Sabres Development Camp Observations
After two years with no development camp, the Sabres’ prospects returned to the ice at HarborCenter last week.
While I tread with caution not to read too much into three practices and a 3v3 tournament in July, there are still some pieces of value we can extract from the live viewings.
Here are some observations on a handful of standouts from the week.
Men Amongst Boys
Jack Quinn
Quinn looked as good as one could hope coming off his AHL Rookie of the Year campaign.
What stood out most about Quinn’s game - something we saw a lot in the AHL last year - is his fearless ability to attack defenders head-on and leverage them as a screen against their own goalie. He is truly great at it. We see this from the league’s best goalscorers all the time, and it’s a very translatable skill to the NHL.
Quinn showcased this countless times this week, practically skating directly at the opposing defenseman and shooting right through them, or making a quick move to set up his release. He had a few beautiful goals from in-tight as well, beating the goalie with a quick snapshot just over the shoulder.
He was consistently one of the most dangerous players on the ice and an overall joy to watch.
JJ Peterka
Michael Peca played 14 seasons in the NHL. Still, he says he’s never seen a player like JJ Peterka:
"I view him as a unicorn," Peca said. "I can't find anybody I played with or against, even in today's game, that resembles the type of player he can become. He's incredibly fast, powerful, instinctual…”
Like Quinn, Peterka was everything we’ve come to expect. It’s been well documented how dynamic he is, but his physicality, non-stop motor, and strength on the puck are what really jump out in a practice environment.
Peyton Krebs
Despite coming into this camp as an older prospect with NHL experience, Krebs was noticeably still there to compete. We saw plenty of flashes of his high motor, incredible vision, and quick hands in-tight that he showcased with the Sabres last season.
When you combine that skill-set with his work ethic, it’s crazy how much Krebs reminds me of Ryan O’Reilly.
Sure, that name may still be a sore spot, but having the chance to watch a large sample of both players, there really is a lot of similarities. And what a development that would be for the Sabres if Krebs continues to develop on that arch.
Owen Power
With no development camp last summer, this week was a good opportunity to see Owen Power up close.
What jumped out the most is really the same thing that jumped out when he got his first bit of NHL action: just how mobile, elusive, and ultimately how dynamic he is for a player his size.
His edge work is elite, and he’s equally intelligent as a facilitator and a goal scorer once he activates into the play. Not to mention, his skating is more than adequate enough to activate as an extra forward and still get back in time to prevent a rush the other way. Something we saw a couple of times in the 3v3 tournament.
Even as one of the younger players in this group, Power was among the most impressive across the board.
Mattias Samuelsson
You know those hockey practices where the kids from two, maybe three levels above come down and skate with you?
That’s what it felt like watching Mattias Samuelsson at development camp.
Samuelsson was a true man amongst boys, a step above in nearly every aspect. His size, composure, and crisp execution were everything you’d expect of a veteran NHL defenseman. It’s weird to remember sometimes that he’s just 22 years old.
Flying Under the Radar
Tyson Kozak
Flashing quick hands, strong skating, a nice release and overall impressive offensive traits all week, if there’s a recent late-round guy to keep an eye on, it’s Kozak.
Over a point-per-game with Portland in the WHL last year, Kozak has already outplayed his 7th-round draft status.
The Sabres feel the same way:
“Watching Kozak, you’d think he went in the top three rounds, to be honest with you,” Peca told the media. “The kid’s impressive… The development staff, when they’d come to Rochester, the first guy they’d talk about is Kozak.”
Lukas Rousek
Hearing from those who got to see Rousek up-close every day in Rochester, their faces lit up at the chance to rave about the forward.
Jack Quinn shook his head and chuckled to himself as he gathered his thoughts on Rousek… “He is so good,” he told the media, almost in a tone of disbelief.
When breaking up these categories, Rousek very well could’ve fit into the ‘man amongst boys’ section. When it came to puck protection, board battles, and maintaining possession, Rousek might’ve been the most dominant player at camp outside of Mattias Samuelsson.
Although not a pretty skater, Rousek motors around the ice just fine and almost always makes the ‘correct play’ when surveying his passing options or controlling the puck under pressure.
If somebody in the Sabres’ bottom-six goes down and Rousek continues his momentum in Rochester, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him get an NHL look as early as next season. I think he could serve just fine in a sheltered, matchup role if he earns himself a call-up.
Jake Richard
Richard, drafted in the 6th round this year, flashed a lot more than his draft status would lead you to expect. A good-sized forward at 6’1, 185, Richard isn’t the smoothest skater but makes up for it with his hockey IQ and ability to protect the puck.
He was very confident with possession, almost to a fault at times, trying to dance his way through two or three defenders. Outside of that, Richard stood out on a few different occasions where he came out on the winning side of a battle drill or a slick 1-on-1 opportunity.
He’s got a ways to go, but he’s an interesting player to track moving forward. I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest to see him outplay his draft position.
Mats Lindgren
Lindgren was pegged as a potential steal the moment he fell to the Sabres in the 4th round, with some projecting him to go as high as round two.
There’s a lot to like about Lindgren, but his skating is really what makes him an intriguing prospect. We saw a lot of that on display this week.
He’s very crafty on his edges and stylistically speaking (not a projection), he reminds me a bit of a poor-man’s Quinn Hughes. He’s super deceptive at the top of the blue line and practically never misfired on a breakout pass.
Oh, and he can do this:
New Kids
Noah Ostlund
While Kulich generated a lot of the buzz, Noah Ostlund quietly showed why he was worthy of the 16th overall pick.
TCB Prospect Analyst Curtis Schwartzkopf wrote this about Ostlund prior to the draft:
“Creativity is Östlund’s strong suit, manipulating defenders with his head and finding ways to get the puck into high danger areas. Subtle moves with his shoulders move defenders from their position and in turn opens up passing and shooting lanes for himself.”
I think he was pretty spot on:
Kulich may have been able to show more finishing ability and physical maturity throughout the practices, but the extra time and space in the 3v3 really allowed Ostlund to shine.
We got to see him manipulate defenders to create passing lanes like Curtis spoke about, as well as his dynamic ability carrying the puck and facilitating the offensive transition.
There wasn't one Ostlund play or moment that stood above the rest, but you can certainly see why the Sabres didn’t want to pass on him.
Jiri Kulich
Aside from Devon Levi, Jiri Kulich was the star of the show last week.
The Sabres loved Kulich heading into the draft, and for good reason. According to a source, the Sabres even discussed trading up for Kulich a couple of different times in round one. We heard from Kevyn Adams & Jerry Forton after the draft that he was in their top 16.
If there’s one thing for certain that everybody watching this week agreed on: it was a miracle that he was sitting on the board at 28.
His shot? As advertised.
His speed? Among the best of all the forwards.
His physical traits? Also among the best.
Of the Sabres three first-round picks this year, despite being the last selected, Kulich is probably the closest to contributing in the NHL.
A player with both a high floor and a high ceiling, Sabres fans were given plenty of reason to be excited about Kulich last week.
Goalies
Devon Levi
The week couldn’t have gone much better for Devon Levi.
From 10 minutes into the first practice when he sprawled across the net like Spiderman to make a jaw-dropping glove save (shown below), Levi showed what all the hype is about.
And we saw it a couple of times:
As a smaller goalie, it really is impressive how quick yet composed Levi is in the crease. He’s lightning quick from goalpost-to-goalpost, yet rarely finds himself out of position from over-extending any of his movements.
When he does find himself out of position, he’s never truly out of it:
Levi genuinely sounded excited about what the Sabres are building and the chance to be a part of it.
Erik Portillo
Despite his equipment arriving late, Portillo was easily one of the best players all week.
Allowing just two goals in the entire 3v3 tournament, he would’ve been my MVP after his team took home the championship.
We didn’t get much clarity on his future (or lack thereof) with the Sabres as he can opt for free agency next summer, but Portillo’s play was undeniably impressive.
Even in Jhonas Enroth’s helmet.
Topias Leinonen
It was unfortunate we didn’t get to see much of Leinonen after he left the ice early on day two. I’m reluctant to draw any conclusions from the one practice session we got to see other than the fact that he is very big.