Games Below From 11/25/2019 – 12/1/2019

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:  RW – Andrew Oglevie

Rochester (AHL) – 2GP – 3G – 1A – 4PTS

Andrew Oglevie had his best game as an Amerk with his first career AHL Hat Trick.  The 24 year old who signed as a college free agent in 2018 has already bested his injury plagued 2018-19 season point total with 9 goals and 7 assists in 20 games while also leading the Amerks in points.  His projection with the organization at this point appears to only be bottom 6 depth as he plays a solid 2 way game and can contribute offensively.

• As the top prospect in the organization by a fair margin, Dylan Cozens once again showed why the Sabres selected him with the 7th overall pick this past June, adding 1 goal and 3 assists in 2 games.  His awareness of teammates on the ice along with his ability to score goals in a variety of different ways project him to be a top 6 player with 1st line upside.  The combination of size, speed, and skill with the puck he possesses are on display each and every game he plays in the WHL.  On his goal, he showed confidence and poise with the puck, spinning away from a defender and carrying the puck around a few others before driving the net and throwing it on goal.
• Matej Pekar is on a bit of a cold streak as he was shutout in 2 contests which brings his pointless streak up to 4 games.  He still is on pace to break his point total from last year and increase his point per game pace as well.  A gritty instigator on the ice, Pekar has shown he is a goal scorer and shoots the puck quite a bit, sitting 9th in the OHL in SOG with 102 through 23 games (4.4/game).
• Rasmus Asplund registered his 1st career NHL point with a shorthanded assist on Jimmy Vesey’s goal vs. the Flames Wednesday night.  Asplund got his stick in the passing lane applying pressure on the breakout which Vesey was able to grab on a breakaway and bury.  Asplund has been great on the PK and very solid 5v5 with a 50.7 CF% and 53.9 xG% (both Score and Venue Adjusted numbers).  Even as the Buffalo forwards get healthy, he’s proving that keeping him up and playing more minutes is a smart decision.
• Shortly after scoring 2 goals for Ilves, Ruotsalainen took an ugly hit from behind that will result in him missing the next 4 weeks approximately.  Becoming a bit of a powerplay specialist and offensive producer in general, it’s disappointing to see him miss time as he was averaging almost a point per game through 20 contests this season.  
• Marcus Davidsson has mostly struggled this year for Vaxjo, though it doesn’t help that they are one of the worst teams in the SHL.  On pace to finish below his production last year, Davidsson scored 2 goals to bring his season total to 6 through 21 games.  A solid 2 way player with a similar ceiling to that of Rasmus Asplund, it’s likely Davidsson will head over to North America for next year to get some action with Rochester.
• As a late round flyer in the 2019 draft, I was a bit skeptical of Lukas Rousek ever panning out but he has performed very admirably in the top Czech league for Sparta Praha this season.  Chipping in 2 goals and 1 assist, including a game winning goal in overtime on a 2 on 1 which saw him go top shelf, Rousek has a good shot and speed that could translate to success over in North America.  He still has a lot of developing to do before he will possibly be considered a bottom 6 option in Buffalo but at the rate he’s scoring goals at this age he is looking like someone not to write off.
• The more Linus Weissbach plays this year, the more I think he has a legitimate chance of being a bottom 6 NHL player.  He’s been rotated around the lineup quite a bit for Wisconsin and as of late has been playing with projected 2020 1st round pick Dylan Holloway.  The patience and vision Weissbach shows while on the ice makes it easy to see why his game and production have elevated while playing alongside such elite level talents.  This is evidenced in the video clip below of his assist on a Dylan Holloway goal.
• Linus Cronholm got called up to Malmo and played in 2 games, averaging 14:46 TOI and was a -1 with 3 hits and 2 PIM’s, but registered 0 points.  The left handed defensive defenseman played 6 games in the SHL last year and tallied 1 assist in that time.  He will look to continue to develop his game at the highest level of Swedish hockey.
• Kukkonen was suspended for 3 games in Liiga but on a brighter note, received an invite to attend Finland’s World Junior camp which is loaded with talent, especially on the back end.  Cracking that lineup would be extremely impressive for a national program which has been consistently at or near the top ranks for the last several years. 

WHL

C Dylan Cozens – Lethbridge

2GP 1G 3A 4PTS

AHL – Rochester Americans

LW Bretty Murray

2GP 1G 2A 3PTS

LD Lawrence Pilut

2GP 0G 1A 1PTS

LD Jacob Bryson

2GP 0G 1A 1PTS

RW Andrew Oglevie

2GP 3G 1A 4PTS

NCAA

LW Linus Weissbach – Wisconsin

2GP 0G 1A 1PTS

SHL

C Marcus Davidsson – Vaxjo

2GP 2G 0A 2PTS

Liiga

LW Arttu Ruotsalainen – Ilves

1GP 2G 0A 2PTS

Czech

LW Lukas Rousek – Sparta Praha

2GP 2G 1A 3PTS

VHL

LW Vasily Glotov – St. Petersberg

2GP 1G 0A 1PTS

ECHL

RD Matt Spencer – Cincinnati

2GP 0G 1A 1PTS

Goaltenders

USHL

G Erik Portillo – Dubuque

2GP – 1W – 2.55 GAA – .909 SV%

ECHL

G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – Cincinnati

2GP – 1W –  2.50 GAA – .909 SV%

Not Active – Injured

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

Not Active – Suspended

• Miska Kukkonen – Ilves (Liiga) – 3 Games for Kneeing

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

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Week Ahead Schedule