Buffalo Sabres: Is Jack Quinn poised for a dramatic return?

Buffalo Sabres prospect Jack Quinn has made his presence known upon returning to the Rochester Americans lineup.

The Buffalo Sabres generated positive early returns when winger Jack Quinn suited up for two games earlier this season. Unfortunately, a lower-body injury derailed his growth and upon return, the Sabres sent him back to the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

Quinn suffered another setback when he reaggravated the injury, causing him to miss a little more ice time. But, his delayed return could not have gone better.

In the 5-4 win over the Cleveland Monsters, Quinn showed off his impressive vision upon receiving a spectacular pass from the recently-demoted Mark Jankowski. Quinn realized teammate J.J. Peterka had a better look, and funneled the puck to the rising star to complete the scoring effort.

But such a pass from Quinn despite a good look is no outlier. Given the awareness he has of his teammates’ position on the ice, he sees things others don’t. On Friday, it ensured a goal, and a win, for Rochester.

Jack Quinn on the fast track to return to the Buffalo Sabres lineup

Quinn’s dramatic return to the ice netted him three points against Cleveland. He followed up with an encore performance on Saturday night with another three points in the Amerks’ 6-5 overtime win, also against Cleveland.

Quinn, however, is more than just one of the AHL’s most dynamic scorers. He has gained a reputation as a two-way player, willing to fight for the puck, check opponents, and really, just boast an all-around game.

“That’s the common theme of Jack, and he’s lived up to that, both in junior and in pro now. But a lot of the goal scorers are one-dimensional, and he is so not one-dimensional.“He can play defense the right way, he can check, he can hunt pucks, win battles, he goes to hard areas and he has elite vision on top of his goal-scoring ability.” – Amerks coach Seth Appert via Buffalo Hockey Beat

So, is Quinn poised for a larger role at professional hockey’s top level? Given the performance of him and his teammates, he may not be alone in that endeavor.

Along with Peterka and Jankowski, Quinn has an opportunity to lead a trio of dynamic scorers for the Americans and to show at least his return to Rochester will be short-lived. At the latest, expect Quinn to find a permanent role in the Sabres lineup when the 2022-23 NHL Season rolls around.

Until then, expect Quinn, Peterka, and Jankowski to lead the Americans in the waning moments of the AHL season. To date, Quinn has appeared in 29 contests this season with 47 points, 22 goals, and 25 assists.

(Statistics provided by Amerks.com)