Before the NHL preseason gets started, fans of the Buffalo Sabres will get to see 24 of their most promising youngsters play in the Traverse City NHL Prospect Tournament.
The Traverse City tournament begins this Friday, September 12 through Tuesday the 16th, and the Sabres are one of eight teams that will be participating, along with Detroit, Dallas, Minnesota, Carolina, St. Louis, Columbus, and the New York Rangers. This year will be the third time Traverse City has hosted a prospect tournament, and the Sabres have finished in 1st and 2nd place in the previous two years.
The Sabres released their roster today, and the amount of talent they’ll be bringing should make them one of the favorites for a third straight trip to the Finals. Their roster is absolutely stacked on the blue line, with Ristolainen, McCabe, and Zadorov all competing for serious NHL playing time this year, and fans will get another chance to see the uber-talented Sam Reinhart lead a much deeper group of forwards than Sabres fans have seen in recent years. In the crease, Andrey Makarov has NHL experience and with ten first or second round picks – including five of the team’s first six draft picks from the 2014 draft – the Sabres have the potential to make a very impressive showing.
The full roster is below, so check it out and let us know what you think of Buffalo’s depth and tournament chances in the comments.
Forward
Joel Armia
Justin Bailey
Nicholas Baptiste
Joseph Blandisi
William Carrier
Daniel Catenacci
Eric Cornel
Colin Jacobs
Michael Joly
Vaclav Karbacek
Justin Kea
Brendan Lemieux
Sam Reinhart
Jack Rodewald
Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Defense
Brady Austin
Ryan MacKinnon
Brycen Martin
Jake McCabe
Rasmus Ristoilainen
Jared Walsh
Nikita Zadorov
Goalie
Francios Brassard
Andrey Makarov