The 2015 Sabres Development Camp comes to a close

Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com



The 2015 Sabres Development Camp has come to a close and probably the most impressive aspect of the weeklong event was the amount of interest shown by hockey fans in Western New York. Thousands of Sabres fans came downtown on a daily basis to watch 46 prospects go through workout drills and on Friday a record 17,115 were in attendance to watch the annual Blue and Gold Scrimmage. "I've said all along it's an unbelievable hockey market, I called it the eighth Canadian hockey market," said Sabres GM Tim Murray at the press conference, "and I think we've surpassed a lot of Canadian markets when it comes to this type of thing."

Just the fact that there was a press conference after an off-season workout for the youngins--the intra-squad 3-on-3 tournament--was enough to bring a light-hearted chuckle of disbelief. "A press conference for a development camp in July," grinned Murray as he began the media session.

Welcome to Buffalo.

Even though Murray has been on the job for well over a year, this being his second development camp, the over-the-top interest in the camp still left him shaking his head. But it really shouldn't be a surprise. That passion for the sport has been engrained in the collective Buffalo hockey mindset from the beginning. As you walk in the First Niagara Center and look up there's history laid out in photos beginning with Semour Knox III who's passion for the game set the tone. Next to him is a photo of Punch Imlach, an iconic figure in the hockey world. And then there's the Sabres first draft pick ever, Hall of Famer Gil Perreault, So it began with those three.


The development camp has come a long way since the days when it was held on the campus of Niagara University and the dual rinks at Dwyer Arena. Back then only the team, some of the media and diehard fans would be in attendance, as the camp was what it was--a prospects development camp. But with the move to downtown Buffalo and a supreme interest in players like Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel, both of whom were drafted second-overall in consecutive years, this once quiet camp in a sleepy area north of Buffalo has turned into an event. And the team is fine with that.

"The players certainly take notice of what's going on here," continued Murray, "I think it's important for the players to see what kind of market we're in and we want the players to want to be Buffalo Sabres. The fan experience is a big part of that.

"We can do this at HARBORCENTER with the doors locked" said Murray of the recently opened dual-rink, hockey-centric arena that's just across the street from the F'N Center, "but we wouldn't get the exact same results."

Other than Reinhart and Eichel and a small group of players already signed by the team, this whole camp was an opportunity for newbies, college players and those unsigned to make an impression on Murray and Co. Whereas the scrimmage was a great way for fans to witness what the prospects had to offer in a game setting, the 3-on-3 was a bit different as the action was in closed quarters.

For those who are familiar with half-court basketball games the same rules basically apply whereas a change of possession requires the team to take the puck up past the bluline before an offensive attack. Unlike basketball, all three hockey players were required to skate outside the blueline and enter after the puck to avoid off-sides. Shifts were :45 seconds long and the length of the game was 6:00.

The round-robin portion left many exhausted after playing in a half-dozen of those in short period of time. There were only five to a team with two subbing in. Three of the teams only had four players, like Nic Baptiste's Red Team, and you could find him at center ice sucking wind after finally subbing out. Baptiste played a lot of hockey this past season, and in a tribute to his skill and desire, he did find enough in him to win a game for the team during a shootout when it seemed as if he could barely skate.

Goaltending reigned supreme during the tournament with all five needing to be on their toes and flexible as there was much action in tight. Notre Dame sophomore Cal Petersen had a fine tourney and looked the part of a wall often. Jonas Johansson a 2014 third-round pick (61st overall) made some stellar saves as well and looked real solid while Jason Kasdorf continued his strong week. Kasdorf, considered a throw-in in the Evander Kane/Tyler Myers deal forced the Sabres to take notice.

Many players showed brief sparks of skill, talent and finish. Victor Olofsson a seventh round pick for Buffalo in 2014 (181st) showed remarkable poise and sniping skill in tight as he roofed more than a couple right on the goalie's doorstep. Unhearalded defenseman Matt Prapavessis, a Rochester signing in late March potted a couple of key goals for Team Red while Justin Kea, a 2012 third round pick (73rd) showed that he was more than just size and braun scoring a couple of nifty goals from in tight.

Kea is probably remembered more this camp for dropping the gloves with invitee Josh Chapman a 6'3" 210 lb. Sarnia Sting defenseman who stat line reads 0 goals, eight assists and 84 penalty minutes in 44 OHL games this past season. And, ironically enough, it was Chapman who scored the only goal in the 3-on-3 championship game. He proudly skated around with the trophy in his hands.

Probably the most intriguing propect on this day was Evan Rodrigues, Eichels linemate last season for Boston University.

He was able to skate and maneuver himself in tight quarters and find himself some open ice. At one point it looked as if every shot he took found the back of the net. In three games I counted five goals and they seemed to come in five different ways hitting five different spots on the net.

Rodrigues was signed by Murray out of BU on April 22 after a stellar season riding shotgun with Eichel. His 61 points as a senior surpassed the 60 he totaled for the previous three season combined and his 21goals equaled the 21 he totaled the previous three seasons. The "Eichel effect?" Absolutely. But he really showed his skill-level  and sniping ability at the 3-on-3, something Murray was looking for when he signed him. “Evan is a very talented young player who has displayed exceptional growth during his four years at BU,” said Murray at the time. “We look forward to adding another talented piece to our group.”

Invariably Rodrigues will be linked with Eichel because of the success he and the Terriers had, but his skills and hockey sense stand alone. "It speaks for itself,” Eichel said back in February after Rodrigues achieved a pair of milestones. “He’s so skilled, he’s so smart and he works so hard, so if you put these three things together, he’s obviously tearing it up for a reason. I really enjoy playing with him.”

His former coach David Quinn said, "I’ve seen it ever since I got to BU. He’s just an incredibly smart player, works hard, competes, has a great skill set and he can skate. Other than that (he said with a laugh,) he can’t really do too much.”

"He’s the most intelligent college hockey player I’ve ever seen.”

For the players, especially Eichel who's been on a whirlwind tour for six weeks, it's time to go back home and decompress, but not for too long. Summer usually goes by pretty fast and soon training camp will be upon us. That said, Western New York hockey fans should give themselves a standing ovation. They showed the hockey world that their passion is unrivaled in most NHL cities.