Sabres Prospect Camp Report at First Niagara Center

Here at the First Niagara Center where the prospect camp for the Sabres is taking place and 3 players have really caught not just my eye but the entire crowds and those people are, Former First Round Pick Zemgus Girgensons, 2013 second round pick from Buffalo Justin Bailey and 2013 first round pick Nikita Zadorov and for really good reasons. During the scrimmage Girgensons was all over the ice, making some key defensive plays and big hits plus he totally out played and skated fellow first round pick Mikhal Grigorenko as he tallied 1 goal and 2 assists plus a shoot out goal. He was fast, physical, and making plays on both ends of the ice which is why I personally think he is going to be in Buffalo for the entire year this year. Buffalo needs a third line center to go with Steve Ott and Girgensons is the perfect fit. I don't expect him to score a boat load of goals but the grit and smart defensive plays help give him chances in the offensive zone and brings a certain attitude to the team that Buffalo really could use right about now. Going over to first round pick defense men Nikita Zadorov, the dude can just simply hit! He came on the ice like a monster, he rallied 3 monstrous hits that got the crowd crazy! His big size is a great factor for Buffalo taking him but also he led a great offensive scoring play tallying a assist on the night, so his offensive ability is there. He showed unlike fellow first round pick Ristolainen the ability to limit turnovers and play smart, conservative defense but also contributing significantly in the offensive zone. Now lets get to the fan favorite, second round pick from Buffalo New York.....Justin Bailey. He was the best player on the ice, his speed was incredible along with his skating, he can really handle the puck plus he is a pretty big guy. Every time he touched the puck the crowd cheered and for the right reasons. The big play I saw was when Bailey totally destroyed the defense with a through the legs move then pushing the puck back to a wide open Nelson for the goal. The ability to make plays by yourself and with his speed and great touch with the puck might just get him on the roster for the Sabres, and if not this year than for sure next year. The crowd was impressive today here in downtown Buffalo and the Sabres are in good hands with their young prospects.

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Sabres Go Defense in First Round of Draft

Here at the Buffalo Sabres Draft Party at the First Niagara Center for a quick article report. The Buffalo Sabres have made two solid draft picks with the 8th overall pick and the 16th overall pick as they took two big defense men in Finnish Rasmus Ristolainien who is a 6'3 big checking defense men with great potential and will most likely be with Buffalo for the season and adds a great big presence to a smaller defense. With the 16th overall pick the Sabres selected another defense men and with this pick they selected Nikita Zadorov who is a 6'5 defense men with a really underrated offensive ability that will go really well with Ristolainien who is more like former Sabre Regher who is based on conservative defense. Zadrovo averaged around a point every other game before coming to the NHL so he has the ability to become some big with Buffalo. These two picks are going to really help the defense and it shows the Sabres are looking to go young as they also made a trade that just came in here at First Niagara center where they have just traded Andre Sekera for Jamie McBain and a second round pick from the Carolina Hurricanes which is a huge deal for the Sabres and yet very confusing for the Hurricanes as I believe McBain is a better player than Sekera but I guess they could use the more offensive defense men. As for right now the Sabres have taken a defensive approach in the draft which doesn't surprise me as they like what they have in their young prospects such as Mikhal Grigorenko, Zemgus Girgensons, Joel Armorea and many more that are starting the Sabres rebuilding project. For more Sabres and NHL Draft coverage go check out GetRealHockey.com!