The Buffalo Sabres made another round of roster cuts at training camp on Saturday night, loaning 21 players to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, sending Matt Savoie to the WHL and releasing a number of players from their professional tryouts.
Here’s the full list of roster moves, before we dive in deeper:
- Zach Berzolla (released from PTO)
- Brandon Biro (loan to ROC)
- Filip Cederqvist (loan to ROC)
- Mitch Eliot (released from PTO)
- Michael Houser (released from PTO)
- Mason Jobst (released from PTO)
- Aleksandr Kisakov (loan to ROC)
- Tyson Kozak (loan to ROC)
- Jiri Kulich (loan to ROC)
- Oskari Laaksonen (loan to ROC)
- Michael Mersch (released from PTO)
- Brett Murray (loan to ROC)
- Kohen Olischefski (released from PTO)
- Josh Passolt (released from PTO)
- Ethan Prow (released from PTO)
- Isak Rosen (loan to ROC)
- Lukas Rousek (loan to ROC)
- Matthew Savoie (reassigned to WHL)
- Peter Tischke (released from PTO)
- Brendan Warren (released from PTO)
- Beck Warm (released from PTO)
- Linus Weissbach (loan to ROC)/
In reality, despite what it says on paper, all of the listed players – save for Savoie – are heading to the upcoming Amerks’ training camp. Released from their NHL PTOs, all of those players are signed to AHL contracts with Rochester for the upcoming season.
The Amerks begin their training camp this week before beginning preseason AHL action.
Earlier last week, the Sabres returned Josh Bloom, Mats Lindgren, Vsevolod Komaov and Spencer Sova to their respective junior teams.
The biggest move was sending Savoie back to the WHL’s Winnipeg Ice. The first-round draft pick skated in three preseason games, including Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. He certainly looked the part of a first-round draft pick, and at one point, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that the Sabres would give him a nine-game tryout at the NHL level. Instead, the 18-year-old will return to the Ice, who are 4-0 on the season so far.
Kozak, 19, will be a great addition to the Amerks squad. He put up 69 points (32-37) in 66 games last season with Portland in the WHL and earned his entry-level contract. He also impressed at camp this summer, both development camp and at the Prospects Challenge.
It’s a bit surprising to see guys like Murray, Laaksonen and Weissbach cut from Sabres camp so early. Those are the guys who have been around for a while already, and you expect them to stick around longer. Maybe they wouldn’t make an NHL roster right now, but I would’ve anticipated them sticking around as long as possible and being some of the last cuts, given their experience. Clearly, the Sabres are prioritizing other players, keeping them around and giving them those opportunities, instead.
With these cuts, here’s who remains at the NHL team’s camp:
Forwards
- Rasmus Asplund
- Anders Bjork
- Dylan Cozens
- Zemgus Girgensons
- Vinnie Hinostroza
- Peyton Krebs
- Sean Malone
- Casey Mittelstadt
- Kyle Okposo
- Victor Olosson
- Matej Pekar
- JJ Peterka
- Jack Quinn
- Riley Sheahan
- Jeff Skinner
- Tage Thompson
- Alex Tuch/
Defense
- Jacob Bryson
- Kale Clague
- Rasmus Dahlin
- Jeremy Daies
- Casey Fitzgerald
- Henri Jokiharju
- Ilya Lyubushkin
- Lawrence Pilut
- Owen Power
- Chase Priskie
- Mattias Samuelsson/
Goaltenders
- Craig Anderson
- Eric Comrie
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
- Malcolm Subban/