The Buffalo Sabres have a plethora of AHL prospects raring to find a permanent spot in the NHL when October 2022 rolls around
The Buffalo Sabres are poised to take over the NHL’s Atlantic Division. Laugh all you want, but the Sabres got hot when they were healthy last year and their late-season success is a sign of things to come.
Especially when you consider J.J. Peterka and Jack Quinn are most likely joining Peyton Krebs, Casey Fitzgerald, and Mattias Samuelsson at the NHL level full-time. If the Sabres stay healthy, expect them to become a top-ten team in the NHL – they were 12th in points in March and April 2022, so a top-ten expectation isn’t necessarily far-fetched.
Anyway, as all great hockey teams do, they also keep sound prospects on hand. Injuries still occur, and prospects will outplay some of their NHL counterparts. And at the AHL level, they will provide thrilling moments, just as Peterka and Quinn did this season.
Who will be the fastest-rising AHL prospects in the organization next season? Here are three names to watch out for.
Prospect #1: Lukas Rousek
Rousek took a back seat to the likes of Peterka, Quinn, and just about every other forward earlier this season. That has since changed, and his game has been on an upward trend after he spent his first 17 regular season games going scoreless.
Since then, Rousek scored two playoff goals, including a first period goal in the Amerks overtime victory against the Utica Comets. He had a definite learning curve in his path to becoming a serviceable AHL player, but that curve has definitely flattened.
Amerks coach Seth Appert credited Rousek’s creativity and hockey IQ has the primary reasons for his recent improvement when things matter the most. A sixth-round pick in 2019, Rousek was behind the eight-ball to begin his NHL career. That has since subsided, and he has a chance to make a jump statistically at the AHL level next season.