Buffalo Sabres fans will get their first chance of the summer to see prospects and 2019 NHL draft picks hit the ice next week at development camp. Public on-ice workouts begin Wednesday, June 26 and culminate with the popular French Connection Tournament on Saturday, June 29.
Here’s the full schedule of free public on-ice workouts, all held at Harborcenter:
Wednesday, June 26 – 1-2 pm, 2:30-3:30 pm
Thursday, June 27 – 10:15-11:15 am, 11:45 am-12:45 pm
Friday, June 28 – 10:15-11:15 am, 12-1 pm
Following those free public events, the annual 3-on-3 French Connection Tournament will be held on Saturday, June 29 from 10:45 am until 1:30 pm. Admission is free, but tickets are required and will be made available exclusively for season ticket holders beginning Monday, June 24.
A full development camp roster will be announced in the coming days, but expect all players selected by the Sabres in the upcoming 2019 NHL Draft to be in attendance. It’ll be their first chance to hit the ice as Buffalo prospects, and both fans’ and management’s chance to get a closer look at them.
In addition to the newcomers, Sabres prospects will also be in attendance. Expect to see guys like Rasmus Dahlin (who, while no longer a prospect, will still likely attend); Rasmus Asplund, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Nylander are other likely attendees.
For players like Christopher Brown, Ivan Chukarov and Max Willman, this year’s development camp will be extra important. The Sabres have until mid-August to sign that trio of players if they want, or else lose them to the free agent market.
Keep your eyes open, because there’s also the chance of some additional players getting invited to the camp as well.
The NHL offseason may be in full swing now, but hockey is far from over. (Then again, does it ever really end?) With Sabres prospects hitting the ice next week for development camp, it’s just another chance to see what the future of this team could look like and what the young guns in the system are capable of.