Buffalo Sabres: J.J. Peterka tearing it up at 2023 IIHF Worlds

Buffalo Sabres winger J.J. Peterka might be the team’s most productive player at the 2023 IIHF Worlds, having enjoyed another strong showing today.

J.J. Peterka had an up and down rookie season with the Buffalo Sabres that started to trend north as the year wore on. He has just 32 points in 77 contests, but he seemed to develop a knack for getting open looks later in the year, and it became apparent he only needed to learn how to finish.

So far in the 2023 IIHF World Championship, Peterka has done just that, crushing the competition as he leads Team Germany into a spot in the quarter finals following their victory today over France. Speaking of which, Peterka was hot once again, logging a goal and an assist, bringing his overall points total to nine for the tournament, with four goals and five assists.

And his most recent goal was quite a privilege to watch. In case you missed in, you can check it out below:

Will Buffalo Sabres winger enjoy a Cozens-like year in 2023-24?

Peterka’s performance is starting to remind me of what we saw from Dylan Cozens last season. If you remember it right, Cozens played on another level at the 2022 Worlds, In 10 games he played for Team Canada, the Workhorse from Whitehorse rattled off 13 points, seven goals, and six assists, and that translated into a 68-point season for the then-third-year Cozens.

Peterka spent the previous season predominantly playing on the same line as Cozens, and along with Jack Quinn, the trio became known as the Kid Line, or the Fun Line, among other popular nicknames. Given Peterka’s performance so far at the 2023 Worlds and the way he came on strong toward the end of last year, it’s safe to predict that he will see an even better 2023-24 season, perhaps even snagging 60-plus points as the Buffalo Sabres seek their first playoff berth in 13 years.

(Statistics provided by Elite-Prospects.com)