Buffalo Sabres Prospects: Lukas Rousek on the cusp of opportunity
Over the past year, Buffalo Sabres prospect Lukas Rousek has been one of the more feel-good success stories. And he’s about to get his chance.
When the Buffalo Sabres defeated the New Jersey Devils on Friday, did so with an injured Tage Thompson. Tage, who scored earlier in the contest, took an elbow from power forward Timo Meier, and he was questionable for last night’s game against the New York Islanders.
After initially looking as though he would be ruled out, Tage became a surprise entry and played relatively well despite the ailment. But if he hadn’t been able to go, then prospect Lukas Rousek would have taken over.
Rousek, who initially struggled during the latter stages of the regular season for the Rochester Americans last year, has come on strong, earning 48 points, 15 goals, and 33 assists with Amerks in 61 games so far in 2022-23. His success came on the heels of a four-point effort in 19 contests in 2021-22, before he scored six times in 10 playoff games in what was a breakout performance.
Buffalo Sabres prospect will get his opportunity
About a week ago, I outlined three prospects that could end up in Buffalo next season. While I didn’t mention Rousek, he was on my shortlist when concocting the piece.
Instead, I went with the more experienced Brett Murray, but it’s become clear in Sabres circles that Rousek has the edge over Murray. Another name I mentioned was Brandon Biro, who debuted with the Sabres in a one-off last season. With his 48 points in hand, Rousek is second on the Amerks behind only Biro, who has 50 points in 48 appearances.
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If an injury strikes the Buffalo Sabres lineup moving forward, and if Jordan Greenway continues to miss time with an injury, don’t be surprised if the Sabres keep Rousek on their radar for the remainder of the season. It’s clear he has earned strong consideration for a recall, and he might just be a regular member of the Blue and Gold in 2023-24.
(Statistics provided by Amerks.com)
Source: Observations: Patience pays off for Sabres with Kyle Okposo’s game-winner vs. Isles by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com