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Buffalo Sabres Development Camp: Players To Watch

By Jacob D. Strozyk

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Just a few days into free agency, and merely a couple of weeks after the draft, the Buffalo Sabres development camp starts this week. From drills to full contact scrimmages, this camp is the first signs of younger players that have the best chances of making the big club roster come fall.

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With big name prospects like Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Hudson Fasching going to be in attendance, this camp is going to be one that is very important as the Sabres hope to rebound and start winning games next season. They have many of the roster spots filled, but there are still some open for the taking by these skilled young players.

If anyone remembers last year’s training camp, it was one that saw the likes of Nikita Zadorov (now of the Colorado Avalanche) and Rasmus Ristolainen prove their ability to play at the NHL level. They both had spent time in lower level leagues, but they emerged as powerful forces during development camp last year.

This year, I want to keep a close eye on three players in particular.

Jack Eichel

As we all know, he has the biggest amount of pressure on him to succeed. Having the title of “generational player” is no easy burden, and Jack will have to come out of the gate swinging for the fence if he is to make an impact on the roster (which he is expected to). Eichel had a great season at Boston University and even won the Hobby Baker Award. As the unquestioned top talent in the Buffalo Sabres prospect pool, all eyes will be on him to show everything he can do and more.

He will undoubtedly raise the bar for prospects in this camp to a new height, and that will do nothing but good. Buffalo should be looking less for his ability to score and produce points (and basically his talents they have been watching all year round) and instead look for his ability to lead. He should be trying to take control of the locker room and his players on the ice.

Buffalo needs more than a scorer, they need a natural born leader. Jack Eichel needs to show he can be that leader, or at least that he can become it very soon.

Samson Reinhart

People have seemed to forgotten the Buffalo Sabres second overall selection from 2014, Sam Reinhart. With all the hype and excitement around Jack Eichel, it is understandable, but here’s where I am going to stand up distinctly for Reinhart.

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Reinhart played a few games with Buffalo last season in order to get accustomed to the speed and physicality of the big league. He was sent back to juniors to work on his game even further and the Buffalo Sabres can expect him to gun for a full roster spot this year.

There is a specific quality and skill that Sam Reinhart has a little better than Jack Eichel does. Reinhart is a very complete center. He can make any player better just by being on the ice, and he is reliable to a point where he is always in the right place at the right time.

I remember last development camp and watching him during the preseason as well. Reinhart was always in the right place at the right time. His defensive awareness was perfect and his offensive awareness equaled it. Reinhart is not a superstar goal scorer, but his playmaking ability os off the charts. He has such good vision everywhere on the ice.

I expect Sam to put on a silent show of what he does best at camp, but I can see him taking charge of the players around him to lead them through camp.

I even expect to see a Jack Eichel verses Sam Reinhart showdown at the Blue vs Gold scrimmage on Friday. Should that come to fruition, I’m sure Tim Murray will be watching his two top talents very closely.

Nicholas Baptiste

Nicholas Baptiste has been on my radar since he was drafted by Buffalo in the third round of the 2013 draft. He had a very unique style of game that really captured my attention. At his first development camp he impressed with great skating ability and a knack for finding scoring zones at the Blue and Gold scrimmage.

Just a little while later he was a star scorer for the Buffalo Sabres at the Traverse City tournament. He proved that he has the work ethic to be an NHL talent. This past season, he found himself playing on the Erie Otters with the likes of top Edmonton Oilers prospect Connor McDavid and Arizona Coyotes top prospect Dylan Strome. He was a big force alongside of them to bring the Otters to the Memorial Cup Finals.

Baptiste already has an NHL frame (6’0, 198lbs) and I believe he is ready to challenge for an NHL spot on the Sabres this year. Look for further improvement in his game during development camp this week as he pushes the limits of himself and his teammates.

Next: Sabres Sign Pair Of Free Agents

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