3 ways J.J. Peterka will help the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres fans caught a glimpse of Rochester Americans right-winger J.J. Peterka in late-December when he suited up during an east coast road trip.
Peterka has held up his end of the bargain in Rochester before and after his short stint with the Buffalo Sabres, leading a team that has seen forwards Jack Quinn, Peyton Krebs, and Mark Jankowski receive call-ups to the NHL. His goal, no pun intended? To further improve his game that will help improve a few of the Sabres’ weak spots.
Of course, heading back to Rochester meant Peterka had other aspects of his game to improve, like his defensive habits. But it also gave him a chance to become yet another young impact player on a Sabres team that needs them all over the ice.
The 34th-overall pick from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft will be another valuable young puzzle piece for the suffering franchise sooner than later. Maybe not in 2022, but expect to see more of Peterka in the not-so-distant future. A version of Peterka that will help the Sabres in the following three ways.
Penalty Kill
It’s no secret the Sabres have among the league’s worst penalty-kill units. Just one game outside the All-Star Break, they’re 26th in the department, with a success rate of just 75.2%. And even with Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski returning to the net, the PK unit still can’t find consistency.
Thankfully, Amerks’ coach Seth Appert has confided with general manager Kevyn Adams and assistant general manager Jason Karmanos about improving and ultimately inserting Peterka to the PK unit. However, they’re not throwing Peterka to the wolves out on the PK; but making him just uncomfortable enough to adapt.
Appert compared it to, “throwing the youngsters in the deep end,” but he also stressed the need to, “balance how much to give, because you don’t want them drowning.” Translation: They will test Peterka and force him to adapt. But not so much that they’ll scar the youngster before he becomes a regular on the ice at the KeyBank Center.
Scoring
It’s no secret the Sabres have had a tough time scoring all year. There are times the team can knock down four or five goals before they suffer inconsistency. However, Peterka continues to impress in the scoring department in Rochester, with 31 points in 31 games, good enough for fifth in the AHL.
Want more fun? Peterka has not missed a beat despite recent assignments of his fellow forwards like Quinn, with whom he formed a dynamic rapport, along with center Sean Malone. Since Peterka remained consistent despite seeing teammates receive call-ups to the NHL and kept the Amerks winning hockey games, it also shows he can elevate the talent of those around him. A rare trait the 20-year-old Peterka will take to the NHL.
With the likes of Quinn, Jankowski, and Krebs showing flashes of brilliance at the next level, it foreshadows what Peterka will bring to the table. And best yet, they will continue to grow together in bringing this franchise back to respectability. But Peterka is looking to conquer in more than just the scoring department.
Two-Way Player
Earlier, I mentioned Appert is inserting Peterka in on the penalty kill unit and that he will test the 20-year-old. Before he threw Peterka out there, he wanted the right-winger to further hone his defensive skills.
Peterka had to develop more consistent defensive habits in his quest to become a two-way forward when facing opponents at even-strength. Something he focused on during much of the first half of the season before he landed in the COVID protocol.
Upon his return on January 21st, Peterka’s redeveloped defensive habits, which included an “improved defensive-zone play,” remained intact. His reward? Seeing time with the PK unit, which only furthers his development as a two-way player.
As a budding two-way forward, Peterka adds another dimension to his game that he will take to the next level. And it’s yet another action item he has honed that will help augment the Buffalo Sabres’ rebuild.