Buffalo Sabres prospects begin their title defense in Traverse City today

Because of new owner Terry Pegula's wealth and commitment to player development, the Buffalo Sabres travelled to Traverse City, Michigan for the first time back in 2011 to face off against seven other teams' prospects.

The Sabres won that tournament.

With the tournament a lockout casualty in 2012, the Sabres begin their defense of the crown today at 4pm vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets prospects.

Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com is on the scene at the tourney and gives a quick synopsis of each team. Of Columbus he says,

"Four Big Buckeyes

With high-level talent at every position, the Blue Jackets could present the Sabres' greatest challenge in the Ted Lindsay Division. Up front, hard-nosed OHL products Boone Jenner and Kerby Rychel will set a tone with their blend of edginess and opportunistic offense to form two-thirds of the Jackets’ top forward unit. The duo will be backed by Ryan Murray, a skilled and mobile defender chosen second overall at the 2012 draft, and Erie Otters backstop Oscar Dansk, who will likely be the starter for Team Sweden at the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship."

As for Buffalo, who will be coached by Rochester Americans bench-boss Chadd Cassidy, the roster boasts a bevy of first round picks playing for the team (even with Mikhail Grigorenko deemed ineligible) including returnee Mark Pysyk on defense. Forward Daniel Catenacci and goalie Nathan Lieuwen were also a part of the 2011 championship team.

In addition to seeing how the team plays under Cassidy, an area to watch is if the team will be able to finish against Dansk who is one of the best goalie prospects out there.

Individually, we'll be following a few players closely to see how the fare against their peers:

• Zemgus Girgensons--mature beyond his 19 yrs. "the Latvian Locomotive" looks to build upon his stellar (albeit short) playoff performance for Rochester last season. Although it might be a bit early to dub him a man-child, one should expect a dominating performance from him as he plays against players his own age. Last year he was the youngest player in the AHL and slowly ramped up his game as the season went on. Tougher to play against is the Sabres mantra moving forward and Girgensons embodies the skill and will necessary to bring it.
• Johan Larsson--was Girgensons' center last year during the playoffs and assisted on all three of his goals. One would expect those two to be on the same line once again. At 21 yrs. old Larsson may be the Sabres' most NHL-ready forward. His two-way game is solid and he's versatile enough to play any forward position. One should expect a very strong performance from him as he gears up for his first Sabres training camp.
• Pysyk, Catenacci and Lieuwen--the vets of the tournament will be expected to lead the youngins and excel in their roles. Pysyk is gearing up for Sabres training camp and possibly his first full season with the big club. Catenacci will be looking to make an impact in Rochester as he enters his first full season and Leiuwen will be battling for the back-up goalie spot for the Amerks behind Matthew Hackett.
• Joel Armia--a few weeks ago at eliteprospects.com, he was listed at 203 lbs, a big jump from his listed 187 lbs, which is pretty exciting. A power forward in the making with a wicked release, this will be Armia's first season in North America. The knock on Armia is that he'll disappear for stretches only to come back and score a big goal. He probably has more skill than any player for the Sabres at this tourney. But does he have the will to play a North American pro-style game?
• Rasmus Ristolainen--Picked eighth-overall at the draft and a player the Sabres coveted, Ristolainen was said to be the most NHL-ready of any d-men outside of Seth Jones. He brought a steady game to the Sabres' prospect scrimmage and will be expected to do the same in Traverse City. How he handles the power of Columbus' Jenner, as well and the fiestiness of Rychel and the skill of the Rangers' Oscar Lindberg and Jesper Fast should help determine the extent of his NHL-readiness. Getting his sure shot through from the point and adding offensive production is to be expected from a player who spent the last two years playing against men overseas.
• Nikita Zadorov--"I like to hit." Maybe more telling than those four words uttered by Zadorov at his draft presser was the way he said them. The big Russian d-man had a Cheshire grin on his face and a look of steel-eyed confidence that reached deep down in his soul. He's a tough customer, just ask Brad Navin who was laid out on a nice open-ice hit courtesy of Zadorov at the Sabres Development Camp. The opposition should be well aware of what he brings, if not, someone will get hurt. One should expect a strong presence, an aggressive attitude and some glimpses of his offensive upside. 
• Justin Bailey--Bailey can skate and he can weave his way through traffic. He has power forward size and room to grow. Rated #2 behind Armia on the right side, there's a bit of a gap between the two in the system. Bailey showed tremendous promise at the development camp but is extremely raw. He spent the off season training in his hometown Buffalo and should be ready to go. One should expect high energy along with some mistakes. He will score, just based upon how he moves throughout his shift and positions himself around the net.

At this point we're not sure what the line combinations or defensive pairings will be, but as a fan, seeing Girgensons and Larsson work the ice with Armia unleashing his wicked wrister would be great to see. And having Ristolainen and Zadorov makes for a very intriguing pairing on defense.

We'll see at 4pm today as Buffalo takes on Columbus.

Buffalo Sabres lineup sheet tweeted by Kris Baker
of sabersprospects.com

Edit:  Mark Pysyk will not be playing in the tournament. Although exempt from restrictions, the Sabres decided not to bring him along to allow a better look at the other youngsters.