Games Below From 11/18/2019 – 11/24/2019

NOTE:  For recaps below, we are highlighting any prospects who contributed on the score sheet over the past week or did anything notable.  For an overall view of Sabres Prospects and their stats, be sure to check The Charging Buffalo’s Prospect Stat Tracker which is updated daily here or clicking the image below.

Prospect of the Week:  C – Dylan Cozens

Lethbridge (WHL) – 3GP – 2G – 4A – 6PTS

Cozens did most of his damage in an 11-2 throttling of Red Deer on Saturday night as he put up 1 goal and 4 assists.  He is now 8th in even strength primary points per game in the WHL, and 4th in that same category for other D+1 players.  The thing with Cozens is that he’s not a 1 dimensional offensive player and has shown he can score and set up goals in a variety of ways.  Last week we highlighted one of his goals on a wrist shot near the top of the circle and this week one of his goals was down low at the side of the net.  This type of versatility shows the high level Hockey IQ he possesses and that Cozens will continue to dominate in the WHL and develop his game.  An early projection has him playing on the 2nd line for Team Canada at the upcoming World Junior Tournament which will be an opportunity to showcase his skill set at the International level, though it should be noted that this tournament is not an indicator of prospect success.

• Lawrence Pilut brought his AHL totals to 2 goals and 9 assists in 13 games played with 2 assists in the 2 games this past week.  He’s currently averaging 0.44 primary points per game and with Rasmus Dahlin dealing with a concussion, seems like a logical choice to come up to Buffalo and contribute.  If Jason Botterill wants to start improving things, one of the quickest and easiest things he could do is call up Pilut who would be a welcome addition to the D group for his possession and puck moving abilities.
• Big defenseman Mattias Samuelsson scored his 1st goal of the NCAA season as highlighted below.  He is not going to beat anyone with speed and does struggle with quicker competition coming in on him but physically he’s a monster on the ice.  Not known for his offensive abilities, developing that side of his game along with his skating and speed will be a major factor on if he ever pans out.  A member of the US World Junior team last year, Samuelsson appears slated to be a staple on team USA once again.
• Another player likely to join Samuelsson for Team USA is Ryan Johnson who chipped in 1 assist for Minnesota this past weekend bringing his point totals to 4 in 14 games.  Known for his ability to breakout and make excellent passes, Johnson still has a lot of room to grow from an offensive production standpoint but with those base set of skills it would seem likely the assists and goals will come more frequently as he develops.  
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is just too good for the ECHL at this point and while it is nice for him to continue playing regularly for Cincinnati, at some point it will make sense for him to come up to Rochester and play.  Given how young he is and what he’s accomplished in his short career thus far, there is really no need to rush his development, especially with the success of Rochester so far.  UPL is definitely the number 1 rated goaltender for the organization.
• Erik Portillo only played in 1 game this past week for Dubuque but he just continues to show why Jason Botterill traded up for him in the 3rd round of the 2019 NHL Draft.  Expected to be on Team Sweden for the World Juniors, Portillo is dominating the USHL as he’s allowed only 3 goals in his past 3 games on 70 shots, going a perfect 3-0-0.  
• Linus Cronholm got the call up to the Malmo Redhawks of the SHL where he will compete against fellow prospects Cederqvist, Davidsson, and Worge.  Cronholm did very little from a production standpoint for Karlskrona in the Allsvenskan league, putting up 2 goals and 2 assists in 20 games.  Playing in the top Swedish league will only enhance his development at this point as well as possibly joining Portillo on Team Sweden for the WJC.

WHL

C Dylan Cozens – Lethbridge

3GP 2G 4A 6PTS

AHL – Rochester Americans

LW Bretty Murray

2GP 0G 2A 2PTS

LD Lawrence Pilut

2GP 0G 2A 2PTS

LD Jacob Bryson

2GP 0G 1A 1PTS

RW Andrew Oglevie

2GP 2G 0A 2PTS

RD Casey Fitzgerald

3GP 0G 1A 1PTS

RD William Borgen

2GP 0G 1A 1PTS

NCAA

LW Linus Weissbach – Wisconsin

2GP 0G 1A 1PTS

LD Ryan Johnson – Minnesota

2GP 0G 1A 1PTS

LD Mattias Samuelsson – Western Michigan

2GP 1G 0A 1PTS

SHL

C Marcus Davidsson – Vaxjo

2GP 0G 1A 1PTS

Liiga

LW Arttu Ruotsalainen – Ilves

3GP 0G 1A 1PTS

VHL

LW Vasily Glotov – St. Petersberg

2GP 2G 0A 2PTS

Allsvenskan

LD Philip Nyberg – Mora

3GP 1G 0A 1PTS

USHL

G Erik Portillo – Dubuque

1GP – 1W – 1.00 GAA – .960 SV%

ECHL

G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – Cincinnati

3GP – 2W – 2.33 GAA – .903 SV%

Not Active – Injured

• Aaron Huglen – Fargo (USHL)
• Tage Thompson – Rochester/Buffalo

Continue to check in every Monday for a weekly prospect update from The Charging Buffalo Crew.

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Week Ahead Schedule