Top Buffalo Sabres prospects to get excited for in 2024-25
1 - Devon Levi is in his own tier
For a while, Devon Levi had all of us worried, and it had nothing to do with his so-called underperformance in Buffalo during the first part of the season. Instead, it was Kevyn Adams’ sheer indecisiveness, as he didn’t immediately reassign Levi to Rochester after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen showed that nobody would be prying the No. 1 job away this past season.
Finally, Levi went to Rochester, and he’s a big reason why the Amerks surged the way they did after struggling for a while to stay afloat earlier in the year. No, Levi didn’t see his numbers revert to what they were in college, but his 2.42 GAA and 0.927 save percentage weren’t far off, though he’s still searching for his first shutout in the AHL.
He finished the year 16-6-2, and Levi will also be the No. 1 goaltender in the Calder Cup Playoffs, meaning the rest of the field will have a tough time figuring out the Amerks. If he plays just as well from now until hopefully when the Amerks hoist the Calder Cup, the 1B spot in Buffalo could very well be waiting for him.
Few goaltenders are as far along in their development as Levi is at age 22, and it will be fun to see how his time in Rochester translates to what he may do in the NHL once preseason arrives in September.
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(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects and Hockey-Reference)