Saturday, June 25, 2011

Local product Alex Lepkowski goes to Sabres at #137

The Sabres continued to add more local flare by adding West Seneca native Alex Lepkowski of the OHL's Barrie Colts in the 5th round of the 2011 draft. Standing 6'4, 212 pounds, Lepkowski is a hard working, stay-at-home presence who moves well for a big man. He's carved out a reputation as a blue collar kid who coaches rave about.

A former standout at St. Francis High School where ties exist to Sabres amateur scout Nik Fattey, Lepkowski represents a very intriguing platform for the Sabres to build upon. Despite not scoring a goal in his first two junior seasons, the imposing rearguard possesses some excellent puck skills that should continue to be leveraged with more experience and better decision making.

It's more than just the puck skills and size that make him worth a fifth-round look. Lepkowski has some leadership in his system as well. He's engaged 11 OHL combatants over his first two seasons while steadily developing into a dependable guy in his own end. It was the blend that allowed the Colts to trade captain and fan favorite Dalton Prout to Saginaw in exchange for his services midway through the 2010-11 campaign.