Author: Kris Baker

Thought of as a first-round pick entering the season, Brycen Martin arrives in Buffalo at pick #74 in the third round of the 2014 draft. Martin has good size and mobility, and makes excellent passes out of the zone. He’s comfortable skating with the puck, and he has the ability to produce when the play…

Jonas Johansson – G, Brynas IF J20 (Sweden), 6’4″, 198 lbs.   I got a brief glimpse of Johansson over the summer at the USA National Junior Evaluation Camp, and was particularly impressed with his great size and simple positioning. He’s s big, wide goalie with excellent athleticism and a great glove who forces you…

Vaclav Karabacek – RW, Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL), 6’0”, 190 lbs. The hard-working Czech goes about his business efficiently with a north/south style and good offensive instincts. Karabacek was a consistent producer all season long in Gatineau (21-26-47), but really stepped up in the playoffs with 12 points (6+6) in the Olympiques’ nine games. He added…

Eric Cornel (6’2″, 184 lbs., 4/11/96) is a Buffalo Sabres prospect after being selected 44th overall at the 2014 NHL draft. Cornel is smart, speedy and crafty, and he can succeed both at center and down the wing. He potted 25 goals and 62 points in the regular season, but really shined in the second…

Brendan Lemieux – LW, Barrie Colts (OHL), 6’0.25”, 206 lbs. Son of former NHL pest Claude, Lemieux totes the same peskiness and clutch scoring ability that made his father one of the greatest playoff performers of the past 20 years. Scouts tracking Ekblad regularly noticed Lemieux making things happen from between the hashmarks. His powerful…

Welcome to Buffalo, Samson Reinhart. If you have been following along, be it here or other media hubs over the last few weeks, this was the sensible pick for the Sabres if they stayed in the second spot (assuming that Aaron Ekblad went first overall). This is at all no slight to Sam Bennett or…

The Buffalo Sabres enter the 2014 NHL draft with their highest pick since 2003. That year, Darcy Regier and posse kept the fifth overall selection to select Thomas Vanek out of the University of Minnesota. They haven’t held a pick in the top two since 1987, when Gerry Meehan made his first pick as general…

The Sabres locked up two more prospects to entry-level contracts this week, inking Nick Baptiste (2013, 3rd round) and Brady Austin (2012, seventh round) to three-year deals. Baptiste was a ball of fire all season long for Sudbury, scoring 45 goals (t-4th in OHL) and 89 points in 65 games to capture the team/s Most…

The Buffalo Sabres announced Tuesday the signing of 2012 sixth round draft pick Linus Ullmark to a three-year entry-level contract. Ullmark recently completed an impressive rookie year in Sweden’s top league, emerging as MODO’s go-to option in net to capture 17 wins, a 2.08 GAA and a league-best .931 save% to win the Honken Trophy…

Nearly a year ago on draft day, London Knights defenseman Nikita Zadorov told the Buffalo media that he “likes to hit”. The big Russian didn’t put up any points at the 2014 Mastercard Memorial Cup, but he still made his presence known by doing what he does best. Midway through the second period of Wednesday’s…