The Buffalo Sabres face off with the New Jersey Devils tonight at 7 p.m., looking to build on a stellar outing in last night’s big win.
Quite a few prospects from the Buffalo Sabres enjoyed remarkable outings last night, and they are looking for a repeat performance vs. the New Jersey Devils. But Jersey has quite a few prospects of their own that Buffalo will want to watch out for.
Just like we did with the piece breaking down Montreal’s top players, we will take a quick look at how the Devils most intriguing prospects stack up vs. the Blue and Gold. And it all starts with defenseman Šimon Nemec, who the Devils snagged second overall in the 2022 Draft.
Nemec burst onto the scene last year with the Utica Comets, so quite a few Sabres prospects are familiar with him, including Jiri Kulich, who was also drafted in 2022. Nemec is one of the top prospects competing in the 2023 Challenge, and you can argue that he’s the best overall player in the tripleheader. So we will see if the Sabres can evoke a counter-attack for Nemec.
Buffalo Sabres could have their hands full vs. Devils top prospects
Chase Stillman should be a familiar name to you, as he’s the younger brother of Buffalo Sabres defenseman Riley Stillman. The 20-year-old winger is a former first round pick, and he’s a rather pesky forward with a motor that just doesn’t stop. Stillman, however, hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations of a first round pick as Nick Villano of our sister site, Pucks and Pitchforks, points out.
But the Prospects Challenge is all about giving players like Stillman a chance for redemption, so the Sabres can’t be sleeping on this kid. Sure, Stillman may have struggled in Game 1 vs. the Ottawa Senators, but that should give the young forward plenty of motivation.
Graeme Clarke is another name that jumps out at me. And like Nemec, many of the Buffalo Sabres prospects playing in this contest are more than familiar with the kid. Last season in Utica, Clarke snagged 64 points in 74 contests, and he’s a player the Blue and Gold must account for every time his stick touches the puck.
Overall, this is a strong New Jersey Devils group coming in to play Buffalo. And while the Sabres ultimately triumphed over the Montreal Canadiens following a slow start, they can’t afford one against Jersey if they plan on improving their record to 2-0 tonight.
Source: Devils 2023 Prospects Challenge Preview by Alex Chauvancy, The Hockey Writers