Buffalo Sabres: How The Prospects in Rochester Did Week One
With the Buffalo Sabres season under way, it means that the Sabres AHL affiliate the Rochester Americans season is also under way. Let’s look at who has been shining so far in the AHL.
As the AHL season gets under way, here at Sabre Noise we are going to give you weekly updates on how the Sabres top prospects have been performing in the AHL and who’s been surprising. With that being said lets dive right into week #1.
Three Stars of the Week:
The first star for Rochester this week has been Forward Tage Thompson. Thompson spent the better part of the last two seasons in the NHL with both the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blue. This year Thompson was sent down to Rochester due to his poor play last season, and the plethora of talented forwards the Sabres have this year.
However, in week one with the Amerks, Thompson looked like he belonged playing in the NHL. In 4 games Thompson has scored 2 goals and made 3 assists while shooting a respectable 12.5%. While on the ice, Thompson is clearly the best player on the ice and his NHL experience shines. If Thompson can continue his level of play, the Sabres could bring him back up if he is needed.
The second star for Rochester this week is Center Andrew Oglivie. Andrew is playing his second year in the AHL coming off of a 5 goal and 5 assist campaign last year in Rochester. Through four games this season Andrew has already scored two goals. On the ice Andrew has looked like he’s taken another step forward playing at this level. Andrew was signed out of Notre Dame for his great playmaking abilities and he is beginning to look more comfortable at the AHL level.
The third star for the Amerks is Andrew Hammond. Hammond is a 31 year old journeyman goalie that has spent the last 5 years between the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche. Hammond is best known for his 2014-15 campaign where he went 20-1-2 for the Ottawa Senators while only allowing 1.79 goals per game. Unfortunately, after that great season, Hammond never returned to that level of play again yet. Through 4 games for the Amerks Hammond is 3-0 with a .941% save percentage. Hammond is showing Buffalo that if they get thin at goal, he could certainly come up and maybe play a game or two.
Prospects of Interest:
The two biggest prospects currently in Rochester are Center Rasmus Asplund and Left Defender Jacob Bryson. In 4 games both Bryson and Asplund have 2 assists and just 7 shot attempts. Moving forward the Sabres would like to see Asplund produce some more offense in what should be a breakout year for him, as for Bryson he is playing up to expectations.
That does it for our first Rochester Americans update, stay tuned in the future for updates on high level Sabres prospects and Rochester Americans news.