Ullmark off to 4-Nations

Linus Ullmark has left the Modo J20 to play for Team Sweden this weekend in a U20 four nations tournament in Kravare, Czech Republic. Team Sweden will play games against Russia (Friday), the Czech Republic (Saturday), and Finland (Sunday) in the three-day event. The same four nations will again convene in early November for another round of games.

Ullmark is coming off a 1-1 mark including a shutout in Modo's preseason visit to Gimo. He'll be sharing the nets with Joel Lassinantti, who earlier in the month joined Ullmark as the odd men out as Sweden put together their final roster for USA's National Junior Development Camp in Lake Placid, NY.

Other notables on Sweden's roster include fellow 2012 draft picks Sebastian Collberg (MON), Ludvig Bystrom (DAL), and Erik Karlsson (CAR), as well as 2013 draft prospects Elias Lindholm, Gustav Possler, Jacob de la Rose, and Linus Arnesson.

Finland's roster has yet to be confirmed but it is possible that Joel Armia remains in Pori for Assat's Saturday game against Vaxjo.

A Broader Platform

The City of Buffalo announced Wednesday that the Webster Block property, a tract of land currently covered by a parking lot across from the First Niagara Center, will be developed by HARBORcenter Development, LLC - a group headed by Sabres owner, Terry Pegula. The project represents a new look, new jobs, and breath of new life in the downtown area. Revitalization at its finest, and just another sign that the City of Good Neighbors is on the right track to better days.

With the Webster Block news about to hit the wire, Kevin Snow of Sabres.com greased the day's "developmental" theme by announcing an addition to the Sabres web team brought on for the purpose of producing weekly prospect columns and updates on Sabres Hockey Hotline with Kevin Sylvester. I'm pleased to announce that I will be the person helping drive that coverage.

I'm equal parts excited and thankful for the opportunity to elevate the prospect happenings to a much broader platform. The NHL got considerably younger with the last CBA, and fans have demonstrated a desire for more news. In conjunction with the in-depth NHL and AHL coverage already provided, the extended pipeline news truly makes Sabres.com and Sabres Hotline your one-stop source for top-to-bottom (Adam to Vanek) coverage.

And by the way, you will still get your daily fix from SabresProspects.com, so the only adjustment to your bookmarks is adding Sabres.com (which is likely already there) to fill out your news needs.

Thank you all for reading along the way.

Back to sticks and pucks...

Ullmark pitches shutout

Linus Ullmark made 31 saves Sunday as MODO J20 completed their trip to Gimo with a 7-0 shutout win over Vasteras. MODO got out to a three-goal lead after the opening frame and didn't look back with Ullmark shutting the door. Sebastian Nilsson and Christopher Bengtsson each scored a pair of goals to pace the winners.

The victory gives the J20 a 2-1 record in their weekend road trip. MODO will continue their preseason work Thursday against the Ornskoldsvik "A".

8/25 Recap: Grigo groovin' early

In Saturday action, Mikhail Grigorenko scored a goal and an assist as Quebec closed their exhibition slate with a 5-2 win over Shawinigan. The big pivot, who earlier set-up an Anthony Duclair ('13) goal for the second straight game, scored with the man advantage 7:24 into the third period to give the Remparts a 5-1 lead.

The 6'3 center scored five points (2+3) in the two weekend wins over the Cataractes, and with a deep group surrounding him, looks set for an "off the charts" statistical year if he remains in the QMJHL for the entire season. Along with Duclair, a potential top-10 draft prospect and linemate of Grigorenko, the Remparts boast a deep group of 2013 eligible forwards including Nick Sorensen, Adam Erne, and Brandon Shea. All could be picked among the top-50.

And then there's Nikita Kucherov, a second round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning and good friend of Grigorenko's who was selected by Quebec in the CHL Import Draft. He has committed to play this season as either a linemate of or replacement for Grigorenko. The former seems more realistic given the NHL CBA chatter, and is just another factor in what could be a dominating year for the Sabres' top gun.

What happens with Grigorenko at Sabres camp impacts Sorensen as well, as the Danish-born forward would likely need to be shipped out since CHL teams can only carry two non-North American players.

The Traverse City cancellation seems to be a signal that Grigorenko won't be in Buffalo anytime soon, so expect him to be in the lineup when the Remparts open the regular season Friday, September 21st against Chicoutimi.

Assat takes tourney; Ullmark prepping

Joel Armia was kept off the scoresheet Saturday as Assat edged Saipa 2-1 to win the preseason tournament in Hämeenlinna. Assat was dominated throughout, registering just eight shots on goal for the entire game, but was able to capitalize on opportunities to eek out the win.

Armia shuttled in from his military conscript to join the club for the pair of games. He went without a point while playing his usual right side on a line with Mika Niemi and former New Jersey Devil Tuomas Pihlman. Assat returns to action next week versus Vaxjo.

In Sweden, Linus Ullmark is starting to see action as the MODO J20 squad has gotten their exhibition schedule underway. The 6'3 netminder began in style Tuesday, stopping all 25 shots he faced in a 3-0 win over Timra.

The J20's traveled south to Gimo over the weekend to continue their preseason rounds with Friday-Sunday games. After MODO opened with a 5-3 win over Brynas on Friday, Ullmark started the next night as MODO dropped a 2-1 decision to Leksand. The J20's close the trip on Sunday with a game against Vasteras before heading home for a Thursday game in Ornskoldsvik.

8/24 Recap: Grigorenko produces in Q tune-up

Mikhail Grigorenko scored a goal and added two assists Friday as Quebec breezed to a 8-2 preseason victory over Shawinigan. The Remparts will play one more exhibition tilt Saturday before opening the 2012-13 regular season Friday, September 21st against Chicoutimi.

Grigorenko, who earned the game's #2 star, showed his playmaking skills in the first 40-minutes with a pair of deft feeds that resulted in goals by Anthony Duclair ('13). In between the helpers, the 6'3 pivot roofed a power play goal early in the second period to give the Remparts a 4-1 lead. Grigorenko rounded out his effort with two shots on goal and a 60% success rate at the faceoff circle (15/25).

In Finland, Joel Armia skated on a line with Tuomas Pihlman and Mika Niemi but was unable to score as Assat defeated HPK 4-3 in a shootout to advance to the Hämeenlinna tournament finals. Former Sabre Mike Ryan scored a regulation goal for the Aces before connecting for the shootout winner. Assat will battle SaiPa on Saturday to conclude the tourney.

Grigorenko, Russians cap series with loss

Mikhail Grigorenko centered the top line Tuesday but was unable to point as Russia was doubled by Canada 4-2 to close the 2012 Canada/Russia Challenge.  The 6'3 pivot finishes with one assist in the four-game set, while continuing to demonstrate own zone efficiency and awareness.

With the series tied at two games apiece, the two teams played a sudden death overtime that was settled 3:20 in when a Ryan Strome (NYI) wrister from the right circle beat Russian netminder Andrei Vasilevski (TAM).

Despite going without a goal, Grigorenko still showed well offensively throughout the week of games, using his puckhandling skills to draw defenders and his vision to hit his wings. Canada's defensive corps did a good job neutralizing his main target, Nail Yakupov, pushing him wide and blocking his route to the net. While the pair's effectiveness was limited, they did connect for quality chances both at even strength and on the power play but simply couldn't convert.

In his own zone, Grigorenko played his middle slot well by retreating low, sticking to his man, and using his long stick to block lanes and gather loose pucks.


What's next for Grigorenko could be dictated by the NHL labor negotiations, but for now the reigning CHL Rookie of the Year will attend training camp with the Quebec Remparts where he'll continue his strength development and execution of high percentage plays with the puck under the guidance of Patrick Roy.

Grigo blanked as Russians gain series edge

Mikhail Grigorenko was again held off the scoresheet Monday as Russia downed Canada 6-5 to take game #3 of the Canada/Russia Challenge in Halifax. The Russians now lead the series 2-1 with the concluding game #4 taking place Tuesday evening (7pm, TSN).

Grigorenko centered a line with 2012 top pick Nail Yakupov and Memorial Cup hero Anton Zlobin. Despite not getting in on any of the half-dozen goals, the 6'3 pivot continued to impact the play with his vision and puck skills. His best opportunity came on a 2x1 break in the second period when he drove the net and saw his backhand off a Yakupov feed stopped by Flames prospect Laurent Brossiot.

As Sabres fans get acclimated to his game, they'll notice his awareness as a center. He sees the ice well in both zones, and while not being the most intense forechecker on the ice, knows his spots and smartly comes back defensively. The extra gear displayed pre-mono is also starting to re-emerge, as the ability to gobble up ice with the puck on his stick was briefly flashed late in the third. There was one particular play where he could have pushed the puck deep as opposed to trying to make a play to the middle, but overall he has played well in the three series games.

View the video below for shift-by-shift coverage of Grigorenko's game #3:

Finland finishes trip with win

Joel Armia did not register a point Saturday as Finland defeated Team USA 3-2 in overtime to close out the United States National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid. The 6'3 wing finishes his visit with a goal and eight penalty minutes in the week's five games. The win was Finland's first of the week.

Despite the statistical low (he posted a goal and three assists in four games at last year's camp), Armia still showed signs of what's to come by doing a good job shielding the puck and instinctively adding movement on the power play. He's strong at taking the puck off the half-wall to the slot and effectively rotates into position around the net without it. He unleashed a couple of wristers on Saturday that missed high. Overall you want to see him connect more while continuing to increase his even-strength compete level when the SM-liiga season begins next month.

Jake McCabe had another solid game for Team USA. The 6'1 defender was more conservative with the puck than earlier in camp and wisely chose spots to close-in offensively. His strong footwork (at one point he outraced Armia back to his own end to steer away an opportunity) and physical engagement drove his play, but it's hard to suggest that he stood out over any of the other bottom-pair candidates throughout the week. USA's U20 blueline crop is a very competitive group. An impressive start at Wisconsin this fall should keep McCabe right in the mix when USA makes their World Junior picks in December.

Top threats quiet as summer tune-ups continue

Mikhail Grigorenko continued to show flashes of chemistry with Nail Yakupov (EDM) Friday but did not get in on the scoring as Russia doubled Canada 6-3 to even the 2012 Canada/Russia Challenge at one game apiece. The 6'3 center has one assist through the first two games of the series, which now shifts back to Halifax, Nova Scotia for its conclusion on Monday and Tuesday.

In other Friday action, Joel Armia was held off the score sheet for the third straight game as Finland was downed by Sweden 5-2 at the United States National Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid. The Swedes, who were coming off a 10-2 blowout loss to Team USA the day before, finish the week with a 3-1 mark. Armia (4GP 1-0-1 8 PIM) will look to end the visit on a high note when Finland goes for their first win of the week versus Team USA on Saturday.

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EDIT: Check out Grigorenko's shifts from game #2 vs. Canada.