The Buffalo Sabres have reassigned some more players to Rochester in the AHL and a couple back to their junior league teams as well.
Forward Peter Trainor has gone back to the Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL and defenseman Brady Austin to the Belleville Bulls in the OHL. Trainor was the only forward who received a walk-on invite to the Sabres training camp.
The remainder of the cuts all sent players to the Rochester Americans. Goalies Connor Knapp, Nathan Lieuwen and Andrew Makarov; defenseman and WNY native Alex Lepkowski; and forwards Colin Jacobs, Eric Locke, Matt MacKenzie, Johnathon McGuire, Jonathan Parker, Kevin Sundher, Shawn Szydlowski and Frederick Roy. Dman Nick Crawford has also been sent down to the Amerks, but will need to clear waivers first.
Nathan Lieuwen might have had the best preseason among the three goalies listed, and should be ahead of the competition as Matt Hackett’s backup in Rochester. Colin Jacobs and Eric Locke were both among the points in the Traverse City tournament. Jacobs was impressive in the faceoff circle in all the games he played in, while Locke is the smallest forward on the Sabres/Amerks roster but plays with the same fearless attitude that Nathan Gerbe was known for.
None of the cuts made the lineups in any of the three preseason games the Sabres have played so far. Buffalo host the Toronto Maple Leafs today in the first game of a home-and-home preseason matchup.