Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Not sure what the NHL schedule makers were thinking when they matched up the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Buffalo Sabres in tonight's only NHL game, but what we have tonight is the NHL's marquis game featuring the 28th place Jackets and the 23rd place Sabres.
That said, as both teams have been well out of the playoffs for some time now, both organizations are loaded with young talent already making their mark in the NHL who are backed by a pretty strong pool of prospects. Columbus, who many picked to be in the upper echelon of the Metropolitan Division, or at least battling for a wild card spot, boast the talents of 23 yr. old Brandon Saad, Boone Jenner (22,) Seth Jones (21) and Ryan Murray (22) while the Sabres have Jack Eichel (19,) Sam Reinhart (20,) and Rasmus Ristolainen (22.)
All will be on the ice tonight along with some pretty talented young vets who constitute each teams core as well as newbies, some of whom will be a part of the future.
Showing posts with label Eric Cornel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eric Cornel. Show all posts
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Under the radar--fomer Minnesota State defenseman Casey Nelson
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
When the Buffalo Sabres announced the signing of Minnesota
State
Fellow collegian Hudson Fasching, who had just been signed by Buffalo on Monday, was much more well known having played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers of the BIG 10. Fasching was a former fourth round pick (2013, 118th overall, LAK) who had a career year in 2015-16 and was still getting most of the headlines when Nelson signed a day later.
Minnesota State is rather obscure to those of us outside the state of Minnesota and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association of the NCAA but for three of the past four years, they've been a part of the NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Tournament. Last year they joined the field of 16 by winning the WCHA conference, in 2014 they were WCHA Tournament Champions and the Mavericks won an at-large bid in 2013. Unfortunately, they lost in the WCHA Tournament this year, but it did allowed Nelson the opportunity to forgo his senior season to pursue his NHL dreams.
Unlike with Fasching, there really wasn't much anticipation and/or fanfare with the Nelson signing. Buffalo GM Tim Murray announced it with a simple two-sentence statement. “We’ve been consistently impressed with Casey’s play for the last two years,” said the GM in the release. “We identified him as one of the top college free agents available and we’re excited to have him join the organization.”
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Some names to watch at the 2015 Buffalo Sabres Prospects Challenge
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Buffalo Sabres inaugural Prospects Challenge gets underway September 12, 2015 as Buffalo hosts prospects from the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils at both HARBORCENTER and the First Niagara Center. The Sabres had been a part of the Detroit Red Wings' annual Traverse City Tournament before opting out to start their own.
Yesterday the team released their roster of prospects who will be hitting the ice or the three-day round-robin event. Second-overall picks Jack Eichel (2015) and Sam Reinhart (2014) headline a strong group of recent draft picks while defenseman Jake McCabe and goalie Andrey Makarov, both of whom were in Rochester last season playing big roles, lead a small group of "veteran."
With Eichel and Reinhart grabbing most of the attention, here are some names to watch:
--RW's Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste
Both Bailey and Baptiste are 20 yrs. old and Sabres' picks from the 2013 draft class and both will be riding shotgun with Eichel and Reinhart on the right side. Baptiste plays a strong two-way game and his myriad of shots that he uses to score with. Look for him to be an all-situations, go-to guy. The speedy Bailey packs plenty of size on his 6'3" 195 lb. frame and through his work-ethic is really starting to develop a nice set of hands. Both have finished their junior careers and will begin their trek to the NHL in Rochester this season.
--LHD Brendan Guhle
The 18 yr. old Guhle, who was drafted in the second round (51st overall) of the 2015 draft whom Sabres GM Tim Murray "an incredible athlete who can really skate." At Sabres Development Camp in July the left-handed, more offensive-minded Guhle was paired with Anthony Florentino (2013, 143rd,) a big, hard-hitting, defensive-minded righty. Not sure where Ghule will be on the ice as only one of their nine d-men are right-handed, but no matter where he is, enjoy watching him get up and down the ice.
--RW/LW, Evan Rodrigues
Although he's never said it, nor has he ever been asked, one would thing that Rodrigues is looking to separate himself from Eichel and stand on his own. The pair tore it up in Hockey East last season with many attributing Rodrigues' success to playing with Eichel. It's a fair statement, but he managed to stand out on his own at Development Camp and will likely do the same at the Prospects Challenge. I was amazed at the velocity and accuracy of his shot and the quickness with which he unleashes it.
--C, Georgio Estephan
The 2015 sixth-round pick (152nd) was an underdog at the Development Camp yet managed to raise some eyebrows with his skills and hockey sense. At 6'0" 183 lbs. he has good NHL size and he uses it well. As a sixth-rounder, Estephan is a long-shot, but the Sabres can keep him in the hopper for a number of years while he continues to develop.
--F, Eric Cornel
Cornel's a good-sized, two way forward who can skate very well. He had a six-game taste of pro hockey playing with Rochester to end the season. Cornel will be headed back to the Peterborough Petes of the OHL next season and hopefully he can iron out some of his inconsistencies. For the Prospects Challenge look for Cornel to play a 200' game while, hopefully, hitting the scoresheet.
Of note: G, Linus Ullmark is still rehabbing from double-hip surgery and will be sidelined until later this year.
Missing from the annual prospect tournaments are college players as well as those who are playing overseas. Their gearing up for their respective seasons.
There's a lot of young, highly-skilled talent hitting the ice for the Sabres and no doubt expectations will be pretty high. Winning is the goal, but the main component of events like this is to see how prospects stack up against their peers as they'll be playing them at every level of their hockey career.
For the full roster and schedule, click here.
The Buffalo Sabres inaugural Prospects Challenge gets underway September 12, 2015 as Buffalo hosts prospects from the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils at both HARBORCENTER and the First Niagara Center. The Sabres had been a part of the Detroit Red Wings' annual Traverse City Tournament before opting out to start their own.
Yesterday the team released their roster of prospects who will be hitting the ice or the three-day round-robin event. Second-overall picks Jack Eichel (2015) and Sam Reinhart (2014) headline a strong group of recent draft picks while defenseman Jake McCabe and goalie Andrey Makarov, both of whom were in Rochester last season playing big roles, lead a small group of "veteran."
With Eichel and Reinhart grabbing most of the attention, here are some names to watch:
--RW's Justin Bailey and Nicholas Baptiste
Both Bailey and Baptiste are 20 yrs. old and Sabres' picks from the 2013 draft class and both will be riding shotgun with Eichel and Reinhart on the right side. Baptiste plays a strong two-way game and his myriad of shots that he uses to score with. Look for him to be an all-situations, go-to guy. The speedy Bailey packs plenty of size on his 6'3" 195 lb. frame and through his work-ethic is really starting to develop a nice set of hands. Both have finished their junior careers and will begin their trek to the NHL in Rochester this season.
--LHD Brendan Guhle
The 18 yr. old Guhle, who was drafted in the second round (51st overall) of the 2015 draft whom Sabres GM Tim Murray "an incredible athlete who can really skate." At Sabres Development Camp in July the left-handed, more offensive-minded Guhle was paired with Anthony Florentino (2013, 143rd,) a big, hard-hitting, defensive-minded righty. Not sure where Ghule will be on the ice as only one of their nine d-men are right-handed, but no matter where he is, enjoy watching him get up and down the ice.
--RW/LW, Evan Rodrigues
Although he's never said it, nor has he ever been asked, one would thing that Rodrigues is looking to separate himself from Eichel and stand on his own. The pair tore it up in Hockey East last season with many attributing Rodrigues' success to playing with Eichel. It's a fair statement, but he managed to stand out on his own at Development Camp and will likely do the same at the Prospects Challenge. I was amazed at the velocity and accuracy of his shot and the quickness with which he unleashes it.
--C, Georgio Estephan
The 2015 sixth-round pick (152nd) was an underdog at the Development Camp yet managed to raise some eyebrows with his skills and hockey sense. At 6'0" 183 lbs. he has good NHL size and he uses it well. As a sixth-rounder, Estephan is a long-shot, but the Sabres can keep him in the hopper for a number of years while he continues to develop.
--F, Eric Cornel
Cornel's a good-sized, two way forward who can skate very well. He had a six-game taste of pro hockey playing with Rochester to end the season. Cornel will be headed back to the Peterborough Petes of the OHL next season and hopefully he can iron out some of his inconsistencies. For the Prospects Challenge look for Cornel to play a 200' game while, hopefully, hitting the scoresheet.
Of note: G, Linus Ullmark is still rehabbing from double-hip surgery and will be sidelined until later this year.
Missing from the annual prospect tournaments are college players as well as those who are playing overseas. Their gearing up for their respective seasons.
There's a lot of young, highly-skilled talent hitting the ice for the Sabres and no doubt expectations will be pretty high. Winning is the goal, but the main component of events like this is to see how prospects stack up against their peers as they'll be playing them at every level of their hockey career.
For the full roster and schedule, click here.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Ramp-up to the 2015 NHL Draft Pt. 5--Centers of attention
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
There's an old adage in baseball that ties strength up the middle to success. With the Chicago Blackhawks and the Golden State Warriors putting an end to the hockey and basketball seasons, respectively, perhaps it's fitting we use that analogy as the boys of summer are really all we have right now from a competition standpoint (no disrespect to the FIFA women.)
Strength behind the plate, at shortstop and second base and in center field is at the heart of the defense while in hockey goaltending, top-pairing defense and No. 1 center is an NHL comparable. It's a combination the Hawks were built upon and their success has the hockey world linking "dynasty" to this group. Winning three Stanley Cups in six years is about as dynastic as you can get in a salary-cap world.
Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville got the goaltending from Corey Crawford during their Cup run this year while he played his top defenseman, Conn Smythe winner Duncan Keith, a ridiculous 31 minutes per game during the playoffs. However, hockey being the team sport that it is, there were contributions up and down the lineup throughout their run from the likes of d-partner Brent Seabrook, and forwards Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw, to name a few.
There's an old adage in baseball that ties strength up the middle to success. With the Chicago Blackhawks and the Golden State Warriors putting an end to the hockey and basketball seasons, respectively, perhaps it's fitting we use that analogy as the boys of summer are really all we have right now from a competition standpoint (no disrespect to the FIFA women.)
Strength behind the plate, at shortstop and second base and in center field is at the heart of the defense while in hockey goaltending, top-pairing defense and No. 1 center is an NHL comparable. It's a combination the Hawks were built upon and their success has the hockey world linking "dynasty" to this group. Winning three Stanley Cups in six years is about as dynastic as you can get in a salary-cap world.
Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville got the goaltending from Corey Crawford during their Cup run this year while he played his top defenseman, Conn Smythe winner Duncan Keith, a ridiculous 31 minutes per game during the playoffs. However, hockey being the team sport that it is, there were contributions up and down the lineup throughout their run from the likes of d-partner Brent Seabrook, and forwards Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrew Shaw, to name a few.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Struggling Amerks sweep Monsters as F, Eric Cornel makes his pro debut
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Head coach Chadd Cassidy's Rochester Americans came into "the Q" last night on a four-game losing streak. They were playing the last game of a four-game road trip and were facing a Lake Erie Monsters team that was still in playoff contention, yet despite that, a little relief was in sight as the Amerks were coming into the contest looking for the season sweep.
In the first three meetings the Amerks outscored the Monsters by a cumulative 14-4 score and last night ended up no different as the Amerks skated to a 5-1 victory in front of 6628 in Cleveland. "It's just one of those things where you just match up well against a team or you just have confidence," said Cassidy after pulling off the sweep. "We've got a lot of new players in our lineup and finally had a long week of practice where we got everyone on the same page.
Head coach Chadd Cassidy's Rochester Americans came into "the Q" last night on a four-game losing streak. They were playing the last game of a four-game road trip and were facing a Lake Erie Monsters team that was still in playoff contention, yet despite that, a little relief was in sight as the Amerks were coming into the contest looking for the season sweep.
In the first three meetings the Amerks outscored the Monsters by a cumulative 14-4 score and last night ended up no different as the Amerks skated to a 5-1 victory in front of 6628 in Cleveland. "It's just one of those things where you just match up well against a team or you just have confidence," said Cassidy after pulling off the sweep. "We've got a lot of new players in our lineup and finally had a long week of practice where we got everyone on the same page.
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