Tim Schaller
Position: Center
Age: 24
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 206 lbs.
2013-14 team: Rochester/Buffalo
Acquired: Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2013
Last year’s ranking: Not ranked
Schaller certainly isn’t the flashiest prospect, but he’s shown signs of being a solid bottom-six player.
Despite serving more of a defensive role in the NHL, Schaller showed his scoring touch in his second season with the Americans. He finished second on the team in scoring with 43 points, but he did play about 20 more games than the two players behind him, Johan Larsson and Mikhail Grigorenko.
Schaller played in 18 games with the Sabres, scoring one goal and one assist. He had a relatively good -5 +/- for playing on the 2014-15 Sabres,
The Sabres signed Schaller following his four year career at Providence. He was in the top four in scoring for the Friars his final three years of college.
Injuries made Schaller a frequent visitor to Buffalo, earning five different call-ups. One of the more memorable positive moments of the dismal season was Schaller scoring his first career goal in front of his family at TD Garden.
There’s a good chance Schaller starts the season in Rochester, since he can go down without waiver issues. WIth the bottom two lines likely being some mix of Brian Gionta, Marcus Foligno, Jamie McGinn, Sam Reinhart, Johan Larrson, David Legwand and Nick Deslauriers, there isn’t really a spot for Schaller.
He’ll never be a world changer for the Sabres. People won’t buy his jersey, and he likely will never be an important piece. At 24 he may not have much more room to progress, but he’s already shown that he can be a solid defensive presence, a safer bet than some other people around him in the rankings.
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