Top 5 Buffalo Sabres to watch at the 2023 IIHF Worlds

The Buffalo Sabres have quite the presence at the 2023 IIHF World Championships, with five players who suited up for the Blue and Gold participating.

The Buffalo Sabres may have fallen just shy of making the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but we got several players in the system still grinding as May rolls on. Of course, Matt Savoie is crushing it over in the WHL with the Winnipeg Ice, Jiri Kulich is making his case over in Rochester for a spot on the Blue and Gold’s roster next season, and four notable players will see action at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.

So in case you’re interested in seeing your favorite Sabres suit up and see if they can take home the gold for their country, keep reading. Here are five players from Buffalo who you can follow, starting with the group playing for Team Canada.

5 Buffalo Sabres to watch at 2023 IIHF Worlds

1 – Devon Levi, Goaltender

Devon Levi showed us this past season he’s one of those rare talents capable of bypassing the AHL early in his professional hockey career. His 0.905 save percentage and 2.94 GAA was better than expected, and he gave Buffalo Sabres fans hope that he can be the guy moving forward into next season.

It remains to be seen if Levi will be the main guy in the net, or if Sam Montembeault gets the nod, or if they develop a 1A, 1B role. If Levi snags the starting job, then look for Team Canada to once again go a long way in this one.

2 – Peyton Krebs, Center

Peyton Krebs established his game as a physical forward this season. He scored just 26 points in 2022-23, nine goals, and 17 assists in 79 games, but I’m looking for Krebs to take on more of a scoring role here, much like Dylan Cozens managed just a season ago.

And speaking of scoring, Krebs had a nice assist yesterday at one of the prelim games. And maybe it will foreshadow a points-laden tournament. Check it out below:

3 – Jack Quinn, Winger

Jack Quinn capped off his rookie season with the Buffalo Sabres, and he played well, snagging 37 points, 14 goals, and 23 assists in 75 contests. Also like we saw from Cozens last year, I’d love to see Quinn enjoy an unforgettable tournament. And who knows? Maybe it will foreshadow a stellar 2023-24?

Quinn’s overall game got better too, and he’ll also get to display some of that at the tournament. Ideally, we will see Quinn find the net more often than not, and even show off some stellar defensive play.

4 – Alex Tuch, Winger

Alex Tuch was a rather surprising addition to the Team USA roster. At least he was to me. But nonetheless, I think we can all agree he’s ready and raring to go if the following video displays any indication:

Anyway, Tuch is coming off of a dominant 2022-23 campaign with the Sabres, snagging 79 points in 74 contests. He also had 36 goals and 43 assists, and I won’t be surprised if he can carry Team USA on his back for at least the tournament’s early going.

5 – J.J. Peterka, Winger

And finally, we got winger J.J. Peterka, who formed a remarkable duo with Quinn in 2021-22. Peterka also earned a spot on the Buffalo Sabres roster, and although he saw his struggles, Peterka got it together as the year wore on and put up 32 points, 12 goals, and 20 assists in 77 contests.

Look for Peterka to be a more pivotal part of the Sabres lineup next season. But for now, you can watch him continue to hone his game as a member of Team Germany.

So, are you ready to see more of your Buffalo Sabres in action at the Worlds? If so, the games will start to count on May 12th. Let’s see if Levi, Krebs, Quinn, Peterka, and Tuch can lead their respective teams to the gold. But I have just one request: Team USA ends up facing Team Canada, or if they end up facing Germany go easy on one another.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)