While Buffalo Sabres prospects Owen Power, Ryan Johnson, and Erik Portillo fight it out in the Frozen Four, another prospect in the college ranks declared he’s returning to school.
Devon Levi, who the Buffalo Sabres acquired via trade in 2021 as part of the Sam Reinhart deal, was the 212th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Like many college-aged prospects, Levi elected not to sign an entry-level contract and committed to play at Northeastern. However he missed his freshman season with a rib injury.
Not one to be deterred, Levi stepped up during his sophomore season and had an unforgettable year in 2021-22. In 32 games, he averaged 1.54 goals against while recording a .952 save percentage. Levi also logged a 21-10-1 record and he helped Northeastern reach the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament.
Buffalo Sabres prospect Devon Levi elects to return to Northeastern
Multiple sources told The Buffalo News that Levi already informed the Sabres he intends to return to the Huskies for another crack at a National Championship. News initially broke on Twitter, courtesy of the Northeastern Hockey Blog account.
The 2021-22 Mike Richter Award finalist’s rights will belong to the Sabres for another two seasons. So the Sabres can take their time watching and evaluating one of their top goaltending prospect’s performance.
The return to the college ranks allows Levi to become part of a core group of Northeastern Huskies that will see seven freshmen and eight sophomores coming back for another season. The returning core group of players has made Northeastern a legitimate National Championship contender heading into 2022-23.
Levi’s return, though understandable, creates some problems for the Sabres organization. Dustin Tokarski and Craig Anderson are unrestricted free agents. Anderson, 40, may hang up his skates following the season and Tokarski is best suited to play in a backup role.
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Current Rochester Americans goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is a restricted free agent. And the jury remains out on Michigan Wolverines goaltender, Erik Portillo, who will play in the Frozen Four on Thursday, April 7th.
(Statistics provided by Hockey DB)