Any hockey talk or just jersey gripping?

[Barnabov]

Being 1800 miles away from home in Watkins Glen, it's hard to keep track of the nuances of the Sabres season - especially practice & scrimmage sessions. Who was there today & what impressions do you have besides liking or disliking the new jerseys? I just read an article off sabresReport that said Kaleta lambasted Vanek who now sports a gash from said encounter - guess Thomas didn't read the article earlier this year mentioning Kaleta's affinity for delvering said hits. Who saw it & was it good?

 

Let's talk some hockey!!! First preseason game is 2 nights away agains the Loafers!

[Wild Jay]

I was at the scrimmage and two players stood out to me the most. The first was a defenseman, our 2006 2nd Round pick Mike Webber. This kid is still young and has a lot to learn but he can play. I see him making the fast track to the pro's in the next one to two years.

 

The other player to catch my eye was Drew Stafford. He can skate, pass, and shoot. I heard the hype on this kid when we drafted him in '04 but this was the first time I actually saw him in action. He is the real deal from what I can tell. Plus he can play all 3 forward positions. With Connelly out for now, I can see him challenging for a spot on the Sabres right out of camp. There are 2 or 3 open spots up front, thus I think he'll figure into the mix.

 

Goalie Adam Dennis also looked pretty good and had some nifty saves. He is coming off surgery in June, thus that is why the Sabres haven't signed him just yet to play in the AHL. They wanted to see how he came back from the injury. He is now 21 and can't go back to juniors as far as I know. He's someone to watch if he goes to the Amerks this season.

[Barnabov]

Thanks for the report - I hope some other board members post on this & future scrimmage/practice action. If I lived within driving distance I would have been there yesterday but good to hear what happened from other fans and not just rely on published articles (which are too few in number & shallow in depth - judging by the short one today in Buff News).