The New Devon Levi 2023 Thread

[Flashsabre]

Does he start next year in Rochester really depends on if he comes in at the end of this year and leads them to the Cup.😁

[Taro T]

  On 2/17/2023 at 11:52 PM, Thorny said:

Agree on the lead-off question. 

As for the question about camp...I’m not certain but, we’ve all heard Adams frequently talk up the idea that he doesn’t want to “block” any of the kids. I can only imagine that means he wants a clear pathway for any young player who shows themselves to be ready and deserving of a larger role, to the extent they can step in almost right away, once they’ve shown that to be the case. Otherwise, why be so sure to avoid “blocks” if you can just take your time moving them 

I think if Levi looks ready, he starts. If he’s playing the best, he starts. Pretty sure we know what we have with the rest. Get Levi going b/c if he’s as special as they say maybe we have our goalie and if he’s not, we can sooner get on finding a replacement / PLAN B / legit goalie until he shows he IS able, in a quick time frame: the time line the group deserves 

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Yep.  Whoever the top 2 are, they'll be the ones given the keys.

Granted it isn't a direct comparison because Miller had the '04-'05 season leading the Amerks to a long run and Levi hasn't left college yet.  But nobody expected Miller to start on October of '0405.  He was too young, too inexperienced & Biron was still there and though he'd been mainly a backup he'd even the starter the previous 2 seasons & Noronnen was another former 1st rounder who'd nearly taken away the starting job before the lockout.  But yet Lindy & Corsi trusted what they saw & after a so-so start, Miller & the team caught fire after he came back from the thumb injury.  They made the right choice even though it would've been easy to not go that route.

And if we have a 3 headed goalie monster for a bit at some point, so be it.

Edited February 18, 2023 by Taro T

[Eleven]

  On 2/18/2023 at 2:36 AM, Taro T said:

But nobody expected Miller to start on October of '04.

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Well, yeah, because they didn't play that season.

[Quint]

Levi & Northeastern win the 2023 Beanpot.

 

[Night Train]

  I rarely get jacked when viewing young players... but watching him up close at Harborcenter during the summer prospects camp, it was obvious he was not just another young goalie. His glove and reaction speed to rebounds was eye popping. They would send in 2 forwards on these 2 on zero drills and he constantly robbed them. Tons better than Portillo, who doesn't have that reaction ability. 

 Just watched the Beanpot in Boston. Some of those saves he made were incredible. 

 Get him signed. 

 

[K-9]

  On 2/18/2023 at 2:00 PM, Night Train said:

  I rarely get jacked when viewing young players... but watching him up close at Harborcenter during the summer prospects camp, it was obvious he was not just another young goalie. His glove and reaction speed to rebounds was eye popping. They would send in 2 forwards on these 2 on zero drills and he constantly robbed them. Tons better than Portillo, who doesn't have that reaction ability. 

 Just watched the Beanpot in Boston. Some of those saves he made were incredible. 

 Get him signed. 

 

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Portillo caught a front row seat to Devon’s superior skill last summer and he’s gonna decide to wimp out as a result. 

[French Collection]

Wow.

A 41 save shutout tonight for Levi vs Vermont.

This guy is heating up.

[Flashsabre]

  On 2/19/2023 at 2:29 AM, French Collection said:

Wow.

A 41 save shutout tonight for Levi vs Vermont.

This guy is heating up.

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The thing with Levi too is that his team does him no favours. It is not like he is playing behind a tight defensive system that doesn’t give up chances.

41 shots by a team like Vermont is eye popping. Levi is full value for his numbers and success.

[Thorner]

  On 2/19/2023 at 5:17 AM, Flashsabre said:

The thing with Levi too is that his team does him no favours. It is not like he is playing behind a tight defensive system that doesn’t give up chances.

41 shots by a team like Vermont is eye popping. Levi is full value for his numbers and success.

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Damn, Vermont has 6 wins in 29 games. They are truly awful lol 

Edited February 19, 2023 by Thorny

[shrader]

  On 2/19/2023 at 6:40 AM, Thorny said:

Damn, Vermont has 6 wins in 29 games. They are truly awful lol 

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They are the 3rd worst team out of the major conferences. But it is 9 wins in 30 games. Anyway, 11th worst in the nation (woooo, not bottom 10) and most of what is below them is independent/new teams. I like seeing them down there because they played such a boring brand of hockey for so long. 

[French Collection]

  On 2/19/2023 at 5:51 PM, shrader said:

They are the 3rd worst team out of the major conferences. But it is 9 wins in 30 games. Anyway, 11th worst in the nation (woooo, not bottom 10) and most of what is below them is independent/new teams. I like seeing them down there because they played such a boring brand of hockey for so long. 

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NU must be weak defensively if they gave up 40+ shots. They give up those kinds of shots a lot. Levi sees a lot of rubber and is the only reason they are ranked in the top 20.

[Flashsabre]

  On 2/19/2023 at 6:51 PM, French Collection said:

NU must be weak defensively if they gave up 40+ shots. They give up those kinds of shots a lot. Levi sees a lot of rubber and is the only reason they are ranked in the top 20.

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Perfect for his development. Roy said he got tons of rubber in Junior because his team stunk and that really helped him develop as a goalie.

[PromoTheRobot]

  On 2/16/2023 at 9:40 PM, K-9 said:

Regarding his potential stint in Rochester next season, if he stands on his head early and dominates at that level, he may force the Sabres’ hand to call him up. I get the concern about rushed development, but I don’t think it’s a hard and fast rule. If a kid is ready, he’s ready. If a prospect struggles and his confidence is forever crushed as a result, then I submit he doesn’t have the right stuff to begin with. You’d want the kid to be informed by his struggles and more determined than ever to make it.

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Kind of like how UPL is playing now?

[K-9]

  On 2/19/2023 at 7:23 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

Kind of like how UPL is playing now?

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I’m not sold on UPL, but yeah, kind of like that. 

[PromoTheRobot]

  On 2/19/2023 at 7:35 PM, K-9 said:

I’m not sold on UPL, but yeah, kind of like that. 

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I'm always curious about what makes one sold on one player and not another. Is it expectation? Devon Levi is seen as a savior so any good games he has is "proof" of his potential. UPL, on the other hand, was not thought of as highly. But when he has good games, some aren't convinced.

UPL is a big reason why the Sabres are in playoff contention. His stats aren't as impressive, but what didn't show up in the stats are his big saves in key moments. I would argue the Sabres lose to the Sharks without him.

The Sabres are a bad defensive team so any goalie who can win behind them has something going on.

[K-9]

  On 2/19/2023 at 7:52 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

I'm always curious about what makes one sold on one player and not another. Is it expectation? Devon Levi is seen as a savior so any good games he has is "proof" of his potential. UPL, on the other hand, was not thought of as highly. But when he has good games, some aren't convinced.

UPL is a big reason why the Sabres are in playoff contention. His stats aren't as impressive, but what didn't show up in the stats are his big saves in key moments. I would argue the Sabres lose to the Sharks without him.

The Sabres are a bad defensive team so any goalie who can win behind them has something going on.

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My reason for not being sold on UPL is his inconsistency. Levi may be a total bust for all anyone really knows at this point, but he has been consistently dominant at every level he has played and that’s why he is thought of more highly than UPL was at similar stages. 
 

UPL stole us a game last night and he gets full marks for that. And given our seeming lack of commitment to defense and how often we get stuck running around in our own end, is going to have to do that again and again. 

[PromoTheRobot]

  On 2/19/2023 at 8:18 PM, K-9 said:

My reason for not being sold on UPL is his inconsistency. Levi may be a total bust for all anyone really knows at this point, but he has been consistently dominant at every level he has played and that’s why he is thought of more highly than UPL was at similar stages. 
 

UPL stole us a game last night and he gets full marks for that. And given our seeming lack of commitment to defense and how often we get stuck running around in our own end, is going to have to do that again and again. 

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But really Devon Levi hasn't been that consistent. He's been lit up a few times this year.

[K-9]

  On 2/19/2023 at 8:27 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

But really Devon Levi hasn't been that consistent. He's been lit up a few times this year.

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He’s had a couple bad games like all goalies do. They are outliers. His career numbers are the essence of consistency. Going into yesterday, he was tied for 2nd in save percentage in the country at .930, just .005 behind the leader who hasn't been tested nearly as often. 

This isn’t about Levi vs. UPL, btw. 

[dudacek]

  On 2/19/2023 at 8:27 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

But really Devon Levi hasn't been that consistent. He's been lit up a few times this year.

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I’m going to have to look this up, but I’m willing to bet Levi has maybe 5 games with a save percentage under .900 in the  past 3 or 4 years. UPL has that many in the past 3 or 4 weeks.

All goalies get lit up. Consistency is about how often that happens.

[PromoTheRobot]

  On 2/19/2023 at 8:34 PM, K-9 said:

He’s had a couple bad games like all goalies do. They are outliers. His career numbers are the essence of consistency. Going into yesterday, he was tied for 2nd in save percentage in the country at .930, just .005 behind the leader who hasn't been tested nearly as often. 

This isn’t about Levi vs. UPL, btw. 

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  On 2/19/2023 at 8:35 PM, dudacek said:

I’m going to have to look this up, but I’m willing to bet Levi has maybe 5 games with a save percentage under .900 in the  past 3 or 4 years. UPL has that many in the past 3 or 4 weeks.

All goalies get lit up. Consistency is about how often that happens.

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I just want to understand the yardstick that measures consistency. Because it feels a bit skewed toward a favored result.

[K-9]

  On 2/19/2023 at 8:40 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I just want to understand the yardstick that measures consistency. Because it feels a bit skewed toward a favored result.

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The yardstick is the complete body of work. 
 

I have no idea what you mean by your second sentence. 

[El Zahir]

  On 2/19/2023 at 8:35 PM, dudacek said:

I’m going to have to look this up, but I’m willing to bet Levi has maybe 5 games with a save percentage under .900 in the  past 3 or 4 years. UPL has that many in the past 3 or 4 weeks.

All goalies get lit up. Consistency is about how often that happens.

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Was bored, checked it out. He has 6 of those games this season, none since Jan 1. He had 4 games under .900 last season.

[PromoTheRobot]

  On 2/19/2023 at 8:42 PM, K-9 said:

The yardstick is the complete body of work. 
 

I have no idea what you mean by your second sentence. 

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What it mean is it's a subjective process. How do you compare two completely different careers? UPL has a resume that includes the AHL and NHL. Levi is mostly college with some tournaments thrown in. 

Edited February 19, 2023 by PromoTheRobot

[K-9]

  On 2/19/2023 at 9:04 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

What it mean is it's a subjective process. How do you compare two completely different careers? UPL has a resume that includes the AHL and NHL. Levi is mostly college with some tournaments thrown in. 

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Of course it’s subjective as there can’t be a direct comparison between two different completely different sets of career. circumstances. I get the impression you think that my appreciation of Levi is somehow a knock against UPL. 

I can say that Levi has been more consistent in his circumstances than UPL has been in his. I can say I find Levi more impressive. I can say he exhibits better instincts as a goalie, better reflexes as a goalie, better anticipation as a goalie all the while knowing he is showing it at one level while UPL has shown it at another. 

Levi is considered our best goalie prospect since Miller for obvious reasons. UPL will have every opportunity to refute that I’m sure.  

[PromoTheRobot]

  On 2/19/2023 at 9:22 PM, K-9 said:

Of course it’s subjective as there can’t be a direct comparison between two different completely different sets of career. circumstances. I get the impression you think that my appreciation of Levi is somehow a knock against UPL. 

I can say that Levi has been more consistent in his circumstances than UPL has been in his. I can say I find Levi more impressive. I can say he exhibits better instincts as a goalie, better reflexes as a goalie, better anticipation as a goalie all the while knowing he is showing it at one level while UPL has shown it at another. 

Levi is considered our best goalie prospect since Miller for obvious reasons. UPL will have every opportunity to refute that I’m sure.  

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No. And I'm not anti-Levi. But I feel that there has been a pre-determination that UPL is not the answer and I think that's wrong. He has gone from a major question to the consensus #1 Sabres goalkeeper. And his play is a major factor in the Sabres playoff contention. Levi may indeed be better eventually. But he is not going to given a fast track to the NHL because of some perceived gaping hole in the Sabres roster.