Buffalo Sabres History: Who Wore It, Number 71
Buffalo Sabres fans who have been visiting Sabre Noise for some time may be familiar with our “Who Wore It” series. We started this several years ago, highlighting one player to have worn each jersey number with the Buffalo Sabres. This series doesn’t designate who is the “best” to have worn that number, but simply allows fans to learn a little more about the team’s history and the players in it.
We last discussed jersey number 68, worn by just one player in Buffalo Sabres history.
Today, we skip ahead to #71, which has been worn by two players in Buffalo Sabres history: Jochen Hecht and Derek Whitmore.
Many of you will easily remember Hecht, who played with the Buffalo Sabres between 2002 and 2013, and who largely wore #55 in his time with the team.
How about Derek Whitmore?
Whitmore, now 30, is a Rochester native who joined the Buffalo Sabres organization in 2008 after ending his college career at Bowling Green State University.
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He played mostly for the Portland Pirates and Rochester Americans between 2008 and 2012.
But he also made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres, appearing in a pair of games with the team in the 2011-12 season.
Whitmore registered no points and no penalty minutes in that short time.
The following season, he appeared in just seven games with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps. Instead, he spent much of the year overseas with the Augsburg Panthers, recording 23 points (9-14) in 40 games.
That wasn’t the end of his time in North America, however, as Whitmore returned to the AHL for the 2013-14 season. He split that year between the Hershey Bears and the Adirondack Phantoms.
Whitmore recorded nine points in 26 games with Hershey, and 11 points in 18 games with Adirondack.
This past season, he once again went overseas, this time to play with the Iserlohn Roosters alongside former Los Angeles Kings draft pick Colton Teubert and former Toronto Maple Leafs property Alex Foster.
Whitmore recorded 21 points, including 16 goals, in 35 regular season games. He also added three points in seven playoff games.
Could we see him once again make his return to North America, or will he continue playing overseas? What do you guys think?
Next: The Skill of Tyler Ennis
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