Sabres Prospects Notebook 1-25-2021

Curtis S. on January 25, 2021

prospect notebook Sabres Prospects Notebook 1-25-2021

Games Below From 1/18/2021 – 1/24/2021

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.

Sabres Stats 1-17

Prospect of the Week:  C – Aaron Huglen

Fargo (USHL) – 2 GP | 2 G | 1 A | 3 PTS

Now centering the 1st line for Fargo, Huglen has scored points in 7 of his 9 games this year.  He scored 2 goals and added 1 assist this past week and has been a bright spot for the Sabres Prospects group.

While it is not extraordinary for someone Huglen’s age to be playing at this level in the USHL, it is certainly remarkable that he has shown no ill effects from an injury that had him sidelined almost 2 years.  The determination from Huglen to return to game form is impressive and he is certainly a prospect to keep an eye on.

On Huglen’s first goal, he carries the puck through the neutral zone and dekes around a few defenders before driving to the net where he finishes his rush in tight.  His second goal came on a play where he drives to the front of the net and taps in a pass from down low.  Huglen is showing some great offensive instincts thus far this year and maintaining over a point per game is a good goal for him to achieve this year.

Weekly Prospect Updates

  • Congratulations to Dylan Cozens for scoring his 1st career NHL goal against Washington.  Cozens had been knocking on the door for a few games and has transitioned very well for someone who is only 19 years old.  His goal came on a great shot from the high slot where he beat the goaltender high blocker side.  The quick release and accuracy Cozens’ shot has is something this column has highlighted many times so it’s no surprise to see him score his 1st goal in this fashion.  Cozens did sit last night as part of a plan to keep him fresh in his rookie season but Ralph won’t be able to keep him out long given how he has played thus far.
  • This column is about to get bombarded with more updates as the Rochester Americans are nearing a return to action.  Slated to start on February 5th, the Amerks will have many prospects playing, including Ruotsalainen and Laaksonen.  The development of Jacob Bryson and Will Borgen will also be fun to watch as both made cases to push for an NHL roster spot at the end of last season.
  • After scoring his 1st USHL goal the week prior, Matteo Costantini added 3 assists in 2 games, though all 3 came in one contest.  The offensive ability is certainly there for him to take the USHL by storm but it is a big jump in competition from where he was last year.
  • Lukas Rousek added a goal and assist this past week and remains one of the most reliable and under the radar prospects in the pipeline. His speed does so much for his game and he shows it on a nightly basis. Rousek did a phenomenal job changing his direction headed towards the net to get open for a goal on a cross ice feed.
  • Filip Cederqvist has quietly had a very strong season playing in Allsvenskan and as of late has gone on a nice run, adding 3 assists this past week in 3 games.  The Swedish winger had some struggles last year, being demoted from the SHL down to Allsvenskan but he has really polished his game and
  • Erik Portillo picked up his 2nd win of the season for Michigan, stopping 29 of 30 shots he faced and even picking up an assist in a 5-1 victory.  I had made the comment a few days ago that an argument can be made for Portillo to be the best goaltending prospect in the Sabres pipeline, over UPL.  The reasoning behind this is how Portillo has seemingly made the jump up in competition 2 years in a row (J20 to USHL to NCAA) and has performed at dominating level.  UPL on the other hand has not been able to dominate since his Gold Medal at the World Juniors for Finland.  Luukkonen will need to have a strong camp for Rochester and hit the ground running after an underwhelming 13 games in Liiga this year.

Prospect Highlights

NHL

C Dylan Cozens (Buffalo)

3 GP | 1 G | 0 A | 1 PTS

Extraliga

LW Lukas Rousek (Sparta Praha)

3 GP | 1 G | 1 A | 2 PTS

Chanceliga

LW Jakub Konecny (Litomerice)

3 GP | 0 G | 1 A | 1 PTS

USHL

C Aaron Huglen (Fargo)

2 GP | 2 G | 1 A | 3 PTS

..https://twitter.com/FargoForce/status/1352794253282455553

C Matteo Costantini (Sioux City)

2 GP | 0 G | 3 A | 3 PTS

NCAA

LW Linus Weissbach (Wisconsin)

2 GP | 0 G | 1 A | 1 PTS.

Allsvenskan

LW Filip Cederqvist (Tingsryds)

3 GP | 0 G | 3 A | 3 PTS

LW Marcus Davidsson (Vasterviks)

2 GP | 0 G | 1 A | 1 PTS

Goaltenders

NCAA

G Erik Portillo (Michigan)

1 GP | 1 W | 1.00 GAA | 29 SVS | 0.967 %

NHL

G Jonas Johansson (Buffalo)

1 GP | 0 W | 3.15 GAA | 8 SVS | 0.889 %

Not Active – Injured

Follow us on Twitter – The TCB Prospect Crew

**Continue to check in every Monday for a weekly prospect update in The Prospect Notebook**
@TheChargingBuf
@CurtisTCB716
@JoeTCBNHL
@Sabremetrix
@Austin_BroadTCB Special Thanks
  • Elite Prospects for all of their stats and all folks who provide video clips of assists and goals above on Twitter.

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