Digging into the Impact of Sam Reinhart

Tanner Reese checks in with his thoughts on Sam Reinhart's impact on the Sabres...

***

The Buffalo Sabres drafted Jack Eichel in 2015 with much fanfare. The previous season saw the team being outplayed on the ice by a wider margin than any team in the Corsi Era, and the organizational transition that General Manager Tim Murray initiated was progressing from teardown to rebuild. Jack Eichel was The Franchise for Buffalo now, right? He’s the cornerstone that the team will build around for the foreseeable future.

Well, hold on a minute. In 2014, in a draft class with no clear consensus on who the top prospect was, the Sabres selected Samson Reinhart. In his 9 game stint the following October, it was clear that he required a bit of development to live up to his draft status.

Now 100+ games into his career, let’s see how he’s faring.

Reinhart was drafted with the understanding that he was never going to blow you away with his raw athleticism or his power or anything of that nature. He was billed as a player who thinks the game at a level higher than most and would impact the game in subtle ways. Let’s first look at the not-so-subtle ways that he’s made a difference.

Reinhart has the second most Primary Points per 60 minutes (P1/60) on the Sabres as of this writing with 2.0, a categorization of production that discards secondary assists. Now, you may be thinking of plenty of plays where the player who gets the secondary assists on a goal (or even no assist at all) made the key move that lead to the goal. I get it, they can be important! Yet, secondary assists have shown to be less predictive of future assists because they’re another degree removed from your contribution. Here’s a link if you care, written by a man who was later hired by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Think of it this way: a goal that you score is solely dependent on your goalscoring talent. You’re the main influence on that outcome. A primary assist is another degree of influence removed; the result is dependent on your ability to pass the puck and your teammates ability to score. A secondary assist is another degree of separation, where the outcome is dependent on your passing ability, then the passing ability of your teammate, and then the goalscoring ability of a third teammate. Primary points are just more indicative of point-producing ability. If you don’t agree, please continue to read my article anyway because I am still your friend.

Okay, so back to the statistics. Samson Reinhart also has the highest rate of expected goals on the team. Expected goals, or xG, are a way to evaluate shots based on their danger. Not all shots are created equal. Based on historical shooting percentage from various areas, Emmanuel Perry of Corsica created a model to figure out how many goals a team deserves to score. So, if you take 10 shots that are each expected to go in about 10% of the time, you’re expected to score 1 goal. Seems simple. When Reinhart is on the ice, the Sabres are expected to score 55% of the goals (via Corsica.hockey). This doesn’t mean they always will, as variance in shooting percentage and bad bounces and the like take away goals for our team and give other teams goals all of the time. Yet, the results are more likely to be in the Sabres’ favor with Reinhart on the ice. His expected goals for % is 7.98% higher relative to his teammates. The percentage of shots that the Sabres control with Reinhart on the ice is 3.31% higher than their percentage with him off of the ice, another sign that he’s a contributor for this team.

Here’s the rolling average of Reinhart’s P1/60 throughout his career via hockeyviz.com: I remember thinking for a moment (okay, maybe a few moments) that Reinhart was off to a poor start this year. Well, I was wrong and you were wrong if you thought that with me. But that’s fine; he’s producing better than ever and showing clear signs of real development. So, that’s great. Beyond the Corsi, though, let’s look at how his much-hyped defensive acumen is actually paying off with results on the ice.

I’m going to show you a variety of heat maps displaying shot locations from Micah McCurdy on hockeyviz.com. Red means above league average, and blue means below league average. The redder the color, the greater degree above league average, and the same is true as for the blue. Think red=hot, blue=cold in terms of shots.

First, for reference, the 2016-17 Buffalo Sabres as a team:

The team allows a bunch of outside shots, and maybe a little too many from the high slot, but they command the crease and the circles very well.

Okay, so let’s break this down.

With Reinhart on the ice, the Sabres still control the crease well. They’re better through the top of the circles, except for the high slot. Below the circles, the Sabres appear to defend better with Reinhart on the ice. The deep reds at the top of the zone are relevant, but not incredibly damning. Those shots are less dangerous than the ones that Reinhart appears to take away from opposing teams. It looks like Reinhart is probably close to net-neutral defensively, helping a bit in one area and giving up a bit in another.

Let’s look at the offensive side now. We’ve seen that he’s producing the points, now let’s look at how likely it is that it’ll continue. First, his personal shot locations. It seems as though Samson is prone to taking shots from in tight—the locations where shots are the most valuable and most likely to be a goal. So he isn’t riding some crazy luck streak where a bunch of outside shots are pinging in off of defenders earlobes or something. He’s in the crease and the high slot and he’s firing them in the net. This seems pretty likely to be a sustainable method for scoring goals.
Now, how well does the team perform in the offensive zone with and without Reinhart?
Again, I’ll give you the Sabres team in general and then With and Without Reinhart. The color scheme is the same as before.

This shows that the Sabres aren’t an offensive juggernaut, which we all were quite aware of. They don’t shoot much from dangerous areas compared to league average.







Now, let’s look at With and Without Reinhart.

Uh, hey, that looks different. With Reinhart on the ice, the Sabres are a more dangerous offensive team. I mean, look at the “Without” chart. They don’t shoot from near the net more than an average team, or from basically anywhere. Without him, they’re incredibly inept offensively with regard to creating shots. With him, though, they’re better than average in a lot of places and in one location in particular: the net mouth. That’s a common theme with Reinhart’s game.

Defensively, he protects the area where the dangers of allowing a goal are greatest and allows a bit more on periphery—a positive trade-off. Offensively, he focuses both his own personal attempts and the team’s attempts to that same key region of the ice. This is where we see the visual representation of why Sam’s expected goals for percentage is the highest on the team. This isn’t some made up number on a chart; this is shown by where he allows shots from on defense and where he creates them to be taken from on offense.

With the recent questioning of the status of the Sabres’ rebuild, I think we all wonder whether or not the members of the young core are progressing as they should be. In Reinhart’s case, I believe that he is.

Half Hour Hockey Show, Episode 2: Matt Coller talks Minnesota Wild; plenty of Sabres, cold beer & Star Wars (1/17/17)

Half Hour Hockey Show: Ep. 1: Sabres identity; Eichel as captain?; Cal Petersen's status (1/9/17)

Baker's Dozen: 2017 Kris-tal ball edition

Happy New Year to all. What might 2017 bring to Sabreland? Well thankfully Santa brought me a Kristal ball, so let's take a gander and see what the future may bring....

Your Buffalo Sabres 2017 BOLD Predictions:

1) January 5: Sweden defeats Canada 4-3 to win the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship thanks to Alex Nylander's golden goal late in the third period. Both Nylander and Rasmus Asplund are named to the tourney All-Star Team.

With a boost in confidence, Nylander returns to Rochester and takes his game to the next level with 30 second-half points to finish the year with a stat line of 16-31-47.

With a break in the Amerks schedule, Nylander makes his NHL debut Monday, April 3 versus Toronto, netting a power play assist.

2) With contending teams looking to tinker and add depth before the rush of the trade deadline, Johan Larsson becomes a hot topic of discussions in January and is ultimately moved.

Larsson's growth into a role is the best thing that could happen for Tim Murray, who inherited Larsson from the previous regime. Larsson's checking-line competence and ability to agitate is attractive to contenders, and his pending status as an RFA could add to the attraction for a team that sees him as something greater than a rental.

Among the suitors is a Minnesota Wild team that originally drafted Larsson in the 2010 draft.

Murray knows his team is speed-deficient. Moving a valued, affordable, yet not-so-speedy player like Larsson may disappoint fans in the short term, but could make sense when considering the long-term blueprint.

3) He's not injury prone, but unfortunately Robin Lehner suffers another lower-body setback, thrusting Anders Nilsson into the starting role in the final game before the All-Star break.

Nilsson gets off to a less-than-flattering start with two straight defeats before getting his game in line to backstop a late-season charge prior to Lehner's return, along the way improving his career outlook entering the free agency period.

Fortunately for the Sabres, Nilsson accepts another one-year deal to remain in Buffalo as he sees it as his best option to earn playing time.

4) On Friday, March 24, Notre Dame falls to Harvard 4-3 in double-overtime in the NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinal in Providence, effectively ending the collegiate career of goaltender Cal Petersen.

The Sabres move quickly, announcing the following Monday that they've inked Petersen to his entry-level contract. He makes his AHL debut Friday, March 31, stopping 33 of 34 shots in a 3-1 win over Utica.

5) The Sabres become one of the hottest teams down the stretch, but eventually fall well shy of the final Eastern Conference playoff berth. The silliness that is squandered shootout points continues to be a hot topic (when it should simply be a non-issue -- ties are okay in hockey, people!), but regardless the Sabres are back in the lottery.

6) A few obnoxious analytics folks get egg on their faces and a huge hit to any credibility they've (somehow) garnered when Rasmus Ristolainen is named a finalist for the 2016-17 Norris Trophy. Hey, at least those charts were pretty.

7) At season's end, rumors of a Sam Reinhart for William Nylander trade emerge, adding a little more fuel to what many hope will be a competitive re-kindling of a long-standing NHL rivalry between the Sabres and Maple Leafs.

Uniting the Nylander brothers with Jack Eichel makes for a tantalizing rumor in Buffalo leading up to the draft in Chicago. Meanwhile in Toronto, the thoughts of bringing a former World Junior star "home" to play for Mike Babcock makes for a compelling story line.

It would be the first trade between Toronto and Buffalo since March 4, 2009 when the Sabres spent a second-round pick to acquire Dominic Moore.

8) Starving to develop the next wave of defensemen with Brendan Guhle, the Sabres successfully lure right-hander Will Borgen away from St. Cloud State following his sophomore season with a three-year entry-level contract.

9) Joining Borgen in the fold is left-handed defenseman Daniel Brickley, who chooses the Sabres organization over a long line of suitors as one of the hottest college free agent targets on the market. It is the second consecutive year that the Sabres sign a free agent defender out of Minnesota State, following in the footsteps of Casey Nelson.

The Sabres don't hit on all of their collegiate targets, though, as Eden native and Minnesota-Duluth speedster Alex Iafallo chooses to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks shortly after the Bulldogs win the NCAA Championship.

10) In May, the London Knights become the first team since the Windsor Spitfires to win back-to-back Memorial Cups behind the MVP performance of newly-minted OHL star Cliff Pu, who racks up two goals and two assists in the final game over Regina.

The Sabres sign Pu to his entry-level contract shortly thereafter, with the 2016 third-rounder returning to London in 2017-18 and continuing his rise in a key role for Team Canada at the 2018 World Junior Championship in Buffalo.

11) The Sabres choose to protect eight skaters and one goaltender for the NHL expansion draft.

Robin Lehner
Jake McCabe
Rasmus Ristolainen
Zach Bogosian
Ryan O'Reilly
Kyle Okposo
Evander Kane
William Carrier
Marcus Foligno

12) With the sixth pick of the 2017 NHL Draft, the Buffalo Sabres select LW Eeli Tolvanen from the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers.

The Sabres look to fast track their prospect with AHL duty in 2017-18, much like they did with Zemgus Girgensons and Nylander, but Tolvanen instead elects to honor his commitment to Boston College.

13) Lastly, and perhaps the most shocking development of all, Rasmus Asplund signs a contract in the summer, comes to training camp in the fall and, despite not scoring many points in preseason play, wins a spot on the Sabres opening night roster.

The Sabres would prefer to loan him back to Farjestad of the SHL to continue his development, but the plan changes when Asplund's well-developed and highly detailed two-way game stands out among the crowd and helps fill the void left by Larsson's departure.

***

Do you have a bold prediction of your own? Tweet me @SabresProspects and/or leave a comment below.

Cheers, everyone. Thanks as always for following along.

Cliff Pu and the Sabres' Bet on Progress

This week, Tanner Reese takes an in-depth look into Cliff Pu's hot start with the OHL's London Knights and what the Sabres may have seen when selecting him at the 2016 draft.

***

If on June 25th, 2016 a Sabres fan following the NHL Draft thought, “Cliff WHO?” when the Sabres selected Cliff Pu with the 69th overall pick, I wouldn’t blame them.

Pu was certainly not considered a can’t-miss prospect, and was ranked 75th on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking for North American skaters. If you hadn’t recognized the name and did a quick search for his OHL statistics to get a feel for why the Sabres wanted him, you’d have found that he scored a mere 31 points in 63 regular season games.

You’d also have seen that he reached another level to his game during the London Knights’ run to the Memorial Cup, scoring 13 points. Pu scored eight goals in those 18 games after only managing 12 in the entire regular season.

Throughout the regular season, though, there were signs that Pu was getting shots off from areas in-between the circles, places where most goals in the NHL are scored.

As you can see on the heat map of Pu’s 2015-16 shots, his shots were concentrated in the low slot area. He scored a lot of his goals off of rushes, using his explosive skating to break away from defenders and get in alone, as well as to get in positions to tap in rebounds.

Pu played a lesser role on the Knights last year because of their astounding depth, but he’s taken on a greater role this year and is flourishing as the team’s top pivot.

He’s leading the OHL in faceoff win percentage, winning 61.4% of his draws. Last year, Pu placed 101 shots on goal in 63 games for an average of 1.60 shots on goal per game. In only 11 games this year, Pu has 49 SOG for an average of 4.45 SOG/game. In their 4-3 loss to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on October 28th, Pu had an amazing 13 shots on goal. Thirteen.

That’s an insane uptick in production from last year, and his goals and assists have followed the same upward trend that the rest of his game has.

Pu has 19 points this regular season (17 primary points: meaning goals or primary assists), and his 1.55 primary points per game are good for 5th in the OHL. He’s not only benefiting from power play time, with 13 of his points (all primary) coming at even strength and one of his goals being shorthanded. According to prospect-stats.com, Pu has a 32.54 Relative Goals For% at even strength. That is to say while Pu has been on the ice, London has scored 32.54% more of all goals scored than London has when Pu is off of the ice. That’s 9th in the OHL for players who have played in more than 5 games so far this year.

Looking at Pu’s 2015-16 counting stats may not have inspired Sabres’ fans to be excited about his future as a top prospect in the team’s system, but his season so far has been nothing short of a revelation. Credit should be given to the Sabres’ scouting staff for recognizing that Pu was effective in a limited role last year and that an expanded role may lead to a break-out. If Pu can keep up this frenetic pace of offensive production, it will go a long way towards replenishing the Sabres’ prospect system that has been thinned by trades and players graduating to the big club.

After ten games, the Sabres’ bet on Pu was seemingly a smart one.

10/22 Recap: Defensemen contribute; Ullmark excels

Casey Fitzgerald scored a pair of goals Saturday, connecting from a tough angle in the opening period and then converting from the slot in the final frame, as Boston College trounced Holy Cross 6-1. The sophomore defenseman has goals in consecutive games for the first time as a collegian. Chris Brown was kept off the scoresheet for the second straight night.

Fresh off a healthy scratch the night before, senior defender Anthony Florentino returned to produce his first goal of the year plus two assists as Providence doubled St. Lawrence 6-3. The three-point night was the first in Florentino's 104 games as a Friar.



In South Bend, Cal Petersen made 30 saves as Notre Dame fell to Penn State 3-2 in overtime. Connor Hurley recorded one shot on goal for the losing side.

Third-year forward Judd Peterson had three shots on goal, and sophomore defenseman Will Borgen played to an even rating as St. Cloud State came from behind for the second straight night to defeat Minnesota 3-2 and sweep the non-conference series.

In an exhibition scrimmage, Sean Malone scored a power play goal and added the winning marker in the shootout as Harvard earned a 4-3 victory over Dartmouth.

In the WHL, Brandon Hagel scored his third goal of the year and added an assist as Red Deer got past Prince Albert 3-1. Vojtech Budik launched a power play point shot for an assist for the Raiders. Brendan Guhle finished minus-one with a cross-checking minor.



Devante Stephens logged a plus-two rating as Kelowna cruised past Seattle 5-1. Stephens has been an even player or better in his last five games.

In AHL action, Cal O'Reilly, Cole Schneider and Dan Catenacci provided the goals and Linus Ullmark was again excellent with 38 saves to earn the game's first start as Rochester defeated Binghamton 3-1. Ullmark's solid weekend moves him to 3-1 on the year with a 2.75 GAA and .926 save%.

In the QMJHL, Vasily Glotov was unable to produce as Cape Breton was blanked by Blainville-Boisbriand 1-0. Glotov scored a goal in his first game of the year but hasn't connected since, leaving him with seven points (1+6) through 10 contests.

In the USHL, Brett Murray registered three shots on goal as Youngstown was dropped by Dubuque 4-1. Murray's 11 points (3+8) are tied for third-most in the league.

Philip Nyberg logged a minus-one rating as Madison was throttled by Lincoln 6-1. Nyberg has two points (1+1) in his first eight North American contests.

In Sweden, Rasmus Asplund went without a point for the fourth straight games as Farjestad defeated the Vaxjo Lakers 4-1. Asplund won 60 per cent of his faceoffs in the game and provided key work on the penalty kill late in the game as FBK protected their lead.

10/21 Recap: Peterson produces hat trick; Johansson earns shutout

Judd Peterson notched his first-ever NCAA hat trick Friday to thrust St. Cloud State to a 6-5 overtime victory over Minnesota.

Peterson put the Huskies on the board with a power play deflection at 2:20 of the second period to cut the Gophers' lead to 2-1.

After Minnesota added two more on the power play, Peterson batted home his own rebound with 2:49 remaining in the middle frame to halve the deficit to 4-2.

St. Cloud State would continue battling in the third period, with Peterson getting his hat trick with the extra attacker with 1:13 left in regulation to force overtime.




The big night puts Peterson into the St. Cloud State scoring lead with four goals and five points through three games.

St. Cloud State's top pair defenseman Will Borgen finished the game with an even rating.

In Sweden, Jonas Johansson made 42 saves as Almtuna IS shut out HC Vita Hästen 3-0. Johansson's second shutout in eight starts moves him to 4-4 on the year with a 1.39 GAA and .950 save%.

Elsewhere, Casey Fitzgerald connected on a quick wrist shot through traffic for his first goal of the year and added one assist as Boston College defeated Colorado College 4-1. Chris Brown, who entered the game as the Eagles leading scorer (3-3-6), did not factor into the scoring.

Cal Petersen made 29 saves as Notre Dame came back to tie Penn State 3-3. Connor Hurley saw his four-game point streak come to an end, finishing with three shots on goal in the stalemate.

Ivan Chukarov finished with two shots on goal and a plus-two rating as Massachusetts closed out Army West Point 3-2.

Anthony Florentino did not dress as Providence played to a 3-3 tie with Clarkson.

In OHL action, Cliff Pu contributed two assists as London downed Saginaw 5-1. Pu has 13 points (5+8) through his first eight games while winning 62.4 per cent of his draws.

Austin Osmanski was credited with a pair of helpers as Mississauga edged Niagara 6-5 in overtime. That's Osmanski's first multiple point game of the season and his third since joining the Steelheads a year ago.

In the WHL, Brandon Hagel notched his second goal of the season into an empty net as Red Deer defeated Calgary 4-1. Hagel has seven points (2+5) in nine games with the Rebels.

Devante Stephens picked up an assist as Kelowna doubled Tri-City 4-3. Stephens now has points in two consecutive games for the second time in WHL career.

Giorgio Estephan was shut out as Lethbridge was smoked by Brandon 6-1.

Brendan Guhle and Vojtech Budik each finished with an even rating as Prince Albert lost at Edmonton 3-1.

In the AHL, Taylor Fedun produced a goal and an assist while Hudson Fasching, Justin Bailey, Casey Nelson and Dan Catenacci (empty net) scored single markers as Rochester downed Toronto 5-2. Veteran forwards Cole Schneider and Cal O'Reilly each supplied two assists, while Linus Ullmark stopped 34 shots for his best performance of the young season.



In USHL action, Philip Nyberg recorded an assist as Madison got past Waterloo 3-2.

Brett Murray saw his three-game point streak snapped as Youngstown was blanked by Dubuque 3-0.

In the QMJHL, Vasily Glotov submitted two shots on goal and a minus-one rating in Cape Breton's 4-2 loss at Gatineau.

Rasmus Asplund skated for 16:20 in Farjestad's 3-1 win over Vaxjo. Through 10 games, Asplund has collected two goals and five points.

10/19 Recap: Stephens scores a beauty

We've got a little mid-week catch-up for you to chew on as the Sabres get ready to close their first west coast road trip of the season...

Devante Stephens notched his first goal of the season Wednesday, jumping into the play and taking a defender around the edge for the lamplighter as Kelowna edged Everett 4-3. The first-period marker was the seventh of his career and first since November 20, 2015 for the stay-at-home defenseman.



In honor of Stephens' rare goal, here's a little bonus.

Some of you who follow on Twitter may recall this tweet from two weeks ago:

Had a feeling Devante Stephens was going to scrap soon. Sure enough, executed huge hit in first period of tonight's game and gloves came off

— Kris Baker (@SabresProspects) October 8, 2016

Here's what I was talking about...



***

In Sweden, Rasmus Asplund skated for a career-best 21:56 as Farjestad BK got past Djurgarden IF 3-2 in a shootout. Asplund has two goals, five points and an even rating through his first nine appearances this season while averaging 16:50 of work per night. His development is properly being served as he is getting quality time in all situations.

***

On Tuesday, Giorgio Estephan scored his third goal of the year as Lethbridge was shellacked by Regina 6-1. The blocker-side snipe gives Estephan nine points (3+6) through his first eight games. Four of his six helpers have come with the man advantage.



Also from Tuesday, Victor Olofsson recorded one assist as Frolunda HC doubled Orebro HK 4-2. Olofsson has three points (2+1) in his first 10 games with FHC. A season ago, Olofsson produced three goals and eight points in his first 10 games with MODO on his way to finishing as the team's leading scorer.

10/15 recap: Murray erupts

Brett Murray exploded for a five-point Saturday, scoring two goals and adding three assists as Youngstown cruised past Muskegon 7-4. The offensive eruption elevates Murray to 11 points (3+8) through his first seven contests. He has points in five of seven games since joining the Phantoms en route to compiling a plus-eight rating.



Elsewhere in USHL action, Philip Nyberg (-2) contributed two shots on goal as Madison was blanked 4-0 by Chicago. The Wisconsin commit has one goal and eight shots in the first six games of his USHL tune-up.

In AHL action, Justin Bailey scored his first goal of the year with nice third-period wrist shot, and Linus Ullmark stopped 40 of 44 shots as Rochester was defeated by Syracuse 4-1. Taylor Fedun drew the lone assist on Bailey's marker for his first point as an Amerk.

In the collegiate ranks, Judd Peterson scored his first goal of the year and Will Borgen supplied one assist as St. Cloud State was swept by Minnesota State thanks to a 6-4 defeat. The Huskies will look to right the ship next weekend when they meet Minnesota for a home-and-home non-conference set.

Cal Petersen made his 54th consecutive start in the Notre Dame crease, making 27 saves as the Fighting Irish earned the weekend split with a 3-1 win over Minnesota-Duluth. Connor Hurley netted one assist to extend his season-opening point streak to four games. The Irish return to home ice next weekend when they take on Penn State.

Anthony Florentino led all defensemen with three shots on goal as Providence was upset by Holy Cross 2-1 in overtime. The Friars host North Country opponents Clarkson and St. Lawrence next weekend.

In the OHL, Cliff Pu was shut out as London was smoked by Erie 7-1. Pu has four goals and 10 points through six games while winning 64 per cent of his faceoffs.

Austin Osmanski produced two shots on goal as Mississauga came back to defeats Saginaw 3-2 in overtime. Top draft prospect Owen Tippett scored two goals for the third straight contest to propel the comeback.

Vasily Glotov recorded one assist as Cape Breton was doubled by Charlottetown 4-2. Through seven contests, Glotov has one collected goal and five total points.

Giorgio Estephan (-3) saw his five-game point streak snapped as Lethbridge was hammered by Regina 7-2. Estephan, who averaged 1.25 points per game a season ago, is scoring at the same clip early with 1.33 points-per-game through his first six contests.

Devante Stephens logged a plus-one rating as Kelowna lost to Swift Current 5-1. Stephens entered the season as a cumulative plus-29 in his first two WHL seasons (136 games). He is currently a minus-two through the first eight tilts of the 2016-17 campaign.

Vojtech Budik (+1) and Brendan Guhle each had good nights in their own zone as Prince Albert lost to Brandon 4-3. Budik was angling for the second three-game point streak of his WHL career, but was unable to produce in defeat.

In Sweden, Victor Olofsson finished with a plus-one rating in a season-high 16:29 of work as Frolunda HC dropped a 3-2 decision to Linkoping HC.

Rasmus Asplund was unable to score in 14:33 of action as Farjestad BK earned a 3-1 victory over Lulea HF.

Jonas Johansson did not dress as Almtuna IS edged IF Bjorkloven 2-1.

10/14 Recap: Pu elevates game

Cliff Pu scored his fourth goal of the season Friday, taking a pass and going in alone for the quick forehand finish glove side as London defeated Windsor 4-0. Pu has scored in four of his first five games en route to collecting nine total points (4+5).


Elsewhere in the OHL, Austin Osmanski finished with a minus-one rating as Mississauga nearly erased a five-goal deficit in taking a 5-4 loss to Flint.

In the WHL, Giorgio Estephan netted one assist to extend his season-opening point streak to five games as Lethbridge fell to Vancouver 4-3 in overtime.

On Wednesday, Estephan collected two goals and an assist to help the Hurricanes to a 5-2 triumph over Victoria.



Brandon Hagel amassed three assists as Red Deer downed Swift Current 6-4. Hagel's helpers elevate him to six points (1+5) through his first seven games with the Rebels.

Brendan Guhle made his season debut, finishing with a plus-two rating as Prince Albert knocked off Brandon 3-2 in overtime. Vojtech Budik picked up an assist for the second-straight games in the victory.

Devante Stephens continue to play second-pair minutes, finishing with a plus-one rating in Kelowna's 4-2 loss to Saskatoon.

In Friday night USHL action, Brett Murray added an assist to his stat line as Youngstown defeated Muskegon 3-1. The Penn State commit has six points (1+5) through his first six games with the Phantoms.

Defenseman Philip Nyberg recorded two shots on goal as Madison lost to rival Green Bay 4-1.

In NCAA action, Judd Peterson notched one assist and Will Borgen logged a plus-one rating as St. Cloud State was upended by Minnesota State 4-1.

Connor Hurley supplied one assist and cal Petersen allowed four goals on 28 shots as Notre Dame lost to Minnesota-Duluth 4-3. Hurley now has six points (1+5) through three games. Petersen falls to 2-1 with with a 2.66 GAA and .897 save%.

Casey Fitzgerald (2 SOG) and Chris Brown (5 SOG) were unable to get in on the scoring as Boston College was defeated by Wisconsin 3-1.

In the AHL, Cole Schneider recorded two goals and two assists while Nick Baptiste supplied a goal and a n assist to earn his first NHL recall as Rochester hung on for a 5-4 victory over Hershey. Eric Cornel and Cal O'Reilly also scored for the Amerks, while Linus Ullmark made 25 saves to get the win. Alex Nylander assisted on the game's opening tally for his first career point as a pro.

On Thursday, Rasmus Asplund used his backhand to bury his second goal of the year to help Farjestad BK to a 5-0 win over Skellefteå AIK. Asplund has hit a higher level this season, piling up five points (2+3) in seven games.



Victor Olofsson used his speed and hands to score his second goal of the season in Frolunda HC's 2-1 in over Rogle BK.

10/8 Recap: Hurley producing; Asplund assists

Connor Hurley scored his first goal of the year just 1:02 into the action Saturday and added a pair of assists as Notre Dame completed the sweep of Arizona State with a 4-2 victory.

On his first shift of the night, Hurley entered the zone down the left side on a two-on-one and showed patience upon taking a pass with a nice five-hole marker to give the Irish the early lead.


Hurley, who had a two assists the night before, posted back-to-back multi-point efforts for the first time since October 2014 when he accomplished the task in a home set against Niagara.

Cal Petersen got the start for the Fighting Irish and played the whole way, stopping 23 of 25 shots to secure back-to-back wins to start the year.

At the Ice Breaker, Chris Brown recorded a pair of assists as Boston College defeated Denver 3-1. The even-strength helpers comprised Brown's third multi-point game since joining the Eagles' program. Sophomore defenseman Casey Fitzgerald was held out of the contest for precautionary reasons.

Ivan Chukarov picked up an assist as Massachusetts fell to Colorado College 7-4. The assist was Chukarov's first point of the season.

Anthony Florentino did not dress as Providence dropped a 2-1 decision to Miami.

Seam Malone was absent from Harvard's 5-2 exhibition win over Team USA.

***

In Swedish Hockey League action, Rasmus Asplund drew an assist on the overtime winner to help Farjestad BK to a 2-1 triumph over Frolunda HC.

Asplund, who had already eclipsed his previous career-best time-on-ice during regulation to finish with 20:21 of work, was in the offensive zone when he gathered a loose puck near the right circle and got it back to the point to create the scoring play just 47 seconds into the extra session.


The helper gives the 18-year old four points (1+3) through his first six games of the season.

Frolunda winger Victor Olofsson recorded one shot on goal in the defeat. The 20-year-old shooter has one goal in seven contests with the Indians, and recently has been earning more shifts on the second power play unit.

In HockeyAllsvenskan, Jonas Johansson allowed a second-period point shot to get past him but stopped the other 25 sent his way as Almtuna IS cruised to a 4-1 victory over AIK. Johansson has been excellent in the season's early goings, compiling a 3-4 record, 1.59 GAA and .938 save% to go along with one shutout.

***

Giorgio Estephan collected one assist and added a shootout marker as Lethbridge came up short in a 6-5 loss to Tri-City. The crafty pivot has points in each of his three games since returning to the Hurricanes.

Brandon Hagel added one assist to his stat line as Red Deer dominated Kelowna 5-0. Hagel earned his helper when he took a puck at the left point and slid a pass along the blue line to the waiting defenseman for a long-range tally. Devante Stephens recorded a minus-two rating in the loss.

Vojtech Budik earned one assist for his first point of the season in Prince Albert's 4-3 loss to Swift Current. The Raiders have lost three straight contests.

In the USHL, Brett Murray recorded one assist as Youngstown lost to Madison 3-2. The Penn State commit has five points (1+4) through his first five USHL appearances. Defenseman Philip Nyberg supplied one shot on goal in the Capitols' victory.

10/7 Recap: Pu, Osmanski spark victories

In Friday action, Cliff Pu scored his second goal of the year and added an assist as London got past Peterborough 6-3.

Pu scored the Knights' first goal of the game for the second-straight Friday, taking a pass and quickly burying a forehand to the far side with 5:42 remaining in opening frame to cut the Petes' lead to 2-1.


Pu would later collect a secondary helper on a power play tally as the Knights pulled away.

While Pu was posting his second multi-point game of the year, he was just as impressive at the faceoff circle with a dominating 18 wins on 22 draws.

Elsewhere in Ontario Hockey League action, Austin Osmanski scored a third-period goal as Mississauga came back to defeat Flint 3-2 in a shootout.

With his team trailing 2-0, Osmanski kicked off the late rally with under five minutes to play in regulation time when he accepted a return pass, went to the net and scored with a forehand.



With a developing confidence when skating the puck, Osmanski gets his first goal of the year in just his fourth game of the season. A year ago, Osmanski scored just two goals all season long, with both coming in his 16th game of the schedule.

NCAA

Connor Hurley notched a pair of first-period assists and Cal Petersen stopped 10 of 11 shots in two periods of work as No. 9 Notre Dame smoked Arizona State 9-2. For Hurley, the two-helper night was the ninth multiple point game on his collegiate resume. Earlier in the day, Petersen was one of 20 goalies named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List. The two clubs go at it again on Saturday.

Sophomore defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and fellow second-year man Chris Brown were each held without a point as No. 5 Boston College was stunned by Air Force 2-1 in the first round of the Ice Breaker tournament in Denver. The Eagles look to rebound on Saturday when they take on host No. 5 Denver in a game that many thought would decide the tourney title.

Ivan Chukarov submitted a team-high three shots on goal as Massachusetts blanked Colorado College 3-0. The Minutemen will go for their second consecutive season-opening sweep of the Tigers Saturday on home ice.

Anthony Florentino finished with one shot on goal and an even rating as No. 10 Providence edged Miami 4-3. The Friars will look to close out the home sweep on Saturday.

WHL

Giorgio Estephan connected for a pair of assists just 33 seconds apart in the opening frame as Lethbridge won at Spokane 5-3. Estephan now has three helpers through his first two games back in junior.



Devante Stephens notched his first point of the year, an assist, as Kelowna pitched a 1-0 road shutout at Edmonton. Late in the first period, Stephens laid a huge hit and was forced to defend it with his fourth career fighting major.

Brandon Hagel recorded a pair of minor penalties as Red Deer was doubled by Medicine Hat 6-3.

QMJHL

Rookie forward Vasily Glotov saw his four-game point streak snapped as Cape Breton closed out Charlottetown 5-3. Glotov has collected four points (1+3) while winning 40.5 percent of his faceoffs through his first five North American games.

USHL

Brett Murray contributed two shots on goal as Youngstown shut out Madison 2-0. Madison defenseman Philip Nyberg added two shots on goal of his own for the winners.

10/5 Recap: Hagel makes a difference

Brandon Hagel scored a short-handed goal and added an assist in the third period Wednesday to help Red Deer claim a 5-4 victory over Kamloops.

After the Rebels fell behind 3-0 after the opening period, the floodgates opened with the hosts scoring the next five goals. Hagel, who previously missed on two golden opportunities in the contest, finally connected for his marker at 5:36 of the final frame by getting behind the defense and finishing off a break at the side of the cage.


Four minutes later, Hagel provided an assist on the game-winner before the Blazers added a late goal to complete the scoring.

Elsewhere in the WHL, Giorgio Estephan picked up an assist in his first game back as Lethbridge was doubled by Kelowna 6-3. Devante Stephens finished with an even rating and a cross-checking minor for the winning side.

Vojtech Budik logged a minus-two rating as Prince Albert fell to Portland 5-3.

In the QMJHL, Vasily Glotov assisted on an empty-net goal with 42 seconds left in regulation as Cape Breton skated to a 5-3 win over visiting Rimouski. The helper gives Glotov points in each of his first four games with the Screaming Eagles.

Jonas Johansson stopped 29 of 33 shots as Almtuna IS dropped a 5-3 decision to Tingsryds AIF. The loss moves Johansson to 2-4 on the year with a 1.69 GAA and .933 save%.

10/2 Recap: Olofsson breaks through

Victor Olofsson scored his first goal of the year Sunday to help Frolunda HC to a 4-1 victory over Djurgarden IF.

The trigger man, who skated for a season-high 15:27 in the win, made it a 3-1 game with a backhand finish at the side of the net midway through the final period.


Olofsson's goal was his first point in five appearances with his new club.

In the OHL, Austin Osmanski finished plus-one with three shots on goal as Mississauga was defeated by North Bay 7-4.

Vojtech Budik logged a plus-two raring in Prince Albert's 5-2 win over Edmonton.

In NCAA exhibition action, Judd Peterson scored an even-strength marker from the left faceoff circle to earn the game’s third star, and second-year rearguard Will Borgen chipped in one assist as No. 7 St. Cloud State dominated Regina 6-2. The Huskies being conference play in two weeks against No. 19 Minnesota State.

Cal Petersen got the start for Notre Dame, stopping 20 of 21 shots as the No. 9 Fighting Irish earned a 5-1 triumph over Team USA Under-18. Notre Dame junior forward Connor Hurley did not dress for Notre Dame, who hosts Arizona State for a non-conference set beginning Friday.

Christopher Brown recorded one assist and defenseman Casey Fitzgerald supplied two shots on goal as No. 5 Boston College claimed a 4-2 win over Carleton. The Eagles next head to Denver for Friday’s Icebreaker Tournament opener versus Air Force.

Senior blueliner Anthony Florentino registered one assist as No. 10 Providence blanked Acadia 3-0. The Friars kick off the regular season schedule Friday at home versus Miami University.

10/1 Recap: Murray contributes

Brett Murray swiped at a rebound of a deflected shot for his first-ever USHL goal Saturday and added one assist for his first multi-point game as Youngstown cruised past Team USA U17 7-1. Murray goes for points in three straight contests Friday versus Philip Nyberg and the Madison Capitols.



In the QMJHL, Vasily Glotov picked up one assist to extend his season-opening point streak to three games as Cape Breton was defeated by Halifax 6-4. Glotov will look to make it four in a row on Wednesday when the Screaming Eagles host Rimouski.

Elsewhere, Cliff Pu recorded four shots on goal and a roughing minor as London got past Barrie 3-1. The Knights are off until Friday when they host Peterborough.

Brandon Hagel was shut out for the second straight night as Red Deer was defeated by Brandon 5-2. Top 2017 draft prospect Nolan Patrick had a goal and two assists for the winning side. The Rebels complete their three-game weekend Sunday at Regina.

Devante Stephens (-1) again skated on the middle defensive pair in Kelowna's 3-0 loss to Prince George. Through three games with the Rockets, all losses to Prince George, the stay-at-home Stephens has no points and a minus-three rating.

In Sweden, Rasmus Asplund went without a point in 13:48 of work as Farjestad was upended by Karlskrona 5-2. Asplund has two points (1+1) and a minus-two rating through his first four league contests.

In the college ranks, Ivan Chukarov produced a pair of assists as Massachusetts kicked off the exhibition season with a 7-5 victory over CIS opponent Dalhousie.

Seven more of the Sabres collegiate prospects will get their exhibition seasons underway on Sunday with St. Cloud State, Notre Dame, Boston College and Providence and all hitting the ice.

9/30 Recap: Pu, Nyberg connect

In Friday action. Cliff Pu scored his first goal of the year and added an assist as London was defeated by Sault Ste. Marie 3-2 in a shootout.

At 7:10 of the opening frame, Pu capitalized on a turnover to give the Knights the 1-0 lead.



Elsewhere in the OHL, Austin Osmanski received a pair of penalties including a roughing/10-minute misconduct combo in the middle frame as Mississauga fell to Windsor 4-1.

In USHL action, Philip Nyberg scored his first goal of the season as Madison pitched a 4-0 shutout of Omaha. Nyberg circled high to the point for a five-on-three power play marker with 5:30 remaining in regulation to give the Capitols a 3-0 lead.



Brett Murray picked up his first point of the year, an assist, as Youngstown downed Team USA 6-1. The Penn State commit will look for his first goal of the campaign when the two teams play it back on Saturday.

In the QMJHL, Vasily Glotov collected one assist as Cape Breton was edged by Saint John 3-2. Glotov now has points in his first two regular season games on North American ice.

In the WHL, Brandon Hagel was unable to get on the scoresheet as Red Deer earned a 4-3 overtime victory at Moose Jaw.

Devante Stephens finished with a minus-one rating in Kelowna's 4-1 loss to Prince George.

Vojtech Budik did not factor as Prince Albert came up short in a 5-2 loss to Swift Current.

After earning his team's first five starts, Jonas Johansson received a day off as Almtuna IS dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to IK Oskarshamn.

9/29 Recap: Glotov gets on board

Vasily Glotov logged a successful QMJHL regular season debut Thursday, scoring a late goal in Cape Breton's 8-3 rout of Charlottetown.

Following a Screaming Eagles empty-net goal to make it 7-3, Glotov took a pass down the left wing and released a quick wrist shot high glove side for his first official North American marker to close out the scoring with 1:13 left in regulation.



In Sweden, Rasmus Asplund saw his two-game point streak snapped as Farjestad BK was defeated by the Malmo Redhawks 4-2. Asplund posted a minus-two rating while winning 64 percent of his draws.

Victor Olofsson contributed one shot on goal while skating for a season-high 12:07 as Frolunda HC earned a 3-2 come-from-behind win over HV71. Olofsson has yet to crack the scoresheet in four games with his new club.

Weekend Rap: Asplund snipes; Johansson shuts door

Rasmus Asplund connected on a one-timer in overtime Sunday to thrust Farjestad BK to a 4-3 Swedish Hockey League victory over Linkoping HC.

Exactly one minute into the extra session with each team down a man, Asplund drifted down the right circle to swipe a Joakim Nygard pass to complete the come-from-behind victory in front of a raucous home crowd.



The marker was Asplund's first of the season, seventh of his SHL career and second-ever game-winner.

On Saturday, Jonas Johansson stopped all 25 shots sent his way as Almtuna IS blanked VIK Vasteras HK 2-0. The shutout improves Johansson to 2-2 with a 1.01 GAA and .957 save% in the season's early goings. He had just two shutouts all of last season with AIS.

Also from Saturday, Victor Olofsson again skated without a point as Frolunda HC avenged Friday's 7-2 loss with a 3-1 win over Brynas IF. The first three games of the season have seen Olofsson skate for 11:55, 11:56 and 11:53. The 21-year-old shooter averaged 15:20 per night a season ago with MODO, where he finished as the team's leading goal scorer and overall point-getter.

***

A pair of Sabres 2016 picks had quiet starts as USHL regular season got underway.

In Friday action, rookie defenseman Philip Nyberg logged a minus-one rating as Madison was edged by Green Bay 3-2. Top 2017 prospect Casey Mittelstadt scored a goal and an assist for the Gamblers.

On Saturday, Brett Murray produced two shots on goal as Youngstown dropped their opener to Team USA by a 5-3 score. Josh Norris (Michigan) and Evan Barrat (Penn State) each had a goal and an assist to pace the winning side.

Sabres vs Devils 9/17

Thank you to the New Jersey Devils for posting the entire Sabres-Devils game from the Prospects Challenge. Devils defeated the Sabres 6-3.

9/17 Recap: Asplund assists in FBK opener

In opening day action in the Swedish Hockey League, Rasmus Asplund collected his first point of the year, an assist, as Farjestad scored a power play goal in the game's final minute to earn a 2-1 victory over Örebro. Asplund finished with 16:00 of work while receiving some time on the power play.

 Elsewhere, Victor Olofsson contributed two shots on goal while earning 11:55 of work as Frölunda opened the 2016-17 SHL season with a 3-2 loss to Malmö.

In Allsvenskan regular season action, Jonas Johansson stopped 23 of 25 shots as Almtuna IS was blanked by Västerviks IK 3-0. Johansson is now 0-2 with a 1.53 GAA and .930 save% in league play.

At the USHL Fall Classic East, Brett Murray scored his second goal of the preseason as Youngstown claimed a 4-3 win over Team USA. Murray, whose first preseason marker was an empty-netter, made it a 3-3 game with 5:16 left in regulation, and just 45 seconds after Team USA took a third-period lead.

Meanwhile back in Buffalo, Nick Baptiste's hat trick wasn't enough as the Sabres prospects were dumped by New Jersey 6-3. Baptiste stood out with three goals on a team-best seven shots while being one of just two skaters to get into the plus column (Vasily Glotov was the other). Linus Ullmark allowed five goals on 29 shots to take the loss. Full game recap at Sabres.com.