The question of who will help man the crease when the Sabres
participate in the 2014 NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City appears to have
been answered with QMJHL veteran Francois Brassard earning a training camp
invite.
Brassard, 20, was originally a sixth round draft pick by the
Ottawa Senators in 2012 (he was chosen three spots after the Sabres secured the
services of Linus Ullmark), but went unsigned at the June 1 deadline. He played the last three seasons as a teammate
of current Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko with the QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts,
most recently amassing 28 wins with a 2.95 GAA and .909 save% in 2013-14. Brassard was traded to Cape Breton at the QMJHL draft, and as of now, is expected to return to junior in 2014-15 for an overage season.
A scrappy, athletic netminder,
Brassard attended Hockey Canada’s Programme of Excellence goaltender camp last
summer. It appears that he will serve as backup to Andrey Makarov when the team descends upon Traverse City in mid-September.