Games Below From 1/20/2020 – 1/26/2020

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) – 3 GP – 7 G – 3 A – 10 PTS

It was the most productive 1 week stretch for Cozens this season as he was on straight fire for all 3 games in which he played.  With a hat trick and two separate 2 goal games, Cozens put his goal scoring abilities on display and has prompted me to take a deeper dive on him in an article to be released in the next week or two.  In this article, I will discuss reasons why it’s okay to get excited by Cozens and his future with the Sabres and talk about why his game now should easily translate to the NHL.  Some guys get known for scoring goals in a certain type of way, think Olofsson on the off-wing or Reinhart/Vanek in front of the net, but Cozens has displayed all year (especially this week), that he is able to score goals in a variety of ways which make him a versatile player and one who will be difficult to defend at any level.  He is the top prospect in the system by a country mile and the Sabres are fortunate to have such a talented player developing at a quick pace.

Weekly Prospect Updates:

• Here’s hoping that the change in scenery for Pekar continues to go as it has and that he finds a consistency element for his game.  Tallying 4 points in 3 games last week, Pekar is now up to 14 points in just 8 games for Sudbury which is significantly better than the just over point per game pace he was on with Barrie.  I believe he has the skill set to be a 3rd line goal scorer as a “ceiling” projection but he is a long ways away from meeting that lofty goal.
• Rochester ended their losing ways with a lot of help from 3 prospects as Oglevie, Mittelstadt, and Pilut all made meaningful contributions on the scoresheet.  It took a little while to get acclimated to the different style of play in the AHL but Mittelstadt has strung together some solid performances and is playing more meaningful minutes, getting both PP and PK ice time.  Pilut scored a beauty of a goal in Overtime to claim victory for Rochester and has since rejoined the Sabres where he should remain for the remainder of season, especially with the expectation of a trade or two involving Bogosian or McCabe.  Oglevie continued to be a scoring machine, netting 3 goals in 3 games. 
• I wanted to highlight a very smart play by Lukas Rousek (video below) that helped set up a goal and earn him a primary assist.  He showed great awareness in passing up a shot in traffic and dishing it out to a wide open teammate on the off-wing for an easy goal.  This type of hockey IQ is what will give him a chance of signing an ELC and ultimately a trip over to North America someday for action in the AHL.
• Oskari Laaksonen returned to action though and picked up an assist in his 2 games.  The assist was a beauty though as he showed great patience and touch on a pass to the slot for a re-direction.  Similar to the Rousek goal, passing up on a shot for a high danger scoring chance is a high hockey IQ decision that is encouraging for these developing prospects.
• With Linus Ullmark out 3-4 weeks, the Sabres promptly called up Jonas Johansson to the NHL over Andrew Hammond which was the right decision given Johansson’s performance this year.  He’s been in the system for a long time and could potentially usurp the struggling Hutton as Buffalo’s “starter” in Ullmark’s absence.  Johansson is having a breakout year in the AHL and just participated in the AHL All Star Game. He recently won 2 games for Rochester with a 1.95 GAA and .931 Save %.  With this move, it’s expected that a promotion for UPL to come back to Rochester is imminent and more time in the AHL will only help the young netminder’s development.
• Watching Portillo transition to the NCAA is going to be fun because he has dominated the USHL and picked up another 2 wins in 3 games played (1 in relief).  He’s set Dubuque up to make a long playoff run on his shoulders and added some optimism for the future of the Sabres goaltending potential.
• In other injury news, Marcus Davidsson is still sidelined with an injury believed to be a concussion and there is no estimated return date for him as of yet.

WHL

C Dylan Cozens – Lethbridge
3 GP – 7 G – 3 A – 10 PTS

OHL

C Matej Pekar – Sudbury
3 GP – 2 G – 2 A – 4 PTS

AHL – Rochester Americans

C Casey Mittelstadt
3 GP – 1 G – 2 A – 3 PTS

LD Lawrence Pilut
1 GP – 1 G – 0 A – 1 PTS

C Andrew Oglevie
3 GP – 3 G – 0 A – 3 PTS

LD Jacob Bryson
2 GP – 0 G – 1 A – 1 PTS

RD Will Borgen
3 GP – 0 G – 1 A – 1 PTS

NCAA

LW Linus Weissbach – Wisconsin
2 GP – 0 G – 1 A – 1 PTS

Liiga

C Arttu Ruotsalainen – Ilves
2 GP – 0 G – 1 A – 1 PTS

RD Oskari Laaksonen – Ilves
2 GP – 0 G – 1 A – 1 PTS

Czech

LW Lukas Rousek – Sparta Praha
2 GP – 0 G – 1 A – 1 PTS

KHL

LW Vasily Glotov – St. Petersburg
2 GP – 1 G – 0 A – 1 PTS

Goaltenders

USHL

G Erik Portillo – Dubuque
3 GP – 2 W – 2.22 GAA – .928 SV% (77/83)

ECHL

G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – Cincinnati
2 GP – 0 W – 1 L –  3.00 GAA – .852 SV% (23/26)

AHL

G Jonas Johansson – Rochester
2 GP – 2 W – 0 L –  1.95 GAA – .931 SV% (54/58)

Not Active – Injured

• Aaron Huglen – Fargo (USHL) – TBD
• Tage Thompson – Rochester (AHL) – Out for Season
• Marcus Davidsson – Vaxjo (SHL) – Week to Week
• Miska Kukkonen – Lukko (Liiga and Jr. A) – 5-6 Months

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

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Week Ahead Schedule