smaller Carey Price.  Would be really nice to get back to having a real goaltender.  Prior to Miller getting traded to St. Louis we never went more than a year or 2 with only adequate goaltending and we never had inadequate goaltending for even an entire season.

Was not happy w/ the trade.  Have come around on it, though definitely would've preferred getting Levi for something other than Reinhart.  (Yes, that ship has sailed, but it's still visible over the horizon, so ...)

Gonna have to see some NHL production for Levi before I'm close to being good with that deal - at least within the context of letting it get to the point where we had to move Reinhart at all. With Reinhart being a player 1 year from UFA, Levi has already done his part in making the deal look palatable, but I'm a long way from saying I'm good with a Reinhart/Levi swap (along with that first), which is what it still amounts to in the end as keeping Reinhart wasn't a no bueno option. 

22 hours ago, Indabuff said:

Everytime I see this thread title the song Levon plays in my head.  

Me too, I pointed this out right when we got him but GA got mad at me lol

21 hours ago, bunomatic said:

Devon at the Helm

You are thinking of Darren. 

[Indabuff]

2 hours ago, Thorny said:

Me too, I pointed this out right when we got him but GA got mad at me lol

 

I had a sneaky feeling someone else probably mentioned it.

It literally takes around an hour to get the Christmas Day part of the tune out of my dome.

[Derrico]

Good article on Levi

http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-goalie-prospect-devon-levi-off-to-torrid-start-at-northeastern/

 

 

[tom webster]

On 12/14/2021 at 8:08 PM, The Ghost of Yuri said:

 

Some Christmas Day trivia:

How are “The Weight,” Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown,” and the death of John Belushi related.